A New San José Restaurant Offers the Largest Variety of Burritos in the Bay
The Warriors’ Latest Slam Dunk? Halal Food
Mexican Hibachi Is the Bay Area’s Next Great Fusion Cuisine
Taquerias Come and Go, but La Vic’s Orange Sauce Is Forever
When a Silicon Valley Taqueria Assembled the World’s Largest Burrito
Spam and Garlic Tots in Your Burrito? These San Jose Brothers Are Starting the Trend
A New San Jose Food Truck Fuses Filipino, Mexican and Hawaiian Flavors
Behold the Afghan Burrito: A Bay Area Classic, Remixed
Taqueria El Mezcal's Hot Cheetos Burrito Is Endorsed by Chester Cheetah
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"content": "\u003cp>If \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/burrito\">burrito\u003c/a> eating were a professional sport, I would probably be one of the highest-ranked players in the league. I’ve eaten hundreds of burritos across the Bay Area, usually sitting in my car with salsas spread across the dash. But even a pro eater might be intimidated by the staggering selection at \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cucosburritos/\">Cuco’s Burritos\u003c/a>, which offers more than 14 different specialty styles — the most I’ve ever encountered in the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On my first visit to the restaurant’s brand new location in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/sanjosefood\">San José\u003c/a>, I couldn’t decide between a wet burrito drenched in mole and another that was smothered in bright green tomatillo salsa. I went for both and added a secret menu option I’d heard about for good measure — a burrito stuffed with smoky al pastor and a whole chile relleno oozing molten cheese.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The dining room was a lot nicer than the interior of my Civic, with homey tile flooring and sleek wooden tables that quickly filled up with an entire fleet of burritos drizzled with vibrant salsas and zigzagging crema. Each burrito was both absolutely packed and perfectly balanced; no single ingredient outshined the rest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13988696\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13988696\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Top-to-bottom_-Asada-fries-suiza-burrito-chile-relleno-al-pastor-burrito-and-chipotle-shrimp-burrito.jpg\" alt=\"Overhead view of a spread of burritos and carne asada fries.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Top-to-bottom_-Asada-fries-suiza-burrito-chile-relleno-al-pastor-burrito-and-chipotle-shrimp-burrito.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Top-to-bottom_-Asada-fries-suiza-burrito-chile-relleno-al-pastor-burrito-and-chipotle-shrimp-burrito-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Top-to-bottom_-Asada-fries-suiza-burrito-chile-relleno-al-pastor-burrito-and-chipotle-shrimp-burrito-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Top-to-bottom_-Asada-fries-suiza-burrito-chile-relleno-al-pastor-burrito-and-chipotle-shrimp-burrito-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Top-to-bottom_-Asada-fries-suiza-burrito-chile-relleno-al-pastor-burrito-and-chipotle-shrimp-burrito-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A massive burrito feast at the new Cuco’s Burritos in San José. Pictured from left to right: carne asada fries, suiza burrito, chile relleno–al pastor burrito and chipotle shrimp burrito. \u003ccite>(Octavio Peña)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Owner Mariela Peralta was practically raised in a restaurant kitchen. Her parents opened their first food truck in Redwood City in 1988, when she was an infant. By age 12, she was buttering bread and passing out sodas. When she was 18, her father gave her a food truck of her own. She ran it for five years before quitting to try out careers in the medical field and bridal makeup. Ultimately, she found that her true passion was food and returned to manage her parents’ four trucks and two restaurants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Peralta collaborated with her father, Don Cuco, to open the original Cuco’s location in Redwood City in 2019. She named the restaurant after him, and in return he shared his recipes and helped her remodel the space before he passed away in 2023. Open for about a month now, the new San José location replaced Tacos El Rancherito, a restaurant that her mother, Doña Lupe, ran for 25 years before deciding to retire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13979641,arts_13958466,arts_13904835']\u003c/span>\u003c/span>Of course, the Bay Area has no shortage of burrito restaurants, but Peralta decided to distinguish her business from established taquerias by doubling down on burritos even more — by offering a more extensive selection than anyone else. Many of Cuco’s wet burritos, in particular, are inspired by regional Mexican dishes like \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaurants/article/tortas-ahogadas-oakland-san-jose-21122878.php\">tortas ahogadas\u003c/a> from Jalisco, enchiladas suizas from Mexico City, aporreadillo from Michoacan and mole from Oaxaca. The restaurant also serves regional styles popular in other parts of the United States, like San Diego’s California burrito, which comes stuffed with fries, or Arizona’s deep-fried burrito (aka a chimichanga). There’s also some influence from our own region’s massive \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101910084/why-the-mission-style-burrito-defines-the-bay-area\">Mission burritos\u003c/a> — although Peralta says she’s never eaten a burrito in the Mission herself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13988697\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13988697\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Angel-Peralta-left-and-Mariela-Peralta-right.jpg\" alt=\"A man and woman pose for a portrait inside a restaurant.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Angel-Peralta-left-and-Mariela-Peralta-right.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Angel-Peralta-left-and-Mariela-Peralta-right-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Angel-Peralta-left-and-Mariela-Peralta-right-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Angel-Peralta-left-and-Mariela-Peralta-right-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mariela Peralta (right) is the owner of Cuco’s Burritos. She runs the new San José shop along with her brother, Angel (left). \u003ccite>(Octavio Peña)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The large variety of burrito styles — including six different breakfast burritos — has earned the restaurant a cult following and \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/2025/best-burrito-sf-bay-area/\">critical acclaim\u003c/a>. The hyperfocus on burritos doesn’t come across as a gimmick, though. Instead, it has simply given Peralta a new way of highlighting family recipes that have been popular for over 40 years. In fact, Peralta says her burrito fillings are all dishes she grew up eating at home. The moles, for example, were handed down through multiple generations of women in her family going back to her great-grandmother.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I want to continue the legacy that my parents started so many years ago,” Peralta says. “It’s my mission to see the restaurant flourish and have more people try my family’s recipes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some cases, Peralta adds her own flourish to her family’s recipes — by creating vegetarian versions of al pastor and chorizo that combine tofu with her dad’s adobo, as well as a vegetarian mole burrito.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13988694\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13988694\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Chile-Relleno-Al-Pastor-Burrito.jpg\" alt=\"A woman in a pink cardigan holds a burrito in her hand, ready to take a bite.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Chile-Relleno-Al-Pastor-Burrito.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Chile-Relleno-Al-Pastor-Burrito-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Chile-Relleno-Al-Pastor-Burrito-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Chile-Relleno-Al-Pastor-Burrito-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This off-menu “secret” burrito features smoky al pastor and a whole chile relleno. \u003ccite>(Octavio Peña)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Many of the customers at the San José Cuco’s are familiar with the original restaurant in Redwood City. The menus at both locations are largely the same, but Peralta says she does have some San Jose exclusives in the works, like tacos dorados and carne asada fries, both developed by her brother, Angel Peralta. She’s also considering adding seasonal burritos like one inspired by chile en nogada, a stuffed poblano drowned in a creamy walnut sauce that’s typically served around Mexican Independence Day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although she has a head chef who does most of the day-to-day cooking at the two restaurants, Peralta herself frequently steps into all the roles, including cashier, cook and server. Although she’s already thinking about her next move, she doesn’t have any grand ambitions to turn Cuco’s into a giant chain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t know how much of me I can pour into more locations,” she says. “Maybe one more and all done.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cucosburritos/\">\u003ci>Cuco’s Burritos\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> (1729 McKee Rd., San José) is open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m.–6 p.m. \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Cuco's Burritos serves more than 14 different specialty burritos inspired by regional Mexican cuisine.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>If \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/burrito\">burrito\u003c/a> eating were a professional sport, I would probably be one of the highest-ranked players in the league. I’ve eaten hundreds of burritos across the Bay Area, usually sitting in my car with salsas spread across the dash. But even a pro eater might be intimidated by the staggering selection at \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cucosburritos/\">Cuco’s Burritos\u003c/a>, which offers more than 14 different specialty styles — the most I’ve ever encountered in the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On my first visit to the restaurant’s brand new location in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/sanjosefood\">San José\u003c/a>, I couldn’t decide between a wet burrito drenched in mole and another that was smothered in bright green tomatillo salsa. I went for both and added a secret menu option I’d heard about for good measure — a burrito stuffed with smoky al pastor and a whole chile relleno oozing molten cheese.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The dining room was a lot nicer than the interior of my Civic, with homey tile flooring and sleek wooden tables that quickly filled up with an entire fleet of burritos drizzled with vibrant salsas and zigzagging crema. Each burrito was both absolutely packed and perfectly balanced; no single ingredient outshined the rest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13988696\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13988696\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Top-to-bottom_-Asada-fries-suiza-burrito-chile-relleno-al-pastor-burrito-and-chipotle-shrimp-burrito.jpg\" alt=\"Overhead view of a spread of burritos and carne asada fries.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Top-to-bottom_-Asada-fries-suiza-burrito-chile-relleno-al-pastor-burrito-and-chipotle-shrimp-burrito.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Top-to-bottom_-Asada-fries-suiza-burrito-chile-relleno-al-pastor-burrito-and-chipotle-shrimp-burrito-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Top-to-bottom_-Asada-fries-suiza-burrito-chile-relleno-al-pastor-burrito-and-chipotle-shrimp-burrito-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Top-to-bottom_-Asada-fries-suiza-burrito-chile-relleno-al-pastor-burrito-and-chipotle-shrimp-burrito-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Top-to-bottom_-Asada-fries-suiza-burrito-chile-relleno-al-pastor-burrito-and-chipotle-shrimp-burrito-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A massive burrito feast at the new Cuco’s Burritos in San José. Pictured from left to right: carne asada fries, suiza burrito, chile relleno–al pastor burrito and chipotle shrimp burrito. \u003ccite>(Octavio Peña)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Owner Mariela Peralta was practically raised in a restaurant kitchen. Her parents opened their first food truck in Redwood City in 1988, when she was an infant. By age 12, she was buttering bread and passing out sodas. When she was 18, her father gave her a food truck of her own. She ran it for five years before quitting to try out careers in the medical field and bridal makeup. Ultimately, she found that her true passion was food and returned to manage her parents’ four trucks and two restaurants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Peralta collaborated with her father, Don Cuco, to open the original Cuco’s location in Redwood City in 2019. She named the restaurant after him, and in return he shared his recipes and helped her remodel the space before he passed away in 2023. Open for about a month now, the new San José location replaced Tacos El Rancherito, a restaurant that her mother, Doña Lupe, ran for 25 years before deciding to retire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/span>Of course, the Bay Area has no shortage of burrito restaurants, but Peralta decided to distinguish her business from established taquerias by doubling down on burritos even more — by offering a more extensive selection than anyone else. Many of Cuco’s wet burritos, in particular, are inspired by regional Mexican dishes like \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaurants/article/tortas-ahogadas-oakland-san-jose-21122878.php\">tortas ahogadas\u003c/a> from Jalisco, enchiladas suizas from Mexico City, aporreadillo from Michoacan and mole from Oaxaca. The restaurant also serves regional styles popular in other parts of the United States, like San Diego’s California burrito, which comes stuffed with fries, or Arizona’s deep-fried burrito (aka a chimichanga). There’s also some influence from our own region’s massive \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101910084/why-the-mission-style-burrito-defines-the-bay-area\">Mission burritos\u003c/a> — although Peralta says she’s never eaten a burrito in the Mission herself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13988697\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13988697\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Angel-Peralta-left-and-Mariela-Peralta-right.jpg\" alt=\"A man and woman pose for a portrait inside a restaurant.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Angel-Peralta-left-and-Mariela-Peralta-right.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Angel-Peralta-left-and-Mariela-Peralta-right-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Angel-Peralta-left-and-Mariela-Peralta-right-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Angel-Peralta-left-and-Mariela-Peralta-right-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mariela Peralta (right) is the owner of Cuco’s Burritos. She runs the new San José shop along with her brother, Angel (left). \u003ccite>(Octavio Peña)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The large variety of burrito styles — including six different breakfast burritos — has earned the restaurant a cult following and \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/2025/best-burrito-sf-bay-area/\">critical acclaim\u003c/a>. The hyperfocus on burritos doesn’t come across as a gimmick, though. Instead, it has simply given Peralta a new way of highlighting family recipes that have been popular for over 40 years. In fact, Peralta says her burrito fillings are all dishes she grew up eating at home. The moles, for example, were handed down through multiple generations of women in her family going back to her great-grandmother.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I want to continue the legacy that my parents started so many years ago,” Peralta says. “It’s my mission to see the restaurant flourish and have more people try my family’s recipes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some cases, Peralta adds her own flourish to her family’s recipes — by creating vegetarian versions of al pastor and chorizo that combine tofu with her dad’s adobo, as well as a vegetarian mole burrito.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13988694\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13988694\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Chile-Relleno-Al-Pastor-Burrito.jpg\" alt=\"A woman in a pink cardigan holds a burrito in her hand, ready to take a bite.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Chile-Relleno-Al-Pastor-Burrito.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Chile-Relleno-Al-Pastor-Burrito-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Chile-Relleno-Al-Pastor-Burrito-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Chile-Relleno-Al-Pastor-Burrito-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This off-menu “secret” burrito features smoky al pastor and a whole chile relleno. \u003ccite>(Octavio Peña)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Many of the customers at the San José Cuco’s are familiar with the original restaurant in Redwood City. The menus at both locations are largely the same, but Peralta says she does have some San Jose exclusives in the works, like tacos dorados and carne asada fries, both developed by her brother, Angel Peralta. She’s also considering adding seasonal burritos like one inspired by chile en nogada, a stuffed poblano drowned in a creamy walnut sauce that’s typically served around Mexican Independence Day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although she has a head chef who does most of the day-to-day cooking at the two restaurants, Peralta herself frequently steps into all the roles, including cashier, cook and server. Although she’s already thinking about her next move, she doesn’t have any grand ambitions to turn Cuco’s into a giant chain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t know how much of me I can pour into more locations,” she says. “Maybe one more and all done.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cucosburritos/\">\u003ci>Cuco’s Burritos\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> (1729 McKee Rd., San José) is open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m.–6 p.m. \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "warriors-chase-center-halal-food-muslim-heritage-night",
"title": "The Warriors’ Latest Slam Dunk? Halal Food",
"publishDate": 1743468172,
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"headTitle": "The Warriors’ Latest Slam Dunk? Halal Food | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13973871\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13973871\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/hisham-el-halal-amigos-burrito.jpg\" alt=\"A man in a Warriors jersey holds a burrito in a takeout carton.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/hisham-el-halal-amigos-burrito.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/hisham-el-halal-amigos-burrito-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/hisham-el-halal-amigos-burrito-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/hisham-el-halal-amigos-burrito-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/hisham-el-halal-amigos-burrito-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/hisham-el-halal-amigos-burrito-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/hisham-el-halal-amigos-burrito-1920x1920.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">El Halal Amigos owner Hisham Abdelfattah shows off one of his restaurant’s burritos. For the Warriors’ Muslim Heritage Night, the burritos will be the first halal dish served inside Chase Center. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of El Halal Amigos)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’s been a month of milestones for the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/golden-state-warriors\">Golden State Warriors\u003c/a>, who in recent weeks have seen Steph Curry swish his \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6202940/2025/03/14/steph-curry-warriors-3-point-record-legacy/\">4,000th three-pointer\u003c/a> and then, just two nights later, watched as Steve Kerr became the team’s \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/warriors-steve-kerr-wins-record-f0741722c6530099cc7240fb69bc8601\">all-time winningest head coach\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Later this week, the Chase Center will mark another, more delicious breakthrough. For the first time ever, Warriors fans will be able to purchase halal food inside the arena — hefty, well-packed burritos from San Jose’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/elhalalamigos/?hl=en\">El Halal Amigos\u003c/a>, to be specific. The halal-friendly burritos will be featured during the Dubs’ game against the Denver Nuggets on Friday, April 4, which the team has designated as its fourth annual \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1441594320597455&id=100042407024320&set=a.382933859796845\">Muslim Heritage Night\u003c/a>, in collaboration with food festival organizer \u003ca href=\"https://www.halalfest.com/\">HalalFest\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a big step right now in a most vital time — to be a Palestinian, to be a Muslim, and go into a very popular, brand new stadium and be recognized,” El Halal Amigos chef-owner Hisham Abdelfattah says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the food, the event will also include official Warriors-branded Muslim Heritage Night T-shirts, opportunities for kids from local Muslim communities to high-five the players as they’re coming out of the tunnel, and a designated prayer room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13973873\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13973873\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7972.jpg\" alt=\"Fans cheer and dance on the jumbotron at Chase Center during a Warriors game.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7972.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7972-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7972-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7972-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7972-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7972-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7972-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Young Warriors fans cheer and dance on the jumbotron during the 2024 edition of Muslim Heritage Night. \u003ccite>(Meriam Salem, courtesy of HalalFest)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Getting to serve halal food to young Warriors fans at the game feels particularly meaningful to Abdelfattah, who says he often felt left out as a Muslim kid growing up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I went to sports games my whole life with my dad,” he says. “I remember being at Niner games, A’s games when I was seven, eight, nine years old, and I would only get to eat popcorn or soda. I never got the really cool burgers; I never got to have that hot dog experience. It sucked.