The Contribution of Frittz and Lidia Lazo to Madison and Beyond: From La Paz to Madison (Part 2 of 2)
For the sake of their children and Lidia’s health, Frittz and Lidia Lazo forsook their comfortable professional careers in Bolivia to start over at the beginning in Madison
by Jonathan Gramling with contributions from Fabiola Hamdan and Rissel Sanderson
Frittz and Lidia Lazo and their three children, Fabiola, Rissel and Jessie, had a comfortable middle-class life in La Paz, Bolivia. Frittz and Lidia were well-educated. Frittz was a school principal and Lidia was a school teacher. They owned their own home and other assets. There was no reason to go anywhere.
But then Lidia got sick. She was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor and needed to come to Madison, Wisconsin for the operation to try to remove the tumor. Out of love, the Lazos moved to Madison and literally started over.
The Lazos started out cleaning homes and businesses. They pooled their money to pay bills and save for the future. And then Frittz got a job initially doing cleaning work at Casa de Lara on State Street.
“My dad worked at Casa de Lara as a cook assistant,” said Fabiola Hamdan, Frittz and Lidia’s daughter. “Then he saw the opportunity to learn at Casa de Lara about the restaurant business. The Latino community was growing locally. He was exposed to the restaurant business. We had that for years. He was learning a lot about the business because he was the bartender. He was the assistant cook and all of that. And then he became very good friends with the manager. She was one of the people who helped us.”
“Little by little, knowing the people at Cafe de Lara, especially Anna, my dad learned the restaurant business,” said Rissel Sanderson, Frittz and Lidia’s other daughter. “She had my dad learn all of the dishes that were cooked and so he became a cook. There were two shifts back then. This lady had a lot of influence on us.”
Frittz met some people through Casa de Lara and became a business partner with one of them. When a restaurant became vacant at 309 W. Johnson Street, they acted and turned to establishment into The Latin Club.
“We opened The Latin Club in 1991 and we were open for seven years,” Fabiola said. “It had humble beginnings. We didn’t know a lot about businesses here. There were hardly any Latino businesses. We had The Cardinal Bar. He opened The Latin Club with his partner Francisco. Right away, they thought they would serve some Bolivian food. My mom would cook Bolivian food. My dad would take care of the bar. We ran the business because it was difficult because they were the first Latin club. They decided they were going to have food and on the weekends, they would have some Latin music. Lasisi from the African community, was the first DJ. He was part of the family almost. He helped a lot. He would play African music. And Saturdays were Latin music. They employed a lot of students. We would work in the club. We were having the time of our lives because we would go after school to the bar and help out. There were a lot of parties.”
In essence, it was a family business.
“We almost lived in The Latin Club,” Rissell said. “We had to take the bus to downtown and pretty much stayed there all day. We’d come home and sleep for a little while and then go back.”
The family’s life revolved around The Latin Club.
“At Thanksgiving, my mom would cook tons of turkey,” Fabiola said. “Usually students from UW-Madison would come. She would provide the soup and the food. Basically, immigrants would go to The Latin Club. For us, it was like Thanksgiving, we have to work. The same was for New Years Eve. The business was my parents’ life.”
It also served the migrant community.
“Later on, almost at the end, we served a lot of migrant workers,” Fabiola said. “The only day off that they had was Sunday. So then my dad would say, ‘I’m going to open Sunday when you can come and have a meal and some drinks.’ That was also another day to work for us. I remember that it was Sunday and we’re going to open on Sunday? We should at least rest. But a lot of accommodations like this. He would educate the students and the farm workers. ‘Don’t drink too much. Keep up with your money. You have to save.’ He was a father figure to many.”
The Latin Club became known as a spot for Latin culture close by the UW-Madison.
“We were able to bring some groups from Chicago to Madison,” Fabiola recalled. “The Chicago connection would bring groups that were really great. Once Tito Fuentes was doing a concert in Madison. He stopped by The Latin Club. We were so popular. There were lines to get in. One of our friends recognized the originators of YouTube in line and welcomed them in. They bought shots for everyone. We had one of the first huge TV antennas. We had on novellas and soap operas and soccer. People would come to watch. Spanish classes would come to The Latin Club with their students. The Spanish channel was really important. There was Univision, but nobody really had it. That’s why the Spanish clubs would come. On weekends, we would put on soccer games.”
The Latin Club became a center to watch the World Cup.
“In 1994, for the first time, Bolivia went to the World Cup,” Fabiola said. “He was able to televise that. There was a lot of good stuff going on.”
“The biggest thing I remember is when the World Cup was happening,” Rissell added. “He would bring t-shirts from different countries and give them away. They hired a lot of students, including us. That was something nice.”
As a Latin-oriented club in a predominantly Euro-American area, The Latin Club did attract some negative attention.
“We were scrutinized by the police because it was something unknown and the number of people who were coming,” Fabiola said. “It was challenging with the liquor license. We would get complaints. One was like so and so was detained on State Street because he was in some sort of Latin club. Anything that was Latino, it was our fault. It was super challenging at first.”
After a while, Frittz and Lidia became sole owners of the club. And in it’s seventh year, Fonatans Sports sold the building and The Latin Club lost its lease.
“It was hard for them and the community when we closed The Latin Club,” Fabiola said. “They went to Bolivia for a little while. He said he was depressed and defeated. When he came back, he rented a little bar called the Nelson Bar and worked there for a while, but it wasn’t the same. The contract was only two years. Everyone knew The Latin Club and so the crowds followed them. But they knew it was only two years and it was already time for them to retire.”
The Lazos may have retired, but they still kept busy.
“They became active in the Lutheran church and then they opened the Latino Ministry at the Lutheran church with Father Pedro,” Fabiola said. “They have been very active with it until now. He was teaching Spanish. She was in some clubs. They were very active.”
The children all became professionals, each making their own way in the professional world. And in spite of their years, the Lazos are still active.
“Right now, my dad is 91-years-old,” Rissell said. “They retired and my dad’s hobby is to do gardening and working with plants. They are still active in the Lutheran church. They go to the YMCA 2-3 times per week to exercise. My dad is super active for his age.”
The Lazos are an American Immigrant success story. They turned adversity into opportunity. They were not looking for handouts. They worked hard and saved and created a business. And the children are all working professional jobs. Frittz and Lidia’s home and porch are filled with plants. Frittz also tends a vegetable garden. The Lazos are reaping the rewards of the seeds they planted a long time ago. They have found their American Dream.