Celebrating 32 years of community service, Ma Harper is an Icon of The San Antonio Community
32 years ago Alice Martinez Harper, known to this city as ‘Ma Harper’ opened ‘Nawlins Creole Kitchen on the Eastside of San Antonio on E. Commerce St before moving her restaurant to South W.W. White Road under the new name ‘Ma Harpers Creole Kitchen’. The restaurant hosted many events and celebrations over the decades.
Ma’s fierce dedication to community service is undeniable from feeding the homeless to hiring those who were formerly incarcerated and needed a second chance. Ma Harper’s is a second chance employer and gave many of those who were formerly incarcerated a second chance by employing them.
On Ma Harper’s 90th birthday in 2019, Mayor Ron Nirenberg attended the celebration at Grace Lutheran Church Hall and presented Ma Harper with a proclamation from the City of San Antonio.
Ma Harper is an inspiration to us all and a staple in our community. Not only is she still operating a business in her 90’s but she is still sharing advice, keeping smiles on everyone’s face and praying for people daily. Opening her famed restaurant was only after she had retired from service as an airplane mechanic at Kelly Air Force Base. Ma Harper has given her life work to our community in so many ways.
Hailing from New Orleans, or as Ma Harper says ‘Nawlins’ she brought her winning recipes. Many know Ma Harper from her many years hosting a booth at The Taste of New Orleans. Ma has won the food competition countless times with her famous gumbo. She was also featured on Elder Eats along with many other accolades along the way.
Ma Harper and her husband, Bill Harper, run the restaurant with her family. Currently, the restaurant is open Thurs-Sat 10-4 p.m., serving up favorites like seafood gumbo, red beans and rice, fish, fried chicken and shrimp. Of course we can’t forget about the peach cobbler and banana pudding.
In honor of Women’s Month, Black Business San Antonio, will host “Lunch with Ma” this Wed, March 22nd from 2-5pm at Ma Harpers, Creole Kitchen located at 1816 N New Braunfels Ave.
The event is celebrating 32 years of Business run by a 94 year old Community Shero! The goal is to help continue to bring site to her restaurant, honor her accomplishments and help with the economic growth of our community.
Ma Harper has been a consistent blessing to many people. Please take some time to visit her restaurant and return the love right back!
