For nearly 14 years, Elizabeth Hernández refused to compromise on how she cooked the Oaxacan dishes she grew up with, even when Arizona kitchens made that stubbornness difficult. That commitment just earned her restaurant, 15 Salsas in Phoenix, a distinction no other restaurant in the city has received: Mexico’s Sello M, a government-backed seal recognizing authentic Mexican cuisine served outside the country.
Hernández, a 50-year-old Oaxacan entrepreneur, received the Sello M for 15 Salsas on July 27, according to azcentral.com, making her restaurant the first in Phoenix to earn the designation. The seal is awarded through the Mexican Academy of Gastronomy and Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, working through diplomatic representations abroad, and it recognizes establishments outside Mexico that promote authentic Mexican cuisine, per the same report. Jorge Mendoza Yescas presented the seal to Hernández in Phoenix on that date, according to a photo caption cited by azcentral.com.
Hernández was born and raised in San Antonino Castillo Velasco, a town about 30 minutes from Oaxaca de Juárez in the state’s Central Valleys region, the outlet reports. She left Mexico in 2010 and moved to Chandler, Arizona, carrying recipes that would soon run into a problem familiar to many immigrant cooks: the ingredients she needed simply weren’t available locally.
From a Grocery Store Kitchen to a Restaurant of Her Own
In 2012, Hernández began cooking for a grocery store owner before eventually buying the restaurant portion of that business herself, according to azcentral.com. The spot, originally located at the corner of 15th Avenue and Hatcher Road in Phoenix, was then called La 15 y Salsas. She renamed it 15 Salsas and officially opened it on Sept. 1, 2012. The restaurant now operates at 722 W. Hatcher Road, near Seventh Avenue and Hatcher Road…