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salah_times\">call to prayer\u003c/a> came during the game, Abdelfattah and his father would just have to pray out on the concourse in front of everybody. He still remembers how uncomfortable that felt: “At the time, it was very weird for people to see that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It feels like a real landmark in representation, then, for Abdelfattah to be able to sell his burritos (\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DHw2cCyytiM/?hl=en\">via pre-purchase\u003c/a>) at Friday’s game, and for the Warriors to provide a place where Muslim fans can pray in private — even if it is only for one night. In the past, the only \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/groups/bayareahalalfoodies/posts/1553404965345854/\">viable food options\u003c/a> for halal-keeping Chase Center attendees have been located outside the arena itself (including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13962220/fikscue-best-indonesian-texas-barbecue-smoked-brisket-alameda\">Fikscue\u003c/a>, the forthcoming Indo-Tex halal barbecue spot in Thrive City). For Friday night’s Muslim Heritage Night promotion, the concessions team will also offer a halal chicken option at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.chasecenter.com/vendor/modelo-cantina/\">Modelo Cantina\u003c/a> restaurant in the Upper Concourse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13973874\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13973874\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7300.jpg\" alt=\"Two young women of Arabic descent hold Golden State Warriors–branded Hello Kitty plushies inside a sports arena\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7300.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7300-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7300-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7300-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7300-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7300-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7300-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Two young Warriors fans hold Warriors–branded Hello Kitty plushies at last year’s Muslim Heritage Night event, which coincided with Hello Kitty Night. \u003ccite>(Meriam Salem, courtesy of HalalFest)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Muslim Heritage Night has grown steadily since it started during the peak of the pandemic. “Last year, over 600 people from the Muslim community came,” HalalFest founder Irfan Rydhan says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='news_12033099,arts_13958466,arts_13962220']\u003c/span>\u003c/span>A handful of tickets for this year’s event, ranging from $110 to $320 each, are still available by emailing HalalFest at info@halalfest.com. Food tickets need to be purchased separately through the same email address — $23 for a burrito (steak or chicken), or $20 each when purchasing four or more. Each order will come with a side of chips and El Halal Amigos’ signature Nar (Arabic for “hellfire”) hot sauce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All told, Abdelfattah expects to wrap between 100 and 200 burritos for Friday’s game. The dream, he says, would be to eventually bring El Halal Amigos — and halal food, more broadly — to Chase Center on a long-term basis. (Indeed, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGp_uRQCq7M\">similar collab\u003c/a> with the San Jose Sharks culminated in a permanent El Halal Amigos concessions stand at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sapcenter.com/plan-your-visit/food-beverage\">SAP Center\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I was growing up, it was just very unheard of to see halal food in cool places,” Abdelfattah says. “And now I can’t believe that I’m the one serving it. That’s cool, you know?”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This year’s \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nba.com/warriors/tickets/group-theme-nights-and-giveaways\">\u003ci>Muslim Heritage Night\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> will take place during the Warriors vs. Nuggets game at the Chase Center at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 4. To take part in the promotion, purchase tickets to the game by emailing info@halalfest.com. Pre-purchase El Halal Amigos food tickets via the same email address by no later than April 2. After ordering, customers will receive instructions on where to pick up their food during the game.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "This year’s Muslim Heritage Night will feature swag, a prayer room and El Halal Amigos burritos.",
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"title": "The Warriors Bring Halal Food to Chase Center for the First Time | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13973871\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13973871\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/hisham-el-halal-amigos-burrito.jpg\" alt=\"A man in a Warriors jersey holds a burrito in a takeout carton.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/hisham-el-halal-amigos-burrito.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/hisham-el-halal-amigos-burrito-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/hisham-el-halal-amigos-burrito-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/hisham-el-halal-amigos-burrito-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/hisham-el-halal-amigos-burrito-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/hisham-el-halal-amigos-burrito-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/hisham-el-halal-amigos-burrito-1920x1920.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">El Halal Amigos owner Hisham Abdelfattah shows off one of his restaurant’s burritos. For the Warriors’ Muslim Heritage Night, the burritos will be the first halal dish served inside Chase Center. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of El Halal Amigos)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’s been a month of milestones for the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/golden-state-warriors\">Golden State Warriors\u003c/a>, who in recent weeks have seen Steph Curry swish his \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6202940/2025/03/14/steph-curry-warriors-3-point-record-legacy/\">4,000th three-pointer\u003c/a> and then, just two nights later, watched as Steve Kerr became the team’s \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/warriors-steve-kerr-wins-record-f0741722c6530099cc7240fb69bc8601\">all-time winningest head coach\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Later this week, the Chase Center will mark another, more delicious breakthrough. For the first time ever, Warriors fans will be able to purchase halal food inside the arena — hefty, well-packed burritos from San Jose’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/elhalalamigos/?hl=en\">El Halal Amigos\u003c/a>, to be specific. The halal-friendly burritos will be featured during the Dubs’ game against the Denver Nuggets on Friday, April 4, which the team has designated as its fourth annual \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1441594320597455&id=100042407024320&set=a.382933859796845\">Muslim Heritage Night\u003c/a>, in collaboration with food festival organizer \u003ca href=\"https://www.halalfest.com/\">HalalFest\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a big step right now in a most vital time — to be a Palestinian, to be a Muslim, and go into a very popular, brand new stadium and be recognized,” El Halal Amigos chef-owner Hisham Abdelfattah says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the food, the event will also include official Warriors-branded Muslim Heritage Night T-shirts, opportunities for kids from local Muslim communities to high-five the players as they’re coming out of the tunnel, and a designated prayer room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13973873\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13973873\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7972.jpg\" alt=\"Fans cheer and dance on the jumbotron at Chase Center during a Warriors game.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7972.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7972-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7972-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7972-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7972-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7972-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7972-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Young Warriors fans cheer and dance on the jumbotron during the 2024 edition of Muslim Heritage Night. \u003ccite>(Meriam Salem, courtesy of HalalFest)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Getting to serve halal food to young Warriors fans at the game feels particularly meaningful to Abdelfattah, who says he often felt left out as a Muslim kid growing up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I went to sports games my whole life with my dad,” he says. “I remember being at Niner games, A’s games when I was seven, eight, nine years old, and I would only get to eat popcorn or soda. I never got the really cool burgers; I never got to have that hot dog experience. It sucked.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salah_times\">call to prayer\u003c/a> came during the game, Abdelfattah and his father would just have to pray out on the concourse in front of everybody. He still remembers how uncomfortable that felt: “At the time, it was very weird for people to see that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It feels like a real landmark in representation, then, for Abdelfattah to be able to sell his burritos (\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DHw2cCyytiM/?hl=en\">via pre-purchase\u003c/a>) at Friday’s game, and for the Warriors to provide a place where Muslim fans can pray in private — even if it is only for one night. In the past, the only \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/groups/bayareahalalfoodies/posts/1553404965345854/\">viable food options\u003c/a> for halal-keeping Chase Center attendees have been located outside the arena itself (including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13962220/fikscue-best-indonesian-texas-barbecue-smoked-brisket-alameda\">Fikscue\u003c/a>, the forthcoming Indo-Tex halal barbecue spot in Thrive City). For Friday night’s Muslim Heritage Night promotion, the concessions team will also offer a halal chicken option at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.chasecenter.com/vendor/modelo-cantina/\">Modelo Cantina\u003c/a> restaurant in the Upper Concourse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13973874\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13973874\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7300.jpg\" alt=\"Two young women of Arabic descent hold Golden State Warriors–branded Hello Kitty plushies inside a sports arena\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7300.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7300-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7300-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7300-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7300-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7300-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/warriorsnight_halalfest_2024-nowatermark-7300-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Two young Warriors fans hold Warriors–branded Hello Kitty plushies at last year’s Muslim Heritage Night event, which coincided with Hello Kitty Night. \u003ccite>(Meriam Salem, courtesy of HalalFest)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Muslim Heritage Night has grown steadily since it started during the peak of the pandemic. “Last year, over 600 people from the Muslim community came,” HalalFest founder Irfan Rydhan says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/span>A handful of tickets for this year’s event, ranging from $110 to $320 each, are still available by emailing HalalFest at info@halalfest.com. Food tickets need to be purchased separately through the same email address — $23 for a burrito (steak or chicken), or $20 each when purchasing four or more. Each order will come with a side of chips and El Halal Amigos’ signature Nar (Arabic for “hellfire”) hot sauce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All told, Abdelfattah expects to wrap between 100 and 200 burritos for Friday’s game. The dream, he says, would be to eventually bring El Halal Amigos — and halal food, more broadly — to Chase Center on a long-term basis. (Indeed, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGp_uRQCq7M\">similar collab\u003c/a> with the San Jose Sharks culminated in a permanent El Halal Amigos concessions stand at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sapcenter.com/plan-your-visit/food-beverage\">SAP Center\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I was growing up, it was just very unheard of to see halal food in cool places,” Abdelfattah says. “And now I can’t believe that I’m the one serving it. That’s cool, you know?”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This year’s \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nba.com/warriors/tickets/group-theme-nights-and-giveaways\">\u003ci>Muslim Heritage Night\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> will take place during the Warriors vs. Nuggets game at the Chase Center at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 4. To take part in the promotion, purchase tickets to the game by emailing info@halalfest.com. Pre-purchase El Halal Amigos food tickets via the same email address by no later than April 2. After ordering, customers will receive instructions on where to pick up their food during the game.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "mexican-hibachi-fusion-burrito-benihana-bay-area-pinole",
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"headTitle": "Mexican Hibachi Is the Bay Area’s Next Great Fusion Cuisine | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hen you walk into \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mexihibachi/\">MexiHibachi\u003c/a>, a new \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/mexican-food\">Mexican\u003c/a>-Japanese fusion restaurant in Pinole, the first thing you notice is the giant mural on the wall: a stylized image of a samurai — full armor, katana held upright — facing off against an Aztec warrior.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s just the first of many cultural collisions that grab the diner’s attention. There’s the endless loop of Karol G reggaeton music videos juxtaposed with traditional Japanese decor elements like red paper lanterns. There’s the name of the restaurant, “MexiHibachi,” painted in bold letters in the tricolor of the Mexican flag across the body of a flying dragon. And there are the smells — a potent mix of garlic butter, taco sauce and teriyaki that’s meant to get your mouth watering.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is, after all, a restaurant that specializes in Benihana-style Japanese hibachi with a Mexican twist: big plates of steak and shrimp served over fried rice or garlic noodles, everything cooked on a flat-top grill — and also stuffed, sometimes, into a burrito or a quesadilla, and drizzled with the kind of creamy orange hot sauce you might find at your favorite taqueria.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That unique combination of flavors and cross-cultural influences has made MexiHibachi one of the hottest new restaurants in Contra Costa County since it opened in January.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13971776\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13971776\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-20_qed.jpg\" alt=\"A restaurant employee brings two plates of food out to customers.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-20_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-20_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-20_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-20_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-20_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-20_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-20_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">MexiHibachi employee Jocelyn Valadez brings out customers’ orders. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The brainchild of chef Francisco Arce and his wife Silvia Cortes, the business started during the pandemic-spurred economic downturn of 2022, when Arce’s day job as a union painter had slowed to a standstill. With medical bills piling up for their young daughter, who needed eye surgery, the couple decided to supplement their income by starting a home-based catering operation. At first they mostly sold quesabirria, but at that point \u003ci>everyone \u003c/i>was doing quesabirria. Meanwhile, Arce had picked up tens of thousands of followers on his \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@chefblackstone\">TikTok cooking channel\u003c/a>, where, among other recipes, he showed off the Benihana-style hibachi skills he’d learned working at a teppanyaki restaurant in Alameda. “Everyone was like, ‘Where can I get my hands on a plate?’” Cortes recalls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So they decided to give it a shot. The first MexiHibachi pop-ups featured a portable flat-top grill that they set up in a 10-by-10-foot tent in front of their house in Richmond. Eventually, as word got out, they started booking big backyard quinceañera and anniversary parties, where Arce entertained guests by \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@mexihibachi/video/7219617566027779370\">flipping shrimp directly into their mouths\u003c/a> and casually lighting up the grill so the whole thing burst into flames.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At one of those pop-ups, MexiHibachi caught the attention of their current business partner, Juan Nuñez, a local entrepreneur and tattoo artist. He set Arce and Cortes up in their first brick-and-mortar kitchen space, a little takeout shop attached to Nuñez’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/juannuneztattoo/?hl=en\">tattoo shop\u003c/a> on San Pablo Avenue in Richmond. Business was brisk, and before long, they’d outgrown that kitchen as well. With Nuñez’s help, they found their current space, in a Pinole strip mall, last April and renovated the space themselves. (Nuñez, with his tattoo art background, did all the murals.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13971460\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13971460\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-29.jpg\" alt=\"A man and woman pose for a portrait seated inside a restaurant, in front of a mural of a samurai fighting an Aztec warrior.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-29.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-29-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-29-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-29-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-29-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-29-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-29-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Silvia Cortes (left) and Francisco Arce, owners of MexiHibachi, pose for a photo at their newly-opened teppanyaki restaurant. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On a surface level, MexiHibachi’s take on teppanyaki doesn’t look \u003ci>so \u003c/i>different from what you might find at a regular old Benihana. Its staple dishes are the combo plates — your choice of proteins (steak, shrimp, chicken, salmon or scallops) served over a bed of garlicky, buttery fried rice; spicy udon noodles; or, my favorite, an excellent, extra-savory version of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13900855/garlic-noodles-sf-bay-area-iconic-foods-thanh-long-smellys\">garlic noodles\u003c/a>. But then in addition to your standard hibachi shop “yum yum” sauce (a creamy, slightly tangy aioli) and ginger soy sauce, customers also have the option to drench their meal in MexiHibachi’s fiery housemade diablo sauce (again, something akin to a taqueria \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13958466/la-vics-orange-sauce-la-victoria-taqueria-late-night-san-jose\">orange sauce\u003c/a>). Even more fusion-minded customers have the option to pack the whole meal inside the confines of a cheesy quesadilla or a burrito — with or without the addition of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13913985/hot-cheeto-burrito-taqueria-el-mezcal-richard-montanez-san-pablo\">Hot Cheetos\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the coming weeks, Arce plans to introduce more new dishes that play with the restaurant’s Mexican and Japanese influences. There will be a Baja-style fried fish taco, topped with both the red diablo sauce and the white yum yum sauce, for a subtle Japanese touch. They’ll also serve a version of spicy Mexican caldo de siete mares that has elements of an Asian seafood noodle soup.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13971784\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13971784\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-48_qed.jpg\" alt=\"A burrito cut in half to reveal steak, Hot Cheetos and fried rice on the inside.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1296\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-48_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-48_qed-800x518.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-48_qed-1020x661.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-48_qed-160x104.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-48_qed-768x498.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-48_qed-1536x995.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-48_qed-1920x1244.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A steak hibachi wrap with Hot Cheetos, one of the restaurant’s Mexican-Japanese fusion dishes. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Arce and Cortes didn’t invent the “Benihana-but-make-it-Mexican” food genre, but the trend seems to be fairly new, picking up steam in the early 2020s. A handful of other \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/losgallosxezbachi/\">restaurants\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hibachiteppanyaki90/\">food trucks\u003c/a> with similar menus opened in the Bay Area in the past couple of years. There are even more of them in Southern California, where at least one popular chain — \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mexihanashibachigrill/?hl=en\">Mexihanas\u003c/a> — has been around since 2020.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13900855,arts_13913985,arts_13963832']\u003c/span>\u003c/span>One might assume that the trend stems from some deep, abiding love that Mexican Americans have for Benihana and its offshoots, but Cortes says that hasn’t been her experience. While some of MexiHibachi’s younger Mexican American customers might have eaten at a Japanese teppanyaki spot like Benihana at some point, most of the older Latino customers have no idea what to make of the restaurant the first time they come. At first, she says, “we were being compared to Panda Express.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of our clientele at the beginning were more African American than anything,” Cortes recalls. But as word about MexiHibachi spread, Latino customers started to familiarize themselves with the pleasures of a steak-and-shrimp combo plate and griddle-top garlic fried rice. “Now they know what hibachi is.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13971461\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13971461\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-47.jpg\" alt=\"Stir-fried udon with shrimp, beef and broccoli.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-47.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-47-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-47-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-47-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-47-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-47-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-47-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The New York steak, chicken and shrimp spicy stir-fry udon plate. