You could say business is a delicious affair for Alex Perez. Ask anyone who’s savored the ambiance and Mexican cuisine at El Jalapeno Grill, and they’ll tell you to bring a big appetite but watch out filling up on the endless house-made chips and salsa. This is one family-owned eatery lauded as the best of its kind locally, and includes Alex, his mother, father, sister, and brother—all of whom have found sweet success dishing up the spice since 2006. “I love this town,” Alex says of Collinsville, which sets about 20 miles north of Tulsa. “This community cares a lot about us, and we care a lot about this community, so we try to demonstrate our gratitude to customers every day.”

American Bank of Oklahoma President Joe Landon discovered El Jalapeno from the restaurant’s very beginning and welcomed patriarch, Tony, early on to ABOK’s Collinsville branch. Alex followed in 2012, when he opened his first checking account while on his way to becoming a manager alongside his brother. “I would never change from working with ABOK,” Alex says. This, in a community that seems to host a big-name bank on every corner. “You walk inside, and everyone knows your name. You never need an appointment to talk to someone. They’re just the best.”

And so are your enchiladas, Alex.