PHOENIX (AZFamily) — America’s Taco Shop opened its doors in 2008 on co-founders Terry Bortin and America Corrales’s 7th wedding anniversary.
It was the realization of a dream come true. For Bortin, the restaurant business has been a lifelong passion. He began his career as a teen working as a restaurant dishwasher before studying hotel and restaurant management at Northern Arizona University. Armed with a degree, Terry honed his management expertise at celebrated establishments like Houston’s, Leo’s Delicatessen, and Pei Wei Asian Diner.
But the true soul of America’s Taco Shop lies in the recipes, memories, and culinary heritage of its namesake, America Corrales. As the youngest of six children growing up in a bustling household of eight, Corrales was always at her mother’s side in the kitchen and helping to prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Sadly, Corrales lost her mother when she was just 13 years old. But by then, an extraordinary gift had already been passed down. Without a single recipe ever being written down, Corrales had fully absorbed her mother’s techniques, secret spice blends, and heartfelt approach to cooking– which the couple use at America’s Taco Shop today…