Ofelia Gomez was given a choice at an early age: laundry or cooking? She chose the latter.

Little did she know that one day that choice would help her open her own restaurant, Ofelia's Kitchen. The Hillcrest Avenue mainstay has been serving sandwiches, soups, salads and frozen yogurt to local residents for more than 15 years.

The quality of the food isn't the only reason for the restaurant's longevity. Ofelia Gomez's habit of treating customers like family has helped.

"I try to make my restaurant feel like my home." she said. "I want my customers to enjoy their food, but to relax, too, like they were in my kitchen with my family."

Gomez is the eldest of 12 children and was raised in Washington, D.C. Preparing daily meals for her family was part of her childhood, she said.

Ofelia's Kitchen prepares meal with fresh ingredients, as Gomez was taught by her mother.

The two would shop for produce and other ingredients from local vendors, something Gomez still does today.

She prepares nearly everything her kitchen produces, from blending the hummus for her veggie sandwiches to grinding the grains for her honey wheat bread. In addition, soups are cooked from scratch.

Gomez said her customers are now an extended part of her family.

"I make the food they want," she said.

Here is a recipe for a popular item at Ofelia's Kitchen:

Spinach & Orange Muffins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. Grind orange in a blender

3. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl

4. Add the wet ingredients and mix well to form a batter

5. Pour the batter into muffin trays lined with waxed cups

6. Bake for 23 minutes and check with a toothpick