He’s from Mexico, she’s from El Salvador. They opened a restaurant in Johnson County

Behind the cash register hangs a curtain, slightly parted and covered in cartoon pots and pans.

On it, curly letters spell: “Cooking with love.”

The sentiment is more than a cliche for husband and wife Martin Lopez and Mary Bel Elias. Their restaurant, La Cocina de Mary, serves pupusas: a meat and cheese-filled corn cake born in Elias’ home country of El Salvador.

Further down on the menu are Mexican tacos al pastor and tamales. That’s a nod to Lopez, who hails from Mexico City.

Together they cook other dishes, like carne asada, elotes locos (grilled “crazy corn”) and enchiladas.

Their business opened a little more than two weeks ago in Shawnee’s Mill Creek Center at 13220 W. 62nd Terrace, marrying Lopez and Elias’ favorite dishes. La Cocina moved into the space formerly occupied by Juan Jose’s Taqueria.

For 10 years, the couple has owned and operated La Mexicanita grocery store at 7620 Metcalf Ave. in Overland Park, but opening a restaurant was a 20-year-old aspiration Lopez couldn’t shake.

“You never close your mind,” he said. “Always open your mind, because your dream may be coming.”

It stands to reason that “Mary” in the restaurant’s name refers to Elias — but that’s only partly true.

“My wife is Mary Bel, my mom is Mary, my mother-in-law is Maria,” Lopez said. “Too many Marys in my family, so I said, ‘OK: La Cocina de Mary’” — Mary’s kitchen.

Lopez, now 59, immigrated to the United States 20 years ago. He met Elias (now 49) while they both cleaned Community Covenant Church in Lenexa. The two fell in love scrubbing counters and married 10 years ago.

The restaurant has proven to be a family-wide, all-hands-on-deck affair. His sister-in-law, Marta Vasquez, scurried between the front of the house and back kitchen, watching steak sizzle and stirring plantain slices on the stove.

“When everybody’s working together, everybody’s coming up together,” Lopez said.

Elias was out of the restaurant Thursday, holding down the fort at La Mexicanita, Lopez said.

As a massive pot steamed on the stove, Vasquez dipped in a ladle and fished out chunks of something big and rubbery.

“Sopa de pata,” Lopez pointed eagerly. That’s cow foot soup, a Salvadoran favorite. The beef feet will be boiled until cooked and soft, then added to a stew with broth and veggies.

Lopez’s favorite menu item is a tribute to his wife’s culture. He steers newcomers to the pupusas, which come with several filling options: squash, beans, jalapeno, bacon or loroco: an earthy tasting green flower bud.

Wash it down with horchata (sweet rice milk), jamaica (hibiscus tea), atole de elote (a hot, sweet corn drink) or, of course, a margarita.

A few groups of people filtered in and out, and Lopez manned the register. He knew opening a restaurant was a risk, but he had to try.

“When you open something or you experiment something, you’re nervous, excited,” he said. “You never know. Every day is new.”

La Cocina de Mary is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays.