Popular Orange County restaurant La Casa Garcia cancels beloved Thanksgiving celebration

A staple of Thanksgiving celebrations in Orange County will not happen for the first time in nearly 40 years, as owners of the beloved La Casa Garcia restaurant made a tough decision to temporarily suspend the event that has fed thousands. 

Frank Garcia has made a spot at the Thanksgiving table for anyone without a place to go, but this year the 80-year-old has his own battle with health issues to deal with, leading to the ultimate decision to discontinue the "We Give Thanks" community dinner. 

"I can't do none of that, but I can't be there. It hurts me," Garcia said, speaking about his beloved wife Sylvia, who is recovering from a stroke. "I can't be there. Family is first."

The two have been side-by-side every Thanksgiving since he opened his restaurant La Casa Garcia. In the years since, Garcia and his staff would stay up late into the night to prepare turkey and all the fixings for the guests that lined up for the feast. 

It got to be such a big event that they had to move the event to the Honda Center parking lot, where hundreds of volunteers sign up to serve annually. 

"We grew up doing this," Garcia's daughter Cindy said. "This is all we know on Thanksgiving Day and it is bittersweet, but yet it's nice that we are going to be present with mom and dad and do a Thanksgiving dinner for us."

Though his legs have slowed, Garcia's heart and mind are still always thinking of a way to give back to those in need. Just last weekend, he stopped to buy food for families ahead of the holidays and plans to continue doing so. 

"Thank you very much for being here, a lot. 40 years is 40 years, right," Garcia said. "There were people that didn't have food. Couples, you know, when I see them cry — it's my people."

He said that people still looking for a place to go on Thanksgiving can visit his friend George at Harry's Cafe in Stanton between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.