In billing itself as “The Masters of Mexican Munchies,” San Jose’s Taqueria Tlaquepaque seriously underplays the authenticity, quality and variety of its dishes. For 35 years, the restaurant has grown from a simple taqueria with a one-page menu to a full-service restaurant with a dedicated clientele.
However, the best endorsement may be from owner Ubaldo Navarro-Castillo’s mother, Maria Louisa Castillo, who began teaching him how to cook when he was 6-years-old. She owned a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Jalisco, Mexico, which was so small that it didn’t even have a name.
“I learned to make Chorizo con Huevo old style from her,” he said. “That was where my dream started, and most of our recipes came from there. I brought her here and cooked for her, and she loved how I fixed everything.”
The restaurant did well enough that when Navarro-Castillo left Mexico at 15, he did it more for the adventure than the money. His first job was washing dishes in a corporate cafeteria. His kitchen work was limited to cooking for himself and friends at home — later for his family…