PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY MADDY BOTELLO
Maddy Botello, 27
Owner, Wally’s Desert Turtle
A desert native and Cornell University grad, Botello returned to the Coachella Valley during the pandemic to take over operations at the restaurant her grandfather founded in 1978. Botello is expanding Wally’s offerings to include more farm-to-table cuisine and boutique wines — while staying true to the spirit that has called diners back for decades. “We’re generational owners, but [we have] generational customers as well,” Botello says. “I love hearing their stories.”