Ferriday — Susana Ibarra is part of making a family dream come true one plate at a time.

Ibarra, with her brother Gabriel Ibarra, recently opened the Red Onion 2, a new Mexican restaurant in Ferriday.

“My brother always wanted to open restaurants,” she said. “My mother is invested in the restaurant. This isn’t just my dream. It is the dream of my family.”

The restaurant opened Nov. 15, but it isn’t their first try in the restaurant world. The brother-sister duo also operate the original Red Onion in Woodville.

“We are already busier than we were in Woodville, I think,” Susana said. “I’m happy with the business we are doing, but you always want to do better.”

The restaurant serves up traditional Mexican cuisine with a special, homemade touch, Susana said. She said the menu is similar to the one in Woodville, but the new location offers a few more dishes.

“I learned to cook from my mother and watching other people cook,” she said. “Things taste good because I’m doing it the way my mother taught me to.

“My daughter says she has to come up here to get a home-cooked meal and that is how we want our food to taste.”

In the first three weeks of business, Ibarra already has a sense for what is going to be popular for the local eaters. She said steaks, fajitas, quesadillas and the restaurant’s appetizer platter have been the popular choices during both dinner and lunch rushes. The restaurant also has daily lunch and dinner specials.

“So far our rush time has really been during lunch,” she said. “We are busy at dinner, too, but I think we can do better at dinner once people know we are here.”

The restaurant is located at 1409 E.E. Wallace Blvd, in Ferriday. Ibarra said the location has proved to be a positive since there is a steady flow of traffic right outside and it is located close to at least one office full of good eaters.

“The police officers are some of our best customers,” Susana said with a laugh. “We like to see them in here.”

The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

“I encourage people to come and give us a try,” Susana said. “We like to feed and treat people at the restaurant like they are at our home. We want people to leave here with a smile on their face because of the food and the service.”