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Given that most Mexican American diners don’t have a long history with Japanese teppanyaki, the origin of the Mexican hibachi trend is probably even more obvious and mundane: As Nuñez notes, if you walk into any Benihana-style restaurant in the Bay Area these days, the vast majority of the chefs doing the fancy tricks on the grill will be Latino. (Arce himself learned his craft at one of those spots, after all.) It only makes sense, then, that some of those cooks would eventually open their own hibachi businesses and put their cultural stamp on the cuisine. It’s the same reason we’ve seen an infusion of ambitious Mexican-owned \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hakashisushibar/?hl=en\">sushi restaurants\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13917556/davids-pastas-pizzas-richmond-red-sauce-italian-tortas\">red-sauce pasta joints\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course even more than the food itself, Benihanas are famous for their \u003ca href=\"https://www.eater.com/23737639/benihana-be-the-chef-onion-volcano-shrimp-tails-performance-anxiety\">bag of tricks\u003c/a> — the juggling of spatulas, the shrimp tails flipped into the chef’s hat, the eggs that magically multiply underneath a bowl. And, as it turns out, MexiHibachi’s kitchen crew all trained in this dinner-and-a-show approach to teppanyaki; they’re fully conversant in the language of \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/kDxl_eiYycM\">flaming onion volcanos\u003c/a>. Arce has been honing his repertoire of crowd-pleasing stunts for years — one of his most popular moves, he says, is when he makes the steaks dance on the plancha to the tune of “I Like to Move It.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13971777\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13971777\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-25_qed.jpg\" alt=\"A chef in a black baseball cap lights his grill on fire.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-25_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-25_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-25_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-25_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-25_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-25_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-25_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chef Arce sets the grill aflame. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For now, Cortes says, only customers who book MexiHibachi for private catering events will get a whole show with their meal. Their current space in Pinole isn’t big enough for the chefs to do tableside grilling, and the kitchen is set up, conventionally, in the back. A big chunk of the restaurant’s business is just takeout orders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But,” Cortes says, “it’s definitely our goal and dream to open a fancy restaurant like that, like a Benihana, in the future.” There’s no precedent for that kind of grand, showy Mexican fusion teppanyaki restaurant in the Bay Area, and even L.A.’s more established Mexican hibachi scene mostly consists of food trucks and small takeout shops. But Arce and Cortes don’t think the idea is all that far-fetched — not when their business has already grown so much in the span of just a couple of years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I definitely see it happening,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mexihibachi/\">\u003ci>MexiHibachi\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> is open Wednesday to Thursday noon–9 p.m., Friday to Saturday noon–10 p.m. and Sunday noon–8 p.m. at 1578 Fitzgerald Dr. in Pinole.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">W\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>hen you walk into \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mexihibachi/\">MexiHibachi\u003c/a>, a new \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/mexican-food\">Mexican\u003c/a>-Japanese fusion restaurant in Pinole, the first thing you notice is the giant mural on the wall: a stylized image of a samurai — full armor, katana held upright — facing off against an Aztec warrior.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s just the first of many cultural collisions that grab the diner’s attention. There’s the endless loop of Karol G reggaeton music videos juxtaposed with traditional Japanese decor elements like red paper lanterns. There’s the name of the restaurant, “MexiHibachi,” painted in bold letters in the tricolor of the Mexican flag across the body of a flying dragon. And there are the smells — a potent mix of garlic butter, taco sauce and teriyaki that’s meant to get your mouth watering.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is, after all, a restaurant that specializes in Benihana-style Japanese hibachi with a Mexican twist: big plates of steak and shrimp served over fried rice or garlic noodles, everything cooked on a flat-top grill — and also stuffed, sometimes, into a burrito or a quesadilla, and drizzled with the kind of creamy orange hot sauce you might find at your favorite taqueria.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That unique combination of flavors and cross-cultural influences has made MexiHibachi one of the hottest new restaurants in Contra Costa County since it opened in January.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13971776\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13971776\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-20_qed.jpg\" alt=\"A restaurant employee brings two plates of food out to customers.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-20_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-20_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-20_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-20_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-20_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-20_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-20_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">MexiHibachi employee Jocelyn Valadez brings out customers’ orders. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The brainchild of chef Francisco Arce and his wife Silvia Cortes, the business started during the pandemic-spurred economic downturn of 2022, when Arce’s day job as a union painter had slowed to a standstill. With medical bills piling up for their young daughter, who needed eye surgery, the couple decided to supplement their income by starting a home-based catering operation. At first they mostly sold quesabirria, but at that point \u003ci>everyone \u003c/i>was doing quesabirria. Meanwhile, Arce had picked up tens of thousands of followers on his \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@chefblackstone\">TikTok cooking channel\u003c/a>, where, among other recipes, he showed off the Benihana-style hibachi skills he’d learned working at a teppanyaki restaurant in Alameda. “Everyone was like, ‘Where can I get my hands on a plate?’” Cortes recalls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So they decided to give it a shot. The first MexiHibachi pop-ups featured a portable flat-top grill that they set up in a 10-by-10-foot tent in front of their house in Richmond. Eventually, as word got out, they started booking big backyard quinceañera and anniversary parties, where Arce entertained guests by \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@mexihibachi/video/7219617566027779370\">flipping shrimp directly into their mouths\u003c/a> and casually lighting up the grill so the whole thing burst into flames.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At one of those pop-ups, MexiHibachi caught the attention of their current business partner, Juan Nuñez, a local entrepreneur and tattoo artist. He set Arce and Cortes up in their first brick-and-mortar kitchen space, a little takeout shop attached to Nuñez’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/juannuneztattoo/?hl=en\">tattoo shop\u003c/a> on San Pablo Avenue in Richmond. Business was brisk, and before long, they’d outgrown that kitchen as well. With Nuñez’s help, they found their current space, in a Pinole strip mall, last April and renovated the space themselves. (Nuñez, with his tattoo art background, did all the murals.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13971460\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13971460\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-29.jpg\" alt=\"A man and woman pose for a portrait seated inside a restaurant, in front of a mural of a samurai fighting an Aztec warrior.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-29.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-29-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-29-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-29-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-29-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-29-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-29-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Silvia Cortes (left) and Francisco Arce, owners of MexiHibachi, pose for a photo at their newly-opened teppanyaki restaurant. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On a surface level, MexiHibachi’s take on teppanyaki doesn’t look \u003ci>so \u003c/i>different from what you might find at a regular old Benihana. Its staple dishes are the combo plates — your choice of proteins (steak, shrimp, chicken, salmon or scallops) served over a bed of garlicky, buttery fried rice; spicy udon noodles; or, my favorite, an excellent, extra-savory version of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13900855/garlic-noodles-sf-bay-area-iconic-foods-thanh-long-smellys\">garlic noodles\u003c/a>. But then in addition to your standard hibachi shop “yum yum” sauce (a creamy, slightly tangy aioli) and ginger soy sauce, customers also have the option to drench their meal in MexiHibachi’s fiery housemade diablo sauce (again, something akin to a taqueria \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13958466/la-vics-orange-sauce-la-victoria-taqueria-late-night-san-jose\">orange sauce\u003c/a>). Even more fusion-minded customers have the option to pack the whole meal inside the confines of a cheesy quesadilla or a burrito — with or without the addition of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13913985/hot-cheeto-burrito-taqueria-el-mezcal-richard-montanez-san-pablo\">Hot Cheetos\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the coming weeks, Arce plans to introduce more new dishes that play with the restaurant’s Mexican and Japanese influences. There will be a Baja-style fried fish taco, topped with both the red diablo sauce and the white yum yum sauce, for a subtle Japanese touch. They’ll also serve a version of spicy Mexican caldo de siete mares that has elements of an Asian seafood noodle soup.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13971784\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13971784\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-48_qed.jpg\" alt=\"A burrito cut in half to reveal steak, Hot Cheetos and fried rice on the inside.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1296\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-48_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-48_qed-800x518.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-48_qed-1020x661.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-48_qed-160x104.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-48_qed-768x498.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-48_qed-1536x995.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-48_qed-1920x1244.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A steak hibachi wrap with Hot Cheetos, one of the restaurant’s Mexican-Japanese fusion dishes. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Arce and Cortes didn’t invent the “Benihana-but-make-it-Mexican” food genre, but the trend seems to be fairly new, picking up steam in the early 2020s. A handful of other \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/losgallosxezbachi/\">restaurants\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hibachiteppanyaki90/\">food trucks\u003c/a> with similar menus opened in the Bay Area in the past couple of years. There are even more of them in Southern California, where at least one popular chain — \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mexihanashibachigrill/?hl=en\">Mexihanas\u003c/a> — has been around since 2020.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/span>One might assume that the trend stems from some deep, abiding love that Mexican Americans have for Benihana and its offshoots, but Cortes says that hasn’t been her experience. While some of MexiHibachi’s younger Mexican American customers might have eaten at a Japanese teppanyaki spot like Benihana at some point, most of the older Latino customers have no idea what to make of the restaurant the first time they come. At first, she says, “we were being compared to Panda Express.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of our clientele at the beginning were more African American than anything,” Cortes recalls. But as word about MexiHibachi spread, Latino customers started to familiarize themselves with the pleasures of a steak-and-shrimp combo plate and griddle-top garlic fried rice. “Now they know what hibachi is.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13971461\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13971461\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-47.jpg\" alt=\"Stir-fried udon with shrimp, beef and broccoli.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-47.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-47-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-47-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-47-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-47-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-47-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-47-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The New York steak, chicken and shrimp spicy stir-fry udon plate. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Given that most Mexican American diners don’t have a long history with Japanese teppanyaki, the origin of the Mexican hibachi trend is probably even more obvious and mundane: As Nuñez notes, if you walk into any Benihana-style restaurant in the Bay Area these days, the vast majority of the chefs doing the fancy tricks on the grill will be Latino. (Arce himself learned his craft at one of those spots, after all.) It only makes sense, then, that some of those cooks would eventually open their own hibachi businesses and put their cultural stamp on the cuisine. It’s the same reason we’ve seen an infusion of ambitious Mexican-owned \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/hakashisushibar/?hl=en\">sushi restaurants\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13917556/davids-pastas-pizzas-richmond-red-sauce-italian-tortas\">red-sauce pasta joints\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course even more than the food itself, Benihanas are famous for their \u003ca href=\"https://www.eater.com/23737639/benihana-be-the-chef-onion-volcano-shrimp-tails-performance-anxiety\">bag of tricks\u003c/a> — the juggling of spatulas, the shrimp tails flipped into the chef’s hat, the eggs that magically multiply underneath a bowl. And, as it turns out, MexiHibachi’s kitchen crew all trained in this dinner-and-a-show approach to teppanyaki; they’re fully conversant in the language of \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/kDxl_eiYycM\">flaming onion volcanos\u003c/a>. Arce has been honing his repertoire of crowd-pleasing stunts for years — one of his most popular moves, he says, is when he makes the steaks dance on the plancha to the tune of “I Like to Move It.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13971777\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13971777\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-25_qed.jpg\" alt=\"A chef in a black baseball cap lights his grill on fire.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-25_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-25_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-25_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-25_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-25_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-25_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/20250205_MexiHibachi_GC-25_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chef Arce sets the grill aflame. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For now, Cortes says, only customers who book MexiHibachi for private catering events will get a whole show with their meal. Their current space in Pinole isn’t big enough for the chefs to do tableside grilling, and the kitchen is set up, conventionally, in the back. A big chunk of the restaurant’s business is just takeout orders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But,” Cortes says, “it’s definitely our goal and dream to open a fancy restaurant like that, like a Benihana, in the future.” There’s no precedent for that kind of grand, showy Mexican fusion teppanyaki restaurant in the Bay Area, and even L.A.’s more established Mexican hibachi scene mostly consists of food trucks and small takeout shops. But Arce and Cortes don’t think the idea is all that far-fetched — not when their business has already grown so much in the span of just a couple of years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I definitely see it happening,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/mexihibachi/\">\u003ci>MexiHibachi\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> is open Wednesday to Thursday noon–9 p.m., Friday to Saturday noon–10 p.m. and Sunday noon–8 p.m. at 1578 Fitzgerald Dr. in Pinole.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "la-vics-orange-sauce-la-victoria-taqueria-late-night-san-jose",
"title": "Taquerias Come and Go, but La Vic’s Orange Sauce Is Forever",
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"headTitle": "Taquerias Come and Go, but La Vic’s Orange Sauce Is Forever | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958470\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958470\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics.jpg\" alt=\"Illustration: Two men devour tacos and burritos while pouring hot sauce from squeeze bottles directly into their mouths.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Jose’s La Victoria Taqueria (aka La Vic’s), is famous for its orange sauce — and for feeding hungry college students until 3 a.m. \u003ccite>(Thien Pham)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/the-midnight-diners\">\u003ci>The Midnight Diners\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> is a regular collaboration between KQED food editor Luke Tsai and graphic novelist \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thiendog/?hl=en\">\u003ci>Thien Pham\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. Follow them each week as they explore the hot pot restaurants, taco carts and 24-hour casino buffets that make up the Bay Area’s after-hours dining scene.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve never stumbled into \u003ca href=\"https://www.lavicsj.com/\">La Victoria Taqueria\u003c/a> at 2 o’clock in the morning, bleary-eyed and half-starving midway through a six-hour cram session during finals week at San Jose State. Never crushed a plate of carne asada fries, half-drunk, after a night of dancing at Agenda or SJ Live back in the day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So my devotion to La Vic’s legendary orange sauce — the creamy, chile-flecked condiment that spawned a hundred imitators — is merely practical rather than religious. I just think it’s one of the most delicious hot sauces in the Bay Area. Almost certainly the most delicious you can get your hands on at 3 a.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And after our recent late-night visit, I think I understand the hype.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Open since 1998, the original San Carlos Street location of La Vic’s sits kitty-corner to SJSU’s main campus, inside a cheery, slightly ramshackle old house — like a cartoon Victorian where a child detective goes mystery hunting. The family-owned taqueria offers a very standard college town burrito shop menu: enormously overstuffed tacos and burritos, quesadillas and loaded nachos and fries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The only difference is that everywhere you look, there’s orange sauce. Twelve-ounce squeeze bottles on every table, and lined up in the fridge case behind the counter. Multiple orange sauce posters on the walls. College kids — so many college kids, in gym shorts or decked out for a night at the club — ordering extra tubs of orange sauce to go with their takeout burritos. Even the cup for our agua fresca was decorated with a picture of a bottle of orange sauce. (“Orange you glad you tried,” reads the tagline.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958473\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958473\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics2.jpg\" alt=\"Illustration: Exterior of La Victoria Taqueria, in an old Victorian house, lit up at night.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics2.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics2-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics2-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics2-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics2-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics2-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The original La Vic’s is located in downtown San Jose, right across the street from San Jose State University. \u003ccite>(Thien Pham)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Look, if we’re being strictly honest, there are plenty of taquerias in San Jose — and all around the Bay — where you can get a tastier, more well-constructed burrito than the ones La Vic’s is rolling out these days. You can find more flavorful carnitas and juicier, less gristly carne asada. There are other restaurants that do a better job of piling meat and cheese on top of French fries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But man does that orange sauce paper over a thousand sins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like any well-guarded family recipe, the actual contents of the sauce are shrouded in secrecy and wild speculation. In \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/07/07/san-jose-orange-sauce-taco-burrito-la-victoria-recipe/\">public interviews\u003c/a>, La Vic’s owners have only revealed a handful of obvious ingredients: garlic, onions, tomatoes, dried red chiles. Meanwhile, orange-sauce conspiracy theorists have long debated the source of the sauce’s telltale creaminess, which has been rumored to come from crushed-up crackers, mayonnaise and even leftover chorizo grease (!). The restaurant, for its part, stresses that the sauce has always been \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/La-Victoria-orange-sauce-is-secret-17081821.php\">100% vegan\u003c/a>. (I, and most \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/SalsaSnobs/comments/191wyaw/update_la_victorias_orange_sauce_aka_san_jose/\">copycat recipes\u003c/a>, suspect the creaminess just comes from emulsified vegetable oil.