Known around Houston as the “Enchilada Queen,” Sylvia Casares may have built her reputation on rolled tortillas, but it’s the chili gravy at their core that defines her cooking. The chef-owner of Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen has taken that border-born staple beyond her dining rooms and into the retail space with Sylvia’s Signature Sauces—extending her reach and transforming a deeply personal flavor memory into a brand poised to carry South Texas cooking well beyond Houston.
“Obviously, as the name of my cookbook and my restaurants reveal, enchiladas are something I am known for, and I think I do very well; but to narrow it down even further, I would say my chili gravy represents me not only as a chef, but as someone born and raised on the Texas-Mexico border,” she explains. “This is an iconic South Texas food and I am proud of mine.”
Casares had long considered expanding her brand, but she was certain about what she didn’t want: more restaurants. In addition to the two Houston locations she operates—at 6401 Woodway Drive and 1140 Eldridge Parkway—she keeps a full calendar of year-round cooking classes. Rather than add another address, she chose to channel her energy into developing a retail sauce line capable of carrying her signature flavors far beyond the dining room and onto grocery shelves.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, and the time just felt right!” she says. “I studied the retail market and felt it was missing a high-quality sauce, especially a chili gravy.”…