PROCTORVILLE — Jose Valencia saw an opportunity to bring a bit of Mexico to eastern Lawrence County and now Proctorville has an authentic Mexican restaurant.

It is Little Tenampa, located at 8115 County Road 107, just outside the village limits.

Valencia who came to this country from Mexico has with his business partner, Edsel Rollyson, several other restaurants with the same genre in West Virginia including one in downtown Huntington, one in the west end of Huntington, and others in Milton and Lavalette.

“I was looking for a place in Proctorville,” Valencia said. “I liked the town and it would be a good place for a Mexican restaurant. I liked the place of Proctorville and we saw the opportunity to get into the market.”

Getting into the restaurant business was natural for Valencia as he grew up learning how to cook and the dishes on the restaurant’s menu are creations of his.

“I always worked with my mama,” he said. “I like to cook. I like to look for something fresh. Everything we do is homemade and fresh. Nothing is from a can.”

So far the restaurant’s favorites are a pork dish cooked with zucchini, squash and tomatoes and shrimp with chipolte sauce and avocado slices.

Getting to make sure the recipe is just the way he wants is part of the enjoyment of cooking, Valencia said.

“When you put in the seasonings, you taste it and it needs this or it needs that. That is the best part,” he said.

The restaurant with its casual dining atmosphere features a motif of sunset pink adobe walls with Mexican folk music serenading customers throughout the dining area.

Hours for the restaurant are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 9:30 p.m. Sunday.