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13958041,arts_13955884,arts_13954983']\u003c/span>\u003c/span>Whatever the secret, La Vic’s orange sauce is delicious. It has a bright, garlicky heat that immediately perks up the palate and a tanginess that keeps it from being overly heavy, making it a natural foil to salty grilled meats. And we loved how the sauce’s slightly dense, creamy texture allows it to cling to surfaces instead of making the food soggy like your typical watery salsa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We also figured out how, if you order smartly, you can put together a legitimately solid meal at La Vic’s, even apart from squirting orange sauce onto every bite. First pro tip: It’s the super tacos, not the burritos, that are the star of the menu, especially if you order them with lengua, which is the tastiest and most tender of the meat options. The super tacos feature thick, double-stacked tortillas that the taqueros will crisp up on request, and they’re loaded with guacamole and sour cream, which provide a refreshing tang.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Second tip: Don’t sleep on the zippy and criminally underrated green sauce, which some La Vic’s loyalists like even better than the orange sauce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Third: It’s true that the carne asada fries, which come loaded with steak, nacho cheese, sour cream and guac, are the ideal drunk food. But the fries here aren’t especially crispy, and it’s only a matter of minutes before the whole thing turns into a soggy mess. Consider instead the nachos. They have a much more resilient crunch and are, in my view, the perfect vessel for orange sauce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unless you count my own cooking, that is. Like so many other La Vic’s initiates, I dropped $8 on a bottle of the sauce to bring home — to test if it does, in fact, taste amazing on everything, like so many of the glowing reviews I’d read. For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been putting it on scrambled eggs and homemade carnitas, stirring it into bowls of rice and beans. And it really is true: I haven’t been disappointed yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.lavicsj.com/\">\u003ci>La Victoria Taqueria\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> has six Bay Area locations, mostly in San Jose. The original location at 140 E. San Carlos St. is open from 7 a.m.–3 a.m. daily.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "La Victoria’s Orange Sauce Is a Late-Night Legend in San Jose | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958470\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958470\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics.jpg\" alt=\"Illustration: Two men devour tacos and burritos while pouring hot sauce from squeeze bottles directly into their mouths.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Jose’s La Victoria Taqueria (aka La Vic’s), is famous for its orange sauce — and for feeding hungry college students until 3 a.m. \u003ccite>(Thien Pham)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/the-midnight-diners\">\u003ci>The Midnight Diners\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> is a regular collaboration between KQED food editor Luke Tsai and graphic novelist \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thiendog/?hl=en\">\u003ci>Thien Pham\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>. Follow them each week as they explore the hot pot restaurants, taco carts and 24-hour casino buffets that make up the Bay Area’s after-hours dining scene.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve never stumbled into \u003ca href=\"https://www.lavicsj.com/\">La Victoria Taqueria\u003c/a> at 2 o’clock in the morning, bleary-eyed and half-starving midway through a six-hour cram session during finals week at San Jose State. Never crushed a plate of carne asada fries, half-drunk, after a night of dancing at Agenda or SJ Live back in the day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So my devotion to La Vic’s legendary orange sauce — the creamy, chile-flecked condiment that spawned a hundred imitators — is merely practical rather than religious. I just think it’s one of the most delicious hot sauces in the Bay Area. Almost certainly the most delicious you can get your hands on at 3 a.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And after our recent late-night visit, I think I understand the hype.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Open since 1998, the original San Carlos Street location of La Vic’s sits kitty-corner to SJSU’s main campus, inside a cheery, slightly ramshackle old house — like a cartoon Victorian where a child detective goes mystery hunting. The family-owned taqueria offers a very standard college town burrito shop menu: enormously overstuffed tacos and burritos, quesadillas and loaded nachos and fries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The only difference is that everywhere you look, there’s orange sauce. Twelve-ounce squeeze bottles on every table, and lined up in the fridge case behind the counter. Multiple orange sauce posters on the walls. College kids — so many college kids, in gym shorts or decked out for a night at the club — ordering extra tubs of orange sauce to go with their takeout burritos. Even the cup for our agua fresca was decorated with a picture of a bottle of orange sauce. (“Orange you glad you tried,” reads the tagline.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958473\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958473\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics2.jpg\" alt=\"Illustration: Exterior of La Victoria Taqueria, in an old Victorian house, lit up at night.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics2.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics2-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics2-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics2-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics2-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lavics2-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The original La Vic’s is located in downtown San Jose, right across the street from San Jose State University. \u003ccite>(Thien Pham)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Look, if we’re being strictly honest, there are plenty of taquerias in San Jose — and all around the Bay — where you can get a tastier, more well-constructed burrito than the ones La Vic’s is rolling out these days. You can find more flavorful carnitas and juicier, less gristly carne asada. There are other restaurants that do a better job of piling meat and cheese on top of French fries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But man does that orange sauce paper over a thousand sins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like any well-guarded family recipe, the actual contents of the sauce are shrouded in secrecy and wild speculation. In \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/07/07/san-jose-orange-sauce-taco-burrito-la-victoria-recipe/\">public interviews\u003c/a>, La Vic’s owners have only revealed a handful of obvious ingredients: garlic, onions, tomatoes, dried red chiles. Meanwhile, orange-sauce conspiracy theorists have long debated the source of the sauce’s telltale creaminess, which has been rumored to come from crushed-up crackers, mayonnaise and even leftover chorizo grease (!). The restaurant, for its part, stresses that the sauce has always been \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/La-Victoria-orange-sauce-is-secret-17081821.php\">100% vegan\u003c/a>. (I, and most \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/SalsaSnobs/comments/191wyaw/update_la_victorias_orange_sauce_aka_san_jose/\">copycat recipes\u003c/a>, suspect the creaminess just comes from emulsified vegetable oil.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/span>Whatever the secret, La Vic’s orange sauce is delicious. It has a bright, garlicky heat that immediately perks up the palate and a tanginess that keeps it from being overly heavy, making it a natural foil to salty grilled meats. And we loved how the sauce’s slightly dense, creamy texture allows it to cling to surfaces instead of making the food soggy like your typical watery salsa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We also figured out how, if you order smartly, you can put together a legitimately solid meal at La Vic’s, even apart from squirting orange sauce onto every bite. First pro tip: It’s the super tacos, not the burritos, that are the star of the menu, especially if you order them with lengua, which is the tastiest and most tender of the meat options. The super tacos feature thick, double-stacked tortillas that the taqueros will crisp up on request, and they’re loaded with guacamole and sour cream, which provide a refreshing tang.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Second tip: Don’t sleep on the zippy and criminally underrated green sauce, which some La Vic’s loyalists like even better than the orange sauce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Third: It’s true that the carne asada fries, which come loaded with steak, nacho cheese, sour cream and guac, are the ideal drunk food. But the fries here aren’t especially crispy, and it’s only a matter of minutes before the whole thing turns into a soggy mess. Consider instead the nachos. They have a much more resilient crunch and are, in my view, the perfect vessel for orange sauce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unless you count my own cooking, that is. Like so many other La Vic’s initiates, I dropped $8 on a bottle of the sauce to bring home — to test if it does, in fact, taste amazing on everything, like so many of the glowing reviews I’d read. For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been putting it on scrambled eggs and homemade carnitas, stirring it into bowls of rice and beans. And it really is true: I haven’t been disappointed yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.lavicsj.com/\">\u003ci>La Victoria Taqueria\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci> has six Bay Area locations, mostly in San Jose. The original location at 140 E. San Carlos St. is open from 7 a.m.–3 a.m. daily.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "When a Silicon Valley Taqueria Assembled the World’s Largest Burrito",
"headTitle": "When a Silicon Valley Taqueria Assembled the World’s Largest Burrito | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n 1997, when the dot-com boom was booming in the heart of Silicon Valley, the tech-focused region engineered another kind of innovation: the world’s largest burrito.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The burrito weighed about 4,500 pounds, measured more than 3,500 feet long and required hundreds of volunteers to assemble at Mountain View’s Rengstorff Park. (For reference, a Ford Mustang weighs 3,933 pounds; the Empire State Building stretches for 1,458 feet.) In a way, it was one of the earliest iterations of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13936325/social-media-biggest-pupusas-burritos-instagram-tiktok-latinextravagant-bay-area\">the Bay Area’s over-the-top, “Latinextravagant” culinary ambitions\u003c/a>, long before going viral on TikTok or Instagram was even possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though largely forgotten and eventually superseded in the Guinness Book of World Records — \u003ca href=\"https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-burrito\">the current record holder\u003c/a> is a gargantuan, 12,785-pound burrito assembled in Baja California, Mexico, in 2010 — the once-famed achievement still holds weight in Silicon Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>La Costeña, a Mexican grocery store in Mountain View known for the customizable burritos it served from the back counter, spearheaded the epic effort along with another local business called Burrito Real (which has since closed). The two taquerias had mastered the assembly line-style build-a-burrito method long before Chipotle popularized it — an approach that made them uniquely well suited for the task at hand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13952654\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13952654\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6367.jpg\" alt=\"a van parked in a parking lot that displays a restaurant's claim to burrito fame in 1997\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6367.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6367-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6367-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6367-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6367-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6367-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nearly three decades later, La Costeña proudly displays its former burrito world record in Mountain View. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Though La Costeña has since\u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2010/06/25/revamp-in-works-for-popular-mountain-view-burrito-joint/\"> relocated across town \u003c/a>and no longer offers groceries, the restaurant still slings well-sized burritos at affordable prices in a strip mall lot off East Middlefield Road. Even today, the burritos are often named as some of the best in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Inside the current location, photos of the record-shattering burrito decorate the restaurant’s otherwise bare walls — an aerial shot that shows the chorizo-and-potato stuffed beast \u003ca href=\"https://www.costena.com/famous.html\">snaking around Rengstorff Park like a baby Godzilla tail\u003c/a>. And there’s an old van parked out front with sun-peeled letters that read, “1997 Guinness Record Worlds [sic] Largest Burrito.” Besides that, there isn’t much physical evidence left. Thankfully, though, La Costena’s moment of glory happened in Silicon Valley, so it was recorded online by first-wave foodies from the Peninsula.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"large\" align=\"right\"]‘The burrito weighed about 4,500 pounds, measured more than 3,500 feet long and required hundreds of volunteers to assemble.’[/pullquote]A quick Google search (Google’s main campus is just a couple miles down the road from today’s La Costeña) reveals some brief testimonies, photos and records of the event. A 1997 report from \u003ci>Silicon Valley Business Journal\u003c/i> declares “\u003ca href=\"https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/1997/04/21/tidbits.html\">¡Ay carramba! Burrito makers go for record\u003c/a>.” Strangely — or perhaps predictably — the special burrito operation was organized by Dan Rosen, a tech worker at nearby Sun Microsystems Inc., in the days leading up to Cinco de Mayo. The event drew a large crowd, which featured news reporters (the original food influencers) from around the state and a young Sofia Vergara when the future star was only known as a co-host on \u003ci>Fuera de serie, \u003c/i>a Latino travel show on Univision\u003ci>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Further internet sleuthing reveals humorous write-ups about the globally-scaled burrito. The now-defunct website \u003ca href=\"http://www.supersizedmeals.com/food/article.php/2006041120363213\">SuperSizedMeals.com described it as “the earliest Supersized meal we have on record … circa 1997\u003c/a>.” The burrito had to be assembled in coordinated sections in order to meet the 90-minute time limit prescribed by the city’s health department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13952608\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1080px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13952608\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/costena.jpeg\" alt=\"a group of Latino kids stand next to the actress Sofia Vergara at an outdoor park\" width=\"1080\" height=\"709\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/costena.jpeg 1080w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/costena-800x525.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/costena-1020x670.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/costena-160x105.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/costena-768x504.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The author’s childhood friend and his brothers attended the burrito fest at the Rengstorff Park in Mountain View, and met Sofia Vergara. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Adrian San Agustin)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.supersizedmeals.com/food/article.php/2006041120363213\">One blogger outlined\u003c/a> how the ingredients came in pre-loaded boxes that weighed 40 pounds and contained tortillas, rice, beans, chorizo and salsa, and had to be distributed and laid out on unfurled aluminum foil at a meticulous but speedy pace: “The tortillas were broken out and laid down with care, 12 per table, as we had been instructed. … Once your section was complete, it was time to leapfrog the other workers and start again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All told, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.newspapers.com/image/693179611\">news reports\u003c/a> at the time, the burrito consisted of 123 gallons of rice, 28 gallons of salsa and more than 5,000 flour tortillas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003cstrong>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13936325,arts_13931115,arts_13936639']\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>\u003c/b>After its completion, which happened under the “officially edible” time limit, the volunteers celebrated by consuming the world’s largest known burrito. “We ravaged that fattie like a wild pack of dogs,” the aforementioned blogger poetically wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These days, it might seem strange that this record-breaking effort even took place in Mountain View, a tech suburb that isn’t exactly known for being a Mexican food destination or hub of Latinx culture. Back then, however, the city’s Mexican and Central American immigrant populations were far more sizable than they are today. With that came a famed burrito war between La Costeña and its Salvadoran-owned rival, La Bamba, that lasted over a decade. But in 2013, as part of an ongoing wave of gentrification and redevelopment, \u003ca href=\"https://www.mv-voice.com/news/2013/12/05/taqueria-la-bamba-evicted-la-costena-relocates/\">both restaurants were effectively “evicted” from their original locations\u003c/a>, as La Bamba’s co-owner, Leo Munoz, told the \u003ci>Mountain View Voice\u003c/i> at the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>La Bamba has since gone out of business, along with many of the Latino-owned businesses from that era. But La Costeña — and the legacy of its long burrito — remains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few weeks ago, I commemorated the achievement by ordering a mole chicken burrito at La Costeña for under $10, which is a steal in today’s economy. For the record, the restaurant’s burrito meat selection is impressive for a sleepy, outwardly-unnoticeable joint in a suburban neighborhood surrounded by tech offices. Besides mole, they offer chile colorado, lengua, pollo borracho (chicken marinated in beer), garlicky al mojo de ajo, fajitas and carnitas estilo Chiconcuac, in addition to the more common options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13952653\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13952653\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6316.jpg\" alt=\"a photo of three restaurant employees holding a large burrito between the three of them\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6316.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6316-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6316-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6316-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6316-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6316-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Not to be confused with the world’s largest burrito, La Costeña often assembled larger-than-average burritos for hungry customers. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>La Costeña also serves a super burrito that could easily feed two. The dish still attracts a noticeable lunch crowd — albeit mostly tech workers on their break, rather than the shop’s former working-class Latino clientele, who have mostly been priced out. And amateur food reviewers continue to travel from places as far as Austin, Texas, to seek out \u003ca href=\"https://winstonwanders.com/2015/03/25/la-costena-mountain-view/\">the former record-holding burrito destination\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Websites like AOL and Ask Jeeves may no longer be around to feed our sense of connection like they once did. But other remnants of the dot-com era, like La Costeña, are still on the map — if you go offline to search for them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>La Costeña (235 E. Middlefield Rd #1A, Mountain View) is open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Though no longer the \u003c/i>Guinness Book of World Records\u003ci> record holder for largest burrito, the restaurant still serves a generously-proportioned super burrito that outsizes most.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">I\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>n 1997, when the dot-com boom was booming in the heart of Silicon Valley, the tech-focused region engineered another kind of innovation: the world’s largest burrito.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The burrito weighed about 4,500 pounds, measured more than 3,500 feet long and required hundreds of volunteers to assemble at Mountain View’s Rengstorff Park. (For reference, a Ford Mustang weighs 3,933 pounds; the Empire State Building stretches for 1,458 feet.) In a way, it was one of the earliest iterations of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13936325/social-media-biggest-pupusas-burritos-instagram-tiktok-latinextravagant-bay-area\">the Bay Area’s over-the-top, “Latinextravagant” culinary ambitions\u003c/a>, long before going viral on TikTok or Instagram was even possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though largely forgotten and eventually superseded in the Guinness Book of World Records — \u003ca href=\"https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-burrito\">the current record holder\u003c/a> is a gargantuan, 12,785-pound burrito assembled in Baja California, Mexico, in 2010 — the once-famed achievement still holds weight in Silicon Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>La Costeña, a Mexican grocery store in Mountain View known for the customizable burritos it served from the back counter, spearheaded the epic effort along with another local business called Burrito Real (which has since closed). The two taquerias had mastered the assembly line-style build-a-burrito method long before Chipotle popularized it — an approach that made them uniquely well suited for the task at hand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13952654\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13952654\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6367.jpg\" alt=\"a van parked in a parking lot that displays a restaurant's claim to burrito fame in 1997\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6367.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6367-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6367-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6367-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6367-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6367-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nearly three decades later, La Costeña proudly displays its former burrito world record in Mountain View. