Ruben Luna and David Gates reopened Anne Marie's Gourmet Shop & Café in January 1992. Catering was only a small part of the business. After our first three years, catering became 40% of our business and so we changed the name to Anne Marie's Restaurant & Catering.
During the proceeding years we grew at a rate of 23% annually. In January 1999 we put a plan in motion to purchase our own banquet facility in five years. The objective was to be able to provide a “one stop shop” where a person or group can get all their event planning needs taken care of at one place. In February 2001, three years ahead of schedule, we began the long and arduous process of purchasing the Celebration Square. After seven months of research, meetings, interviews and paperwork and more paperwork; we finally did it. We purchased a 15,000 square foot building that that is now Anne Marie's @ Devonshire Place.
 In 1997, Anne Marie's Restaurant & Catering began donating food to Transplants for Children to help with fund raising efforts. Once we discovered how the organization helps underprivileged children and their families cope with the traumatic experiences of having to deal with a transplant, we wanted to get more involved. In the summer of 1999 after  completing Leadership San Antonio together, our friend Jennifer Moriarty convinced to join the board of Transplants for Children. Transplants for Children has grown dramatically over the years and provides counseling, financial assistance and most importantly an organization where transplant candidates, recipients, and families can go to meet with others with similar experiences. I take great pride in saying that we are very involved in the continued growth of Transplants for children. We, however, take great pleasure in hosting, in our new banquet facility, events for the children and their families each year in which they can get together and just have fun.
For more information about Transplants for Children see their web site at transplantsforchildren.org. |
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