A Journey of Resilience and Flavor
Maximina Machaen Groce, affectionately known as Momie, was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. She was the great grandmother of Kevin and Ric Kiersh, owners of Red River Cantina. In the early 1900s, while living in Tampico during the Mexican Revolution, Maximina and her husband Leonard Courtney Groce faced the difficult decision to flee with their four eldest children.
The family found refuge in League City, Texas, settling along Calder Road. After the revolution, Leonard returned to Guadalajara to check on their home, only to find it burned to the ground. He came back to League City and lived out his days there, leaving behind Maximina and their children Beatriz, Estela, Leonard, Maxie, and Courtney.
Leonard Groce was a direct descendant of Jared Ellison Groce, one of the Old 300 settlers who journeyed to Texas with Stephen F. Austin. That legacy of perseverance and hospitality has remained a defining thread for five generations of the Groce family.
Through every season, the Groce and Kiersh families kept Momie's recipes close, passing them from one kitchen to the next. From their earliest barbecue ventures to their Tex-Mex destinations, each new restaurant has honored their family heritage and the cultural influences discovered throughout Texas and Mexico.