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Though La Costeña has since\u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2010/06/25/revamp-in-works-for-popular-mountain-view-burrito-joint/\"> relocated across town \u003c/a>and no longer offers groceries, the restaurant still slings well-sized burritos at affordable prices in a strip mall lot off East Middlefield Road. Even today, the burritos are often named as some of the best in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Inside the current location, photos of the record-shattering burrito decorate the restaurant’s otherwise bare walls — an aerial shot that shows the chorizo-and-potato stuffed beast \u003ca href=\"https://www.costena.com/famous.html\">snaking around Rengstorff Park like a baby Godzilla tail\u003c/a>. And there’s an old van parked out front with sun-peeled letters that read, “1997 Guinness Record Worlds [sic] Largest Burrito.” Besides that, there isn’t much physical evidence left. Thankfully, though, La Costena’s moment of glory happened in Silicon Valley, so it was recorded online by first-wave foodies from the Peninsula.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘The burrito weighed about 4,500 pounds, measured more than 3,500 feet long and required hundreds of volunteers to assemble.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>A quick Google search (Google’s main campus is just a couple miles down the road from today’s La Costeña) reveals some brief testimonies, photos and records of the event. A 1997 report from \u003ci>Silicon Valley Business Journal\u003c/i> declares “\u003ca href=\"https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/1997/04/21/tidbits.html\">¡Ay carramba! Burrito makers go for record\u003c/a>.” Strangely — or perhaps predictably — the special burrito operation was organized by Dan Rosen, a tech worker at nearby Sun Microsystems Inc., in the days leading up to Cinco de Mayo. The event drew a large crowd, which featured news reporters (the original food influencers) from around the state and a young Sofia Vergara when the future star was only known as a co-host on \u003ci>Fuera de serie, \u003c/i>a Latino travel show on Univision\u003ci>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Further internet sleuthing reveals humorous write-ups about the globally-scaled burrito. The now-defunct website \u003ca href=\"http://www.supersizedmeals.com/food/article.php/2006041120363213\">SuperSizedMeals.com described it as “the earliest Supersized meal we have on record … circa 1997\u003c/a>.” The burrito had to be assembled in coordinated sections in order to meet the 90-minute time limit prescribed by the city’s health department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13952608\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1080px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13952608\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/costena.jpeg\" alt=\"a group of Latino kids stand next to the actress Sofia Vergara at an outdoor park\" width=\"1080\" height=\"709\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/costena.jpeg 1080w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/costena-800x525.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/costena-1020x670.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/costena-160x105.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/costena-768x504.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The author’s childhood friend and his brothers attended the burrito fest at the Rengstorff Park in Mountain View, and met Sofia Vergara. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Adrian San Agustin)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.supersizedmeals.com/food/article.php/2006041120363213\">One blogger outlined\u003c/a> how the ingredients came in pre-loaded boxes that weighed 40 pounds and contained tortillas, rice, beans, chorizo and salsa, and had to be distributed and laid out on unfurled aluminum foil at a meticulous but speedy pace: “The tortillas were broken out and laid down with care, 12 per table, as we had been instructed. … Once your section was complete, it was time to leapfrog the other workers and start again.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All told, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.newspapers.com/image/693179611\">news reports\u003c/a> at the time, the burrito consisted of 123 gallons of rice, 28 gallons of salsa and more than 5,000 flour tortillas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003cstrong>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>\u003c/b>After its completion, which happened under the “officially edible” time limit, the volunteers celebrated by consuming the world’s largest known burrito. “We ravaged that fattie like a wild pack of dogs,” the aforementioned blogger poetically wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These days, it might seem strange that this record-breaking effort even took place in Mountain View, a tech suburb that isn’t exactly known for being a Mexican food destination or hub of Latinx culture. Back then, however, the city’s Mexican and Central American immigrant populations were far more sizable than they are today. With that came a famed burrito war between La Costeña and its Salvadoran-owned rival, La Bamba, that lasted over a decade. But in 2013, as part of an ongoing wave of gentrification and redevelopment, \u003ca href=\"https://www.mv-voice.com/news/2013/12/05/taqueria-la-bamba-evicted-la-costena-relocates/\">both restaurants were effectively “evicted” from their original locations\u003c/a>, as La Bamba’s co-owner, Leo Munoz, told the \u003ci>Mountain View Voice\u003c/i> at the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>La Bamba has since gone out of business, along with many of the Latino-owned businesses from that era. But La Costeña — and the legacy of its long burrito — remains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few weeks ago, I commemorated the achievement by ordering a mole chicken burrito at La Costeña for under $10, which is a steal in today’s economy. For the record, the restaurant’s burrito meat selection is impressive for a sleepy, outwardly-unnoticeable joint in a suburban neighborhood surrounded by tech offices. Besides mole, they offer chile colorado, lengua, pollo borracho (chicken marinated in beer), garlicky al mojo de ajo, fajitas and carnitas estilo Chiconcuac, in addition to the more common options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13952653\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13952653\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6316.jpg\" alt=\"a photo of three restaurant employees holding a large burrito between the three of them\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6316.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6316-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6316-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6316-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6316-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/img_6316-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Not to be confused with the world’s largest burrito, La Costeña often assembled larger-than-average burritos for hungry customers. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>La Costeña also serves a super burrito that could easily feed two. The dish still attracts a noticeable lunch crowd — albeit mostly tech workers on their break, rather than the shop’s former working-class Latino clientele, who have mostly been priced out. And amateur food reviewers continue to travel from places as far as Austin, Texas, to seek out \u003ca href=\"https://winstonwanders.com/2015/03/25/la-costena-mountain-view/\">the former record-holding burrito destination\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Websites like AOL and Ask Jeeves may no longer be around to feed our sense of connection like they once did. But other remnants of the dot-com era, like La Costeña, are still on the map — if you go offline to search for them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>La Costeña (235 E. Middlefield Rd #1A, Mountain View) is open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Though no longer the \u003c/i>Guinness Book of World Records\u003ci> record holder for largest burrito, the restaurant still serves a generously-proportioned super burrito that outsizes most.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "jubo-iguanas-filipino-burrito-juborrito-collaboration-san-jose",
"title": "Spam and Garlic Tots in Your Burrito? These San Jose Brothers Are Starting the Trend",
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"headTitle": "Spam and Garlic Tots in Your Burrito? These San Jose Brothers Are Starting the Trend | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">¡Hella Hungry! is a column about Bay Area foodmakers, exploring the region’s culinary cultures through the mouth of a first-generation local.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There’s a fresh energy bubbling in \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/sanjosefood\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Jose\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Though some might assume Silicon Valley’s capital lacks the cosmopolitan grandeur of San Francisco or the bohemian flair of the East Bay, I implore you to spend an evening on foot in the sprawling downtown. You won’t find any true epicenter. Instead, you’ll encounter scattershot offerings of reinvigorated creativity: a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/goodtimebarsj/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">natural wine haven\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/sliceofhomage/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">nightlife-fueled pizzeria\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/conazucarcafe/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mexican cafe that serves the largest pan dulce\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> you’ll ever try to cram into your not-wide-enough mouth.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Forget about Google, Facebook, Tesla and Apple. I’m talking about the real creators — lifelong community members, musicians, immigrants, clothing makers and small business owners who carefully alchemize the soulful ingredients of their home to provide a delicious, shareable experience.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For streetwear label \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/juboclothing/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jubo Clothing\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and the zany, family-owned taqueria, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/iguanasburritozilla/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Iguanas\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the recipe is as simple as remixing a California classic. It’s called the Juborrito, a limited-time item on a menu that has been feeding hungry San Jose State students since 1994. The gold-wrapped burrito — stuffed with Spam, garlic tots, scrambled eggs, cheese and Zilla Sauce (a housemade concoction of orange-hued spiciness) — is surprisingly fluffy to the bite and jam-packed with memories of childhood comfort. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For an extra kick, customers who purchase the burrito can also buy a custom shirt designed by Jubo’s Nemedez brothers (Jason, 30; Averill, 27; Brian, 22). Their effort is a subtle homage to classic San Jose streetwear brands like \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/breezyexcursion/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Breezy Excursion\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which used to host T-shirt giveaways at Iguanas when they were growing up.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13936648\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13936648 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_taters.jpg\" alt=\"inside a taqueria's kitchen, four burritos are being prepared with tater tots as a prominent ingredient\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_taters.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_taters-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_taters-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_taters-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_taters-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_taters-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“Juborritos” (which feature garlic tater tots and Spam) are prepared inside Iguanas in San Jose.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">To learn about the 408’s subcultural depths, I kicked it with the first-generation Filipino trendsetting brothers, who pulled up a chair for me to eat at their table. With burritos binding us all together, we reflected on what it means to be from a place that isn’t always embraced.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This interview has been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">********\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Alan Chazaro: Iguanas is the home of the famed \u003c/b>\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/7SDU7-4VBfY\">\u003cb>“Burritozilla” — a five-pound, 18-inch burrito\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003cb>. Your burrito, the Juborrito, isn’t as epic in scale, but it’s a fresh take on your Filipino upbringing. How did the idea for your burrito collab come about?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason Nemedez:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We wanted to recreate a popular Filipino breakfast. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13936649\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1558px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13936649 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_poster-scaled.jpg\" alt='a Godzilla-themed poster shows a burrito named \"Juborrito\" inside a San Jose taqueria' width=\"1558\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_poster-scaled.jpg 1558w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_poster-800x1315.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_poster-1020x1676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_poster-160x263.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_poster-768x1262.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_poster-935x1536.jpg 935w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_poster-1246x2048.jpg 1246w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1558px) 100vw, 1558px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A “Juborrito” poster inside Iguanas, a taqueria known for their massive “Burritozilla.” \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Averill Nemedez:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Garlic fried rice, eggs, Spam. Know what I’m saying? We used to eat that all the time.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">That’s it. It’s like a breakfast burrito. But we’ll eat Spam anytime of the day. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Brian Nemedez: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is our first time working with Iguanas. We would always come and line up for events here for free T-shirt Fridays. Get a burrito and steak fries. It was the spot to go to.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It’s also like, what other restaurant is doing cool shit like that? Iguanas has always been open to that. We grew up eating the food and coming to events here. We’re paying our dues. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Brian:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> [San Jose rapper] \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reyresurreccion/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Rey Resurreccion\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is how we actually got it rolling. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He linked us up together. He was cool with the owner here. We’re just reaching new audiences, you know.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>I’ve never had Spam in a burrito. It’s definitely not common in Mexican cuisine. Was that even an option on the menu at Iguanas before this? \u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Brian:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Nah, we didn’t know we could even add an ingredient like that. They added it just for this.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Averill:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It reminded us of, like, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CGx0fcuBrzA/\">tosilog burrito\u003c/a>. The owners said we could do it.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> On the day of the debut event, they actually ran out of Spam. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Cx1S--qyqIn/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The crowd was lined up all around the block\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. It was crazy.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>I’ve noticed a rise in popularity and demand for Filipino brands and foods lately, like ube. \u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Brian: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There’s ube lattes now.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I think that’s cool, it gives more exposure to our culture. That’s sick. But we need to go a little bit deeper into it. Not just the basic stuff like adobo.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Averill: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Man, kare-kare [a peanut-sauce stew with oxtails].\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Yeah, kare-kare is fire. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>You’re mostly known for your clothing. Where does your brand’s name, Jubo, come from? You started out by doing graffiti, right?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I used to have another tagging\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">name, but then I got caught. So my brother Averill gave me the name Jubo. I didn’t want to get caught again, so I transitioned into making T-shirts. We all used to draw back then, and then we would all sign it. My signature was always “Jubo.” When I started DJing, people would say, “Aye, Jubo, play that slap,” and that’s where I got that from. That leveled up to us designing and turning it all into a logo. It became a well-known name where we grew up. It just became its own thing.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13936645\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13936645 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_collab_swag.jpg\" alt=\"a San Jose artist showcases a shirt he designed for a local taqueria\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_collab_swag.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_collab_swag-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_collab_swag-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_collab_swag-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_collab_swag-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_collab_swag-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Averill Nemedez shows off his Iguanas and Juborrito collaborative T-shirt. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>When did you start actually making T-shirts?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We’ve been into it since middle school. At first we made stencils using manila folders and an Exacto knife. Then I bought a screen printing press when I was in high school. Eventually Jubo became official in about 2018.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Averill: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We had a brand before that, back in high school. But it was a wack brand.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Yeah, no one has to know about that [laughs]. I just used Microsoft Word, which was hard, because it’s not meant for design.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Averill: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And Microsoft Paint. We just printed things out.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After high school,\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I took a few classes at Evergreen Valley College. The teacher pushed me to do more. She gave me my first art show. She taught me hella shit about mock-ups, the process. But then I went to San Jose State, and it felt completely different. They didn’t care about what I wanted to do. I was working at a car wrapping spot at the time, learning different things. I also worked at a custom print shop in the mall. So I dropped out. Having those design experiences, I was able to teach Averill and Brian what to do. Now those guys are better than me.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>How has San Jose shaped your approach to clothing, fashion and community?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We’ve been here our whole lives. People from here are built different, you know? You gotta hustle and have multiple streams of income. You gotta figure out how to make it. My mom immigrated here from the Philippines and had three different hustles at once. She had a 9 to 5 and then she would sell blankets at night. She would sell fish and longaniza, too. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Averill: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jewelry.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Brian:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Toys and shit. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Exactly. When we were younger, we’d go on drop-offs with her ’til midnight. Bruh, I used to hate it, but now we do drop-offs for our own products. Now I get it. She did that for us to be able to thrive out here.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb> Besides family (shout out immigrant parents), who has influenced you to pursue your creative passions?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Averill: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13907726/e-40-goon-with-the-spoon-bay-area-rappers-food-entrepreneurs-hustle\">E-40\u003c/a> did it out the trunk, independently. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Yeah, he’s basically a millionaire out the trunk. But for me, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/10141391/dream-but-dont-sleep-remembering-mike-dream-francisco\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[TDK] Dream\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> was a big influence. He was a Filipino dude doing graffiti. He did commercial shit, but he also had his own style. I realized there was something you could do with graffiti. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13936644\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13936644 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_back.jpg\" alt=\"three brothers stand with their backs to the camera inside a taqueria\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_back.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_back-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_back-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_back-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_back-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_back-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Nemedez brothers (Averill, right; Jason, center; Brian, left) oversee the making of “Juborritos” at Iguanas in San Jose. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What makes clothing your ideal medium for self-expression?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Averill: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Clothing is very personal. It’s about what’s comfortable to you. Nobody really has any say in what you choose to put on. It’s you. Other opinions don’t matter.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Brian: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s cool because it gives you an outlet to show who you are. We make shit inspired by what we like. Musical artists, cartoons, sports, movies we watched growing up. You can display it all without saying a word. Someone might see you and identify with you, they might be able to relate and connect off that.