Raised a cotton picker in Texas, Jose Enciso experienced some of the worst racism of the 1950s.

Despite the cruelty he faced as a young boy, he’s now leading a remarkable life of generosity.

His contribution to Issaquah stretches beyond turning the historic XXX Rootbeer into a hub for classic car owners. It’s even bigger than the checks he writes for local nonprofits.

It’s in building a community out of a once failing burger joint.

At a Tuesday awards ceremony, the city and chamber of commerce honored him with two of the most notable awards, business man of the year and the city’s Hall of Fame award.

“It’s not just another person with a successful business, it’s more than that,” said John Traeger, City Council president. “It’s a major contribution to the quality of life in our town.”

Enciso’s life is a testament to what hard work and persistence can build, even in the most unfair circumstances.

A part of immigrant family, he moved from Mexico to Texas at age 2.

His father organized about 100 migrants each year, and together they traveled from farm to farm.

Finding a white person willing to sell them gas was so hard, his father coasted down hills to almost a complete stop, before pushing the gas pedal.

Some towns refused to sell his family food. So to eat, they would hunt wild rabbits in the fields and cook them over cotton stalks.

School life wasn’t much easier. He moved so frequently, he hardly learned English, much less math or history.

One school didn’t want the Mexican children in class, so they sent them to the boiler room with a stack of books.

Minorities weren’t allowed to use the playground either, so they brought marbles for fun. If caught playing with them, however, teachers would whip their hands until they were so swollen they couldn’t close them.

“There’s a pain, and there’s a wound, and there is a picture you can’t give up,” Enciso said. “It gives me the opportunity to give back, and to do different then what I was forced to go through.”

Over the past 12 years, he’s given tens of thousands of dollars to Life Enhancement Options, LEO, which helps the mentally disabled. He opens XXX to 42 car shows each year, and only asks the groups give the money they earn to nonprofits.

Enciso left the cotton fields after high school, and made his way up to Oregon in 1970.

He was working a nighttime job at a bank when a friend encouraged him to sell tacos at a Mexican fiesta. Broke, he didn’t write the $150 check for the food until after banking hours, in hopes of earning the money back before the end of the weekend.

He made $1,600, a small fortune, and his path was set for the restaurant business.

Enciso has owned a handful of restaurants over the years, but none was more well known than Enciso’s Mexican Kitchen in Salem.

A few blocks from the capital, it was once the subject of a 60 Minutes program, and received business from several celebrities, he said.

He lost everything, including his business, after a divorce, he said. “It was very crushing.”

He pushed forward, he said. “In Texas, my mom and dad taught us to work hard, to not ask for anything for free.”

He was so broke, he hitch-hiked to Seattle. After opening a few restaurants with a friend, he was persuaded to branch out on his own.

The owners of XXX approached him consistently for over a year, and after he ran out of excuses, he agreed to buy the place in 1999.

The restaurant, known for its root beer and classic American cheeseburgers, has seen a number of changes over the years, but none more noticeable than overwhelming car memorabilia that hangs from the walls and ceilings.

It began with a hub cap from a customer, Enciso said. He hung it on the wall with a name tag, and from there it snowballed.

Each photo, license plate and car part represents a person whose connected to XXX and to Enciso. Since he took over, the restaurant has received national media attention 17 times.

Today, Enciso still works in the kitchen, waiting tables and washing dishes.

“Talk about customer service,” said Fred Riler, a customer since 1985 who likes his fries extra crisp. “You won’t find anyone better than him.”

Jose Enciso washes dishes in the kitchen of XXX Rootbeer. Although he’s the owner, he takes pride in hard work and long hours he puts into the business. Tuesday he won Business Person of the Year and the city’s Hall of Fame awards.

Tuesday Jose Enciso won Business Person of the Year and the city’s Hall of Fame awards.