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Before us, San Jose had a big renaissance in terms of streetwear and creative outlets. Breezy was a top brand. Cukui. Headliners. Holloway. They all came up together. And it came with the music at the time like Rey Res, City Shawn, The Bangerz, Cutso and them. And \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13907735/remembering-traxamillion-whose-beats-defined-the-bay-area-sound\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Traxamillion\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, RIP. We actually made merch for him. In 2020 he had a Street Fighter album [\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/4qpg7wKEQK4yaLrMvoRP4f\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Super Beat Fighter\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">], and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.traxamillion.com/products/black-super-beat-fighter-slapp-edition-t-shirt\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">he asked me to give Ryu a durag instead of a headband\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. All that got us excited for designing clothes.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What do you think outsiders misunderstand or overlook about San Jose?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Brian: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The creative scene. We’re surrounded by all this technology, everyone just thinks of that. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003cstrong>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13904835,arts_13920483,arts_13932574']\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>Averill: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">You have to be in it to know what’s going on. If you’re from the outside, you wouldn’t know. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We’re also neighboring San Francisco and Oakland, which are more prominent. But San Jose for sure has its own style. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Averill: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We have a chip on our shoulder.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Yeah. I like to say I’m from San Jose and not the Bay Area. When I tell people I’m from the Bay they’re like, “So, San Francisco?” and I’m like, “Nah, that’s an hour away.” I think something that plays a part in that is we don’t really have any music venues here, so artists don’t really come out here unless they’re huge like Drake and can sell out the SAP Center. So a lot of people just skip over us.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13936647\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13936647 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_gold_cropped.jpg\" alt=\"a gold-foil wrapped burrito is displayed on an outdoor table\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_gold_cropped.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_gold_cropped-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_gold_cropped-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_gold_cropped-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_gold_cropped-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_gold_cropped-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The limited-edition “Juborrito” (which includes Spam, garlic tater tots, cheese, and egg) is inspired by classic Filipino breakfast meals.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>So how is San Jose’s style different from other parts of the Bay?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Someone once told me that they think of San Jose more like L.A. rather than San Francisco or Oakland. Because we have hella lowriders. That’s huge here. That Chicano influence is fasho big out here. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Averill: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s kind of that vintage style, too. That workwear. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Brian: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And skate culture.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>How are you keeping that San Jose style alive? Where can the people find you?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We have a brick-and-mortar shop in Japantown. It’s called \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/coldwater.sj/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Coldwater\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. It’s an ode to our grandma, who lived on Coldwater Drive, where we grew up. We each sell our own separate brands there, and Jubo Clothing is our team brand.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Brian:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> My brand is \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/madebyrila/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Made by Rila\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. I do a lot of custom hats. Shirts. I did a skateboard recently.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Averill:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Mine is \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/bigavegetpaid/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Big Ave Get Paid\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. I make graphic designs on shirts. I want to try doing jackets in the future. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason:\u003c/b> \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/juboslaps/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jubo Slaps\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is my personal brand. It’s all just a reflection of San Jose and our experiences growing up here.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Juborrito will be served at all three \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/iguanasburritozilla/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Iguanas\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> locations (330 S. Third St., San Jose; 4848 San\u003c/span>\u003c/i> \u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Felipe Rd., San Jose; 4300 Great America Pkwy., Santa Clara) through the end of November. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/coldwater.sj/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Coldwater\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (205 Jackson St., San Jose) is open Thu. through Sun., from 12:30 to 5 p.m. (6 p.m. on weekends).\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Iguanas and the Jubo streetwear brand team up for an epic Filipino-Mexican collaboration.",
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"title": "San Jose's Jubo and Iguanas Create a Mexican-Filipino Burrito | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">¡Hella Hungry! is a column about Bay Area foodmakers, exploring the region’s culinary cultures through the mouth of a first-generation local.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There’s a fresh energy bubbling in \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/sanjosefood\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Jose\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Though some might assume Silicon Valley’s capital lacks the cosmopolitan grandeur of San Francisco or the bohemian flair of the East Bay, I implore you to spend an evening on foot in the sprawling downtown. You won’t find any true epicenter. Instead, you’ll encounter scattershot offerings of reinvigorated creativity: a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/goodtimebarsj/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">natural wine haven\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/sliceofhomage/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">nightlife-fueled pizzeria\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/conazucarcafe/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mexican cafe that serves the largest pan dulce\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> you’ll ever try to cram into your not-wide-enough mouth.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Forget about Google, Facebook, Tesla and Apple. I’m talking about the real creators — lifelong community members, musicians, immigrants, clothing makers and small business owners who carefully alchemize the soulful ingredients of their home to provide a delicious, shareable experience.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For streetwear label \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/juboclothing/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jubo Clothing\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and the zany, family-owned taqueria, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/iguanasburritozilla/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Iguanas\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the recipe is as simple as remixing a California classic. It’s called the Juborrito, a limited-time item on a menu that has been feeding hungry San Jose State students since 1994. The gold-wrapped burrito — stuffed with Spam, garlic tots, scrambled eggs, cheese and Zilla Sauce (a housemade concoction of orange-hued spiciness) — is surprisingly fluffy to the bite and jam-packed with memories of childhood comfort. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For an extra kick, customers who purchase the burrito can also buy a custom shirt designed by Jubo’s Nemedez brothers (Jason, 30; Averill, 27; Brian, 22). Their effort is a subtle homage to classic San Jose streetwear brands like \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/breezyexcursion/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Breezy Excursion\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which used to host T-shirt giveaways at Iguanas when they were growing up.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13936648\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13936648 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_taters.jpg\" alt=\"inside a taqueria's kitchen, four burritos are being prepared with tater tots as a prominent ingredient\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_taters.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_taters-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_taters-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_taters-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_taters-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_taters-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“Juborritos” (which feature garlic tater tots and Spam) are prepared inside Iguanas in San Jose.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">To learn about the 408’s subcultural depths, I kicked it with the first-generation Filipino trendsetting brothers, who pulled up a chair for me to eat at their table. With burritos binding us all together, we reflected on what it means to be from a place that isn’t always embraced.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This interview has been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">********\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Alan Chazaro: Iguanas is the home of the famed \u003c/b>\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/7SDU7-4VBfY\">\u003cb>“Burritozilla” — a five-pound, 18-inch burrito\u003c/b>\u003c/a>\u003cb>. Your burrito, the Juborrito, isn’t as epic in scale, but it’s a fresh take on your Filipino upbringing. How did the idea for your burrito collab come about?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason Nemedez:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We wanted to recreate a popular Filipino breakfast. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13936649\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1558px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13936649 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_poster-scaled.jpg\" alt='a Godzilla-themed poster shows a burrito named \"Juborrito\" inside a San Jose taqueria' width=\"1558\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_poster-scaled.jpg 1558w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_poster-800x1315.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_poster-1020x1676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_poster-160x263.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_poster-768x1262.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_poster-935x1536.jpg 935w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_poster-1246x2048.jpg 1246w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1558px) 100vw, 1558px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A “Juborrito” poster inside Iguanas, a taqueria known for their massive “Burritozilla.” \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Averill Nemedez:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Garlic fried rice, eggs, Spam. Know what I’m saying? We used to eat that all the time.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">That’s it. It’s like a breakfast burrito. But we’ll eat Spam anytime of the day. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Brian Nemedez: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is our first time working with Iguanas. We would always come and line up for events here for free T-shirt Fridays. Get a burrito and steak fries. It was the spot to go to.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It’s also like, what other restaurant is doing cool shit like that? Iguanas has always been open to that. We grew up eating the food and coming to events here. We’re paying our dues. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Brian:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> [San Jose rapper] \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reyresurreccion/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Rey Resurreccion\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is how we actually got it rolling. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">He linked us up together. He was cool with the owner here. We’re just reaching new audiences, you know.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>I’ve never had Spam in a burrito. It’s definitely not common in Mexican cuisine. Was that even an option on the menu at Iguanas before this? \u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Brian:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Nah, we didn’t know we could even add an ingredient like that. They added it just for this.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Averill:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It reminded us of, like, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CGx0fcuBrzA/\">tosilog burrito\u003c/a>. The owners said we could do it.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> On the day of the debut event, they actually ran out of Spam. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Cx1S--qyqIn/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The crowd was lined up all around the block\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. It was crazy.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>I’ve noticed a rise in popularity and demand for Filipino brands and foods lately, like ube. \u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Brian: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There’s ube lattes now.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I think that’s cool, it gives more exposure to our culture. That’s sick. But we need to go a little bit deeper into it. Not just the basic stuff like adobo.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Averill: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Man, kare-kare [a peanut-sauce stew with oxtails].\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Yeah, kare-kare is fire. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>You’re mostly known for your clothing. Where does your brand’s name, Jubo, come from? You started out by doing graffiti, right?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I used to have another tagging\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">name, but then I got caught. So my brother Averill gave me the name Jubo. I didn’t want to get caught again, so I transitioned into making T-shirts. We all used to draw back then, and then we would all sign it. My signature was always “Jubo.” When I started DJing, people would say, “Aye, Jubo, play that slap,” and that’s where I got that from. That leveled up to us designing and turning it all into a logo. It became a well-known name where we grew up. It just became its own thing.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13936645\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13936645 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_collab_swag.jpg\" alt=\"a San Jose artist showcases a shirt he designed for a local taqueria\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_collab_swag.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_collab_swag-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_collab_swag-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_collab_swag-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_collab_swag-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_collab_swag-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Averill Nemedez shows off his Iguanas and Juborrito collaborative T-shirt. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>When did you start actually making T-shirts?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We’ve been into it since middle school. At first we made stencils using manila folders and an Exacto knife. Then I bought a screen printing press when I was in high school. Eventually Jubo became official in about 2018.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Averill: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We had a brand before that, back in high school. But it was a wack brand.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Yeah, no one has to know about that [laughs]. I just used Microsoft Word, which was hard, because it’s not meant for design.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Averill: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And Microsoft Paint. We just printed things out.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After high school,\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I took a few classes at Evergreen Valley College. The teacher pushed me to do more. She gave me my first art show. She taught me hella shit about mock-ups, the process. But then I went to San Jose State, and it felt completely different. They didn’t care about what I wanted to do. I was working at a car wrapping spot at the time, learning different things. I also worked at a custom print shop in the mall. So I dropped out. Having those design experiences, I was able to teach Averill and Brian what to do. Now those guys are better than me.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>How has San Jose shaped your approach to clothing, fashion and community?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We’ve been here our whole lives. People from here are built different, you know? You gotta hustle and have multiple streams of income. You gotta figure out how to make it. My mom immigrated here from the Philippines and had three different hustles at once. She had a 9 to 5 and then she would sell blankets at night. She would sell fish and longaniza, too. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Averill: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jewelry.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Brian:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Toys and shit. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Exactly. When we were younger, we’d go on drop-offs with her ’til midnight. Bruh, I used to hate it, but now we do drop-offs for our own products. Now I get it. She did that for us to be able to thrive out here.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb> Besides family (shout out immigrant parents), who has influenced you to pursue your creative passions?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Averill: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13907726/e-40-goon-with-the-spoon-bay-area-rappers-food-entrepreneurs-hustle\">E-40\u003c/a> did it out the trunk, independently. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Yeah, he’s basically a millionaire out the trunk. But for me, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/10141391/dream-but-dont-sleep-remembering-mike-dream-francisco\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[TDK] Dream\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> was a big influence. He was a Filipino dude doing graffiti. He did commercial shit, but he also had his own style. I realized there was something you could do with graffiti. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13936644\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13936644 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_back.jpg\" alt=\"three brothers stand with their backs to the camera inside a taqueria\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_back.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_back-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_back-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_back-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_back-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_back-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Nemedez brothers (Averill, right; Jason, center; Brian, left) oversee the making of “Juborritos” at Iguanas in San Jose. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What makes clothing your ideal medium for self-expression?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Averill: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Clothing is very personal. It’s about what’s comfortable to you. Nobody really has any say in what you choose to put on. It’s you. Other opinions don’t matter.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Brian: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s cool because it gives you an outlet to show who you are. We make shit inspired by what we like. Musical artists, cartoons, sports, movies we watched growing up. You can display it all without saying a word. Someone might see you and identify with you, they might be able to relate and connect off that.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Before us, San Jose had a big renaissance in terms of streetwear and creative outlets. Breezy was a top brand. Cukui. Headliners. Holloway. They all came up together. And it came with the music at the time like Rey Res, City Shawn, The Bangerz, Cutso and them. And \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13907735/remembering-traxamillion-whose-beats-defined-the-bay-area-sound\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Traxamillion\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, RIP. We actually made merch for him. In 2020 he had a Street Fighter album [\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://open.spotify.com/album/4qpg7wKEQK4yaLrMvoRP4f\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Super Beat Fighter\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">], and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.traxamillion.com/products/black-super-beat-fighter-slapp-edition-t-shirt\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">he asked me to give Ryu a durag instead of a headband\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. All that got us excited for designing clothes.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What do you think outsiders misunderstand or overlook about San Jose?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Brian: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The creative scene. We’re surrounded by all this technology, everyone just thinks of that. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003cstrong>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/strong>Averill: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">You have to be in it to know what’s going on. If you’re from the outside, you wouldn’t know. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We’re also neighboring San Francisco and Oakland, which are more prominent. But San Jose for sure has its own style. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Averill: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We have a chip on our shoulder.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Yeah. I like to say I’m from San Jose and not the Bay Area. When I tell people I’m from the Bay they’re like, “So, San Francisco?” and I’m like, “Nah, that’s an hour away.” I think something that plays a part in that is we don’t really have any music venues here, so artists don’t really come out here unless they’re huge like Drake and can sell out the SAP Center. So a lot of people just skip over us.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13936647\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13936647 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_gold_cropped.jpg\" alt=\"a gold-foil wrapped burrito is displayed on an outdoor table\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_gold_cropped.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_gold_cropped-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_gold_cropped-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_gold_cropped-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_gold_cropped-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/juborrito_gold_cropped-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The limited-edition “Juborrito” (which includes Spam, garlic tater tots, cheese, and egg) is inspired by classic Filipino breakfast meals.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>So how is San Jose’s style different from other parts of the Bay?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Someone once told me that they think of San Jose more like L.A. rather than San Francisco or Oakland. Because we have hella lowriders. That’s huge here. That Chicano influence is fasho big out here. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Averill: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s kind of that vintage style, too. That workwear. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Brian: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And skate culture.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>How are you keeping that San Jose style alive? Where can the people find you?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We have a brick-and-mortar shop in Japantown. It’s called \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/coldwater.sj/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Coldwater\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. It’s an ode to our grandma, who lived on Coldwater Drive, where we grew up. We each sell our own separate brands there, and Jubo Clothing is our team brand.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Brian:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> My brand is \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/madebyrila/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Made by Rila\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. I do a lot of custom hats. Shirts. I did a skateboard recently.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Averill:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Mine is \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/bigavegetpaid/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Big Ave Get Paid\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. I make graphic designs on shirts. I want to try doing jackets in the future. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Jason:\u003c/b> \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/juboslaps/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jubo Slaps\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is my personal brand. It’s all just a reflection of San Jose and our experiences growing up here.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Juborrito will be served at all three \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/iguanasburritozilla/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Iguanas\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> locations (330 S. Third St., San Jose; 4848 San\u003c/span>\u003c/i> \u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Felipe Rd., San Jose; 4300 Great America Pkwy., Santa Clara) through the end of November. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/coldwater.sj/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Coldwater\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (205 Jackson St., San Jose) is open Thu. through Sun., from 12:30 to 5 p.m. (6 p.m. on weekends).\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "mestizo-san-jose-filipino-food-truck-la-pulga-mexican-hawaiian",
"title": "A New San Jose Food Truck Fuses Filipino, Mexican and Hawaiian Flavors",
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"headTitle": "A New San Jose Food Truck Fuses Filipino, Mexican and Hawaiian Flavors | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>¡Hella Hungry! is a column about Bay Area foodmakers, exploring the region’s culinary cultures through the mouth of a first-generation local.\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For anyone with childhood memories of growing up in the South Bay, San Jose’s Berryessa Flea Market — or “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13905374/la-pulga-san-jose-flea-market-redevelopment-eulogy\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">La Pulga\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">,” as it’s endearingly known — has long been a haven of joy, particularly for immigrant families. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">La Pulga truly had it all. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For as long as I can remember, the flea market has always been a humble space for entrepreneurial beginnings. At one point, my mom even ran her own stand selling used clothes there. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">More recently, though, the historic flea market, like much of the region, has undergone seismic redevelopments. There’s now a BART station within walking distance, adding metropolitan accessibility to the formerly industrial area — but also \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kalw.org/economy-business-labor/2023-02-27/a-family-at-the-berryessa-flea-market-fights-to-stay\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">displacing many longtime, predominantly Latinx vendors\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Across the street, there’s a glamorous new condominium complex where a dusty parking lot used to be. It all underscores the ongoing contradictions of a region that is \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.archpaper.com/2021/07/san-jose-berryessa-flea-market-replaced-by-sprawling-mixed-use-development/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">yearning to grow\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> while simultaneously introducing a new set of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://sanjosespotlight.com/san-jose-berryessa-flea-market-changes-prove-costly-for-vendors/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">costly challenges for longtime community members\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite its struggles and the ensuing public backlash, the Berryessa Flea Market — which is still among the largest open-air markets in the United States — remains vibrant in a different kind of way. There’s a funky beer garden with live music and a weekly Friday night market. The reimagined space has allowed emerging food makers to gain visibility by introducing an assortment of new cuisines and experiences.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13932716\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13932716\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a crowd gathers in front of a food truck in San Jose\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mestizo is building a loyal following in the South Bay with appearances at La Pulga in San Jose. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">That new wave includes \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/westaymixin/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mestizo\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a homegrown trio of Filipino Americans who roll around the 408 in their food truck (not to be confused with San Francisco’s Yucatan-inspired food truck that has the same name). Childhood friends Keith Canda, Chris Zamora and Anthony Cruzet are dishing out fire meals of Filipino, Mexican and Hawaiian eats, including fried chicken mac salad burritos, tempura salmon tacos and “KaluaQuiles” — mole-bathed chilaquiles with fresh mango sauce and kalua pork. They also organized \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CtIC0ivL_DR/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Jose’s first-ever lumpia eating contest\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and frequently collaborate with popular San Jose streetwear brands like \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cukui/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cukui\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, as well as a variety of local organizations — everything from low-rider bike clubs to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13930207/the-simpsons-flash-tattoo-party-parallax-art-studio-milpitas\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">tattoo shops\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I swung by with my older brother and dad on a busy night earlier this summer to meet Mestizo’s crew and soak up some nostalgic vibes. It was the first time my family had been back to La Pulga together in decades.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This interview has been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">********\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ALAN CHAZARO: When and how did you all launch your Mestizo food truck together?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS ZAMORA:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We just started the truck this year. We wanted to come in and take it slow, but we’ve realized it’s all happening so quickly, especially this summer. It’s a culmination of our friendship over 20 years. We’ve always tried to find a project to work on together. We’re in three different industries as professionals, and we’ve never been able to officially collaborate on anything. This is that pinnacle for us. It’s not just getting together and partying like we did in our 20s. This has a deeper purpose.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ANTHONY CRUZET:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We decided on a food truck because Keith already had a food truck from a business he was doing with his cousins in the past. He was thinking of selling it, and Chris looked at me and asked if we should just try to run our own food truck. It was literally that easy. Why not? It fell into place, and we’re figuring it out as we go.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13932710\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13932710\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a group of three friends stand in front of their new food truck in San Jose\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mestizo owners Chris Zamora (left), Anthony Cruzet (center) and Keith Canda (right) have known each other since grade school. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Talk to me about the name and concept of Mestizo. Where does that come from, and what does it represent for you all as mixed Filipinos?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ANTHONY:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> In coming up with our name, we discussed the different kinds of foods we could do. It’s fusion, mixed. The definition of “mestizo” is being mixed race. We want our own version of that. I’m literally mestizo — half Filipino, half Mexican. So it’s a representation of myself. That’s connected with the foods we want to do, being Filipino-rooted with other influences.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We also wanted flexibility with our menu. Some places only do Filipino food, but we wanted versatility to evolve our dishes over time. We’re all in different stages in our lives right now. Me and Ant just got back from Thailand, so we’re coming back with new flavors, new concepts. We want that evolutionary kind of experience to provide our community. Yes, we’re known for our fried-chicken-and-gravy burrito and our KaluaQuiles, but we can imagine new things, too.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>KEITH CANDA:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> For me, Mestizo is a combination of a few things. All of us coming together is a mix of what we believe in, outside of food. We’re all mixed: We have different ideas, different goals, different careers. Then we put the food truck into play. Chris’s expertise in the kitchen. Ant in marketing and sales. And my little experience with running a food truck in the past. We stand by Mestizo because we believe in not just cultural fusion – Filipino, Hawaiian, Mexican – but in coming together as people with different skills.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Describe your food. What’s an example of a popular dish on your menu? What makes Mestizo unique?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The “Stay Rooted” burrito has fried chicken, which comes from one of us tasting chicken karaage in Japan. The mac salad in the burrito is from another one of us who took a trip to Hawaii. And then the gravy rice is from my memory of KFC gravy as a kid. There’s no rice at KFC, but I’ve always wanted to put that gravy on rice. So that’s all of us in one dish, literally. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13932707\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13932707\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a fried chicken burrito with Hawaiian mac salad is on display\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The “Stay Rooted” burrito, which features fried chicken, Hawaiian mac salad and gravy, inspired an accompanying T-shirt made in collaboration with Cukui Clothing. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">From a menu-building standpoint, what I think is unique about us is that it’s really just all of us and our wives literally putting ideas together from scratch. One time, Ant sent us a video of an ube grilled cheese sandwich using ube jam. The text messages just started going off after that, and I showed my wife, who had some of her own thoughts to add, and we just combined all of that into our own idea. So the concepts just build from there within our own little community. It comes from our travels, our experiences, our families.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>KEITH: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Having a collaboration with Cukui with the Stay Rooted burrito adds another layer of community, too. We share a goal to bring the community together and collaborate, to give whatever we can offer. I work at a print shop that makes shirts for Cukui, and our businesses have grown up hand in hand because we’ve been printing for them for years. I just had the idea to offer a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://cukui.com/collections/mens/products/mestizo-x-cukui-lowrider-tee-cream\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">collaborative T-shirt\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> as part of our menu. That’s the vibe we wanted. We bring those creative juices, our designs, the hype. Cukui has a super big following as it is. So having them to work with is huge.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And we [co-hosted] a lowrider bike anniversary event at History Park in San Jose with our T-shirts and food, so it’s a cross-pollination of businesses and representation. For the event, we partnered with \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/shinysideupshow/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Shiny Side Up\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> from San Jose to design original shirts. That kind of community interaction is a staple for Mestizo.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13932714\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13932714\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-800x1200.jpg\" alt=\"a food truck displays their food menu, along with custom t-shirts and basketball shorts\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mestizo regularly collaborates with boutique streetwear makers around the Bay Area for custom apparel at their events. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It’s also with \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thecruisershop/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cruiser Shop\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a custom bicycle shop [in Campbell]. It’s like a car show for bicycles. With food and custom clothing.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>You seem very rooted in San Jose and the South Bay. What’s your connection to the culture there?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We’re all born and raised in either Milpitas or San Jose. Ant and I went to kindergarten together, and we met Keith as teenagers. We all had Mustangs growing up and cruised together. That’s where it all kind of sparked from. I still have my ’73 Mach 1.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ANTHONY:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Keith has a ’67. I got a ’70 fastback. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>KEITH:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Mine has a 298 engine with a cam, nothing too crazy. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Keith has a solid connection and foundation to San Jose and the brands and people here. I live in Milpitas now, but my cousins and I grew up in the Alum Rock area of East San Jose. That’s a whole thing to unravel in itself. There’s so much variety of cooking and food. Everyone has a favorite taco spot or torta spot, but there are so many to choose from that I think everyone finds their own way to stand out. It has influenced me and the way I cook and how we build menus by just taking the same simple ingredients to make our own magic. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ANTHONY:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Keith is Mr. San Jose.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What does “Mr. San Jose” have to say about the city’s food and culture?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>KEITH: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Jose has a huge reputation for great Mexican food. But once you cross into Milpitas, there are a few great Filipino spots for such a small city. We wanted to bring that together since we are accustomed to growing up eating at Jaliscos and off of Alum Rock. Without growing up in San Jose and tasting the different spices and recipes of authentic immigrant foods, we wouldn’t be doing this. We’re coming together collectively and putting that all on one plate. We’re strongly rooted in that.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ANTHONY:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The South Bay is such a big melting pot. Our palates were forced to get accustomed to all these different flavors. Indian food with Vietnamese food across the street and Chinese food next door. That’s the whole idea of Mestizo. We don’t want to be in a box. We want to open our menu to anything we grew up eating around the South Bay. Maybe we’ll do Filipino and Indian. We can do that. We know those flavors. Let’s see what we can create and who we might collaborate with for that.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What do you think of Filipino food in the Bay Area? Besides your own kitchens, where do you go for the best Filipino dishes and how does it compare to your experiences in the Philippines?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Around here, there’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://www.mykalesa.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kalesa\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. That’s a sit-down. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.maxsrestaurantna.com/daly-city\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Max’s\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, even though it’s a global chain. But I think Filipino food is actually underrepresented overall. We’re seeing it a lot more now on food shows and the cooking channels of the world, but it’s still underrepresented. For a long time, it’s been represented to us as “turo turo.” That means “point point.” If you go to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/goldilocksph/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Goldilocks\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, you point at what you want to get. That’s what we were used to seeing growing up. But there’s a lot of space to explore where Filipino food is in the Bay Area right now and where it can be. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13932713\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13932713\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a plate of lumpia with orange sauce on display\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pounds of “Mestizo Lumpia” were served in San Jose’s first ever lumpia eating contest earlier this year. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We just got back from the Philippines recently. But even there, it’s not always represented well because the food is so connected to the U.S. nowadays. Burgers, fried chicken, hot dogs. You’ll find more of that than traditional Filipino food sometimes. For middle- and upper-class people, they don’t go out to eat Filipino food. Over there, there are thousands of islands, so there’s a thousand ways to make adobo, lumpia, all of it, and people do that at home. There’s this one dish I love with fish balls on a wooden stick. It’s barbecued street food from the Philippines. We want to do that kind of stuff.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13928804,arts_13919707,arts_13905374']There’s also kamayan [a traditional Filipino method of eating with your bare hands]. Back in the day, during war times, the military was figuring out a way for generals and privates to share a table together. Typically, the tables were set up in ranks and separated. But they wanted a collaborative meal. So they laid out banana leaves on a big table and put rice and different proteins out for everyone to share. It’s called \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.hungryhuy.com/kamayan-feast/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">a “boodle fight,” a shared meal together\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. No utensils, just hands. It’s an interesting way of eating, since it’s very primal, but also offers space for a different kind of connection. That’s something I’d like to experiment with but not with the food truck. Our vision with that is to set up an event at a park and essentially put the banana leaves out, the decor, and do private events for small groups of friends. It could be weird if you do that with a complete stranger. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>That sounds amazing. You also recently hosted San Jose’s first lumpia eating contest. Is there any chance we’ll see that again?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I’m the one who wants to do it every week [laughs]. We want to bring it back. My idea is to do a “champions league” lumpia eating contest. Champions from different events, from different parts of San Jose. But that’s still a dream in the conceptual stage. You do the math and you’re like, man, eating that much lumpia? We can do that. But then you see it, and it’s actually kind of hard to do.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ANTHONY:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We’ve talked about doing it again. But with more than just pork lumpia, since that’s limiting for some people’s diet. We want to try to do something with \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13907726/e-40-goon-with-the-spoon-bay-area-rappers-food-entrepreneurs-hustle\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">E-40’s Lumpia Company\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. That would be dope to do something bigger featuring their lumpia and hosted by us. That’s just me putting that out into the universe.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Mestizo food truck pops up at various events around the South Bay. Their next appearance at La Pulga (1590 Berryessa Rd., San Jose) will be for the flea market’s \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://gardenattheflea.com/event/bnm-taco-night-of-innovation/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Taco Night of Innovation\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on Fri., Aug. 18. For updates, follow Mestizo \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/westaymixin/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">on Instagram\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "Mestizo Food Truck in San Jose Fuses Filipino, Mexican and Hawaiian Flavors | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>¡Hella Hungry! is a column about Bay Area foodmakers, exploring the region’s culinary cultures through the mouth of a first-generation local.\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For anyone with childhood memories of growing up in the South Bay, San Jose’s Berryessa Flea Market — or “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13905374/la-pulga-san-jose-flea-market-redevelopment-eulogy\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">La Pulga\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">,” as it’s endearingly known — has long been a haven of joy, particularly for immigrant families. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">La Pulga truly had it all. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For as long as I can remember, the flea market has always been a humble space for entrepreneurial beginnings. At one point, my mom even ran her own stand selling used clothes there. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">More recently, though, the historic flea market, like much of the region, has undergone seismic redevelopments. There’s now a BART station within walking distance, adding metropolitan accessibility to the formerly industrial area — but also \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kalw.org/economy-business-labor/2023-02-27/a-family-at-the-berryessa-flea-market-fights-to-stay\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">displacing many longtime, predominantly Latinx vendors\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Across the street, there’s a glamorous new condominium complex where a dusty parking lot used to be. It all underscores the ongoing contradictions of a region that is \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.archpaper.com/2021/07/san-jose-berryessa-flea-market-replaced-by-sprawling-mixed-use-development/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">yearning to grow\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> while simultaneously introducing a new set of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://sanjosespotlight.com/san-jose-berryessa-flea-market-changes-prove-costly-for-vendors/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">costly challenges for longtime community members\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite its struggles and the ensuing public backlash, the Berryessa Flea Market — which is still among the largest open-air markets in the United States — remains vibrant in a different kind of way. There’s a funky beer garden with live music and a weekly Friday night market. The reimagined space has allowed emerging food makers to gain visibility by introducing an assortment of new cuisines and experiences.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13932716\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13932716\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a crowd gathers in front of a food truck in San Jose\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_truck.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mestizo is building a loyal following in the South Bay with appearances at La Pulga in San Jose. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">That new wave includes \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/westaymixin/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mestizo\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a homegrown trio of Filipino Americans who roll around the 408 in their food truck (not to be confused with San Francisco’s Yucatan-inspired food truck that has the same name). Childhood friends Keith Canda, Chris Zamora and Anthony Cruzet are dishing out fire meals of Filipino, Mexican and Hawaiian eats, including fried chicken mac salad burritos, tempura salmon tacos and “KaluaQuiles” — mole-bathed chilaquiles with fresh mango sauce and kalua pork. They also organized \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CtIC0ivL_DR/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Jose’s first-ever lumpia eating contest\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and frequently collaborate with popular San Jose streetwear brands like \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cukui/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cukui\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, as well as a variety of local organizations — everything from low-rider bike clubs to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13930207/the-simpsons-flash-tattoo-party-parallax-art-studio-milpitas\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">tattoo shops\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I swung by with my older brother and dad on a busy night earlier this summer to meet Mestizo’s crew and soak up some nostalgic vibes. It was the first time my family had been back to La Pulga together in decades.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This interview has been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">********\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ALAN CHAZARO: When and how did you all launch your Mestizo food truck together?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS ZAMORA:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We just started the truck this year. We wanted to come in and take it slow, but we’ve realized it’s all happening so quickly, especially this summer. It’s a culmination of our friendship over 20 years. We’ve always tried to find a project to work on together. We’re in three different industries as professionals, and we’ve never been able to officially collaborate on anything. This is that pinnacle for us. It’s not just getting together and partying like we did in our 20s. This has a deeper purpose.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ANTHONY CRUZET:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We decided on a food truck because Keith already had a food truck from a business he was doing with his cousins in the past. He was thinking of selling it, and Chris looked at me and asked if we should just try to run our own food truck. It was literally that easy. Why not? It fell into place, and we’re figuring it out as we go.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13932710\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13932710\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a group of three friends stand in front of their new food truck in San Jose\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_group_photo.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mestizo owners Chris Zamora (left), Anthony Cruzet (center) and Keith Canda (right) have known each other since grade school. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Talk to me about the name and concept of Mestizo. Where does that come from, and what does it represent for you all as mixed Filipinos?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ANTHONY:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> In coming up with our name, we discussed the different kinds of foods we could do. It’s fusion, mixed. The definition of “mestizo” is being mixed race. We want our own version of that. I’m literally mestizo — half Filipino, half Mexican. So it’s a representation of myself. That’s connected with the foods we want to do, being Filipino-rooted with other influences.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We also wanted flexibility with our menu. Some places only do Filipino food, but we wanted versatility to evolve our dishes over time. We’re all in different stages in our lives right now. Me and Ant just got back from Thailand, so we’re coming back with new flavors, new concepts. We want that evolutionary kind of experience to provide our community. Yes, we’re known for our fried-chicken-and-gravy burrito and our KaluaQuiles, but we can imagine new things, too.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>KEITH CANDA:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> For me, Mestizo is a combination of a few things. All of us coming together is a mix of what we believe in, outside of food. We’re all mixed: We have different ideas, different goals, different careers. Then we put the food truck into play. Chris’s expertise in the kitchen. Ant in marketing and sales. And my little experience with running a food truck in the past. We stand by Mestizo because we believe in not just cultural fusion – Filipino, Hawaiian, Mexican – but in coming together as people with different skills.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Describe your food. What’s an example of a popular dish on your menu? What makes Mestizo unique?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The “Stay Rooted” burrito has fried chicken, which comes from one of us tasting chicken karaage in Japan. The mac salad in the burrito is from another one of us who took a trip to Hawaii. And then the gravy rice is from my memory of KFC gravy as a kid. There’s no rice at KFC, but I’ve always wanted to put that gravy on rice. So that’s all of us in one dish, literally. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13932707\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13932707\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a fried chicken burrito with Hawaiian mac salad is on display\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_burrito.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The “Stay Rooted” burrito, which features fried chicken, Hawaiian mac salad and gravy, inspired an accompanying T-shirt made in collaboration with Cukui Clothing. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">From a menu-building standpoint, what I think is unique about us is that it’s really just all of us and our wives literally putting ideas together from scratch. One time, Ant sent us a video of an ube grilled cheese sandwich using ube jam. The text messages just started going off after that, and I showed my wife, who had some of her own thoughts to add, and we just combined all of that into our own idea. So the concepts just build from there within our own little community. It comes from our travels, our experiences, our families.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>KEITH: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Having a collaboration with Cukui with the Stay Rooted burrito adds another layer of community, too. We share a goal to bring the community together and collaborate, to give whatever we can offer. I work at a print shop that makes shirts for Cukui, and our businesses have grown up hand in hand because we’ve been printing for them for years. I just had the idea to offer a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://cukui.com/collections/mens/products/mestizo-x-cukui-lowrider-tee-cream\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">collaborative T-shirt\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> as part of our menu. That’s the vibe we wanted. We bring those creative juices, our designs, the hype. Cukui has a super big following as it is. So having them to work with is huge.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And we [co-hosted] a lowrider bike anniversary event at History Park in San Jose with our T-shirts and food, so it’s a cross-pollination of businesses and representation. For the event, we partnered with \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/shinysideupshow/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Shiny Side Up\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> from San Jose to design original shirts. That kind of community interaction is a staple for Mestizo.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13932714\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13932714\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-800x1200.jpg\" alt=\"a food truck displays their food menu, along with custom t-shirts and basketball shorts\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_menushirts-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mestizo regularly collaborates with boutique streetwear makers around the Bay Area for custom apparel at their events. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> It’s also with \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thecruisershop/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cruiser Shop\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a custom bicycle shop [in Campbell]. It’s like a car show for bicycles. With food and custom clothing.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>You seem very rooted in San Jose and the South Bay. What’s your connection to the culture there?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We’re all born and raised in either Milpitas or San Jose. Ant and I went to kindergarten together, and we met Keith as teenagers. We all had Mustangs growing up and cruised together. That’s where it all kind of sparked from. I still have my ’73 Mach 1.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ANTHONY:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Keith has a ’67. I got a ’70 fastback. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>KEITH:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Mine has a 298 engine with a cam, nothing too crazy. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Keith has a solid connection and foundation to San Jose and the brands and people here. I live in Milpitas now, but my cousins and I grew up in the Alum Rock area of East San Jose. That’s a whole thing to unravel in itself. There’s so much variety of cooking and food. Everyone has a favorite taco spot or torta spot, but there are so many to choose from that I think everyone finds their own way to stand out. It has influenced me and the way I cook and how we build menus by just taking the same simple ingredients to make our own magic. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ANTHONY:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Keith is Mr. San Jose.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What does “Mr. San Jose” have to say about the city’s food and culture?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>KEITH: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Jose has a huge reputation for great Mexican food. But once you cross into Milpitas, there are a few great Filipino spots for such a small city. We wanted to bring that together since we are accustomed to growing up eating at Jaliscos and off of Alum Rock. Without growing up in San Jose and tasting the different spices and recipes of authentic immigrant foods, we wouldn’t be doing this. We’re coming together collectively and putting that all on one plate. We’re strongly rooted in that.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ANTHONY:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The South Bay is such a big melting pot. Our palates were forced to get accustomed to all these different flavors. Indian food with Vietnamese food across the street and Chinese food next door. That’s the whole idea of Mestizo. We don’t want to be in a box. We want to open our menu to anything we grew up eating around the South Bay. Maybe we’ll do Filipino and Indian. We can do that. We know those flavors. Let’s see what we can create and who we might collaborate with for that.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What do you think of Filipino food in the Bay Area? Besides your own kitchens, where do you go for the best Filipino dishes and how does it compare to your experiences in the Philippines?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Around here, there’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://www.mykalesa.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kalesa\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. That’s a sit-down. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.maxsrestaurantna.com/daly-city\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Max’s\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, even though it’s a global chain. But I think Filipino food is actually underrepresented overall. We’re seeing it a lot more now on food shows and the cooking channels of the world, but it’s still underrepresented. For a long time, it’s been represented to us as “turo turo.” That means “point point.” If you go to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/goldilocksph/?hl=en\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Goldilocks\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, you point at what you want to get. That’s what we were used to seeing growing up. But there’s a lot of space to explore where Filipino food is in the Bay Area right now and where it can be. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13932713\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13932713\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a plate of lumpia with orange sauce on display\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/mestizo_lumpia.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pounds of “Mestizo Lumpia” were served in San Jose’s first ever lumpia eating contest earlier this year. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We just got back from the Philippines recently. But even there, it’s not always represented well because the food is so connected to the U.S. nowadays. Burgers, fried chicken, hot dogs. You’ll find more of that than traditional Filipino food sometimes. For middle- and upper-class people, they don’t go out to eat Filipino food. Over there, there are thousands of islands, so there’s a thousand ways to make adobo, lumpia, all of it, and people do that at home. There’s this one dish I love with fish balls on a wooden stick. It’s barbecued street food from the Philippines. We want to do that kind of stuff.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>There’s also kamayan [a traditional Filipino method of eating with your bare hands]. Back in the day, during war times, the military was figuring out a way for generals and privates to share a table together. Typically, the tables were set up in ranks and separated. But they wanted a collaborative meal. So they laid out banana leaves on a big table and put rice and different proteins out for everyone to share. It’s called \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.hungryhuy.com/kamayan-feast/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">a “boodle fight,” a shared meal together\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. No utensils, just hands. It’s an interesting way of eating, since it’s very primal, but also offers space for a different kind of connection. That’s something I’d like to experiment with but not with the food truck. Our vision with that is to set up an event at a park and essentially put the banana leaves out, the decor, and do private events for small groups of friends. It could be weird if you do that with a complete stranger. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>That sounds amazing. You also recently hosted San Jose’s first lumpia eating contest. Is there any chance we’ll see that again?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>CHRIS:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I’m the one who wants to do it every week [laughs]. We want to bring it back. My idea is to do a “champions league” lumpia eating contest. Champions from different events, from different parts of San Jose. But that’s still a dream in the conceptual stage. You do the math and you’re like, man, eating that much lumpia? We can do that. But then you see it, and it’s actually kind of hard to do.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>ANTHONY:\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> We’ve talked about doing it again. But with more than just pork lumpia, since that’s limiting for some people’s diet. We want to try to do something with \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13907726/e-40-goon-with-the-spoon-bay-area-rappers-food-entrepreneurs-hustle\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">E-40’s Lumpia Company\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. That would be dope to do something bigger featuring their lumpia and hosted by us. That’s just me putting that out into the universe.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Mestizo food truck pops up at various events around the South Bay. Their next appearance at La Pulga (1590 Berryessa Rd., San Jose) will be for the flea market’s \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://gardenattheflea.com/event/bnm-taco-night-of-innovation/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Taco Night of Innovation\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on Fri., Aug. 18. For updates, follow Mestizo \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/westaymixin/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">on Instagram\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Behold the Afghan Burrito: A Bay Area Classic, Remixed",
"headTitle": "Behold the Afghan Burrito: A Bay Area Classic, Remixed | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>No one would dispute the Mission burrito’s status as an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13900855/garlic-noodles-sf-bay-area-iconic-foods-thanh-long-smellys\">iconic, quintessential Bay Area food\u003c/a>. But in case you needed further evidence, consider the many tortilla-wrapped spinoffs that our region’s multicultural food communities have wrought: Here in the Bay, we have Mexipino \u003ca href=\"https://www.senorsisig.com/menu\">sisig burritos\u003c/a>. We have kati roll-esque \u003ca href=\"https://www.curryupnow.com/menu\">Indian burritos\u003c/a> stuffed full of saag paneer or chicken tikka masala. Vegan barbecue burritos (aka “\u003ca href=\"https://veganmob.biz/menu\">barbequitos\u003c/a>”). \u003ca href=\"https://tacorea.com/menu\">Korean burritos\u003c/a> layered with gochujang and kimchi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The latest trendsetter? West Berkeley’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/afghanburrito/\">Afghan Burrito\u003c/a>, whose namesake specialty comes generously stuffed with kebab-inspired chicken or steak, rice, beans and — crucially — a signature “Golden Sauce” so top-secret that co-owners Khalid Popal and Hani Kharufeh are reluctant to tell me \u003ci>any \u003c/i>of its ingredients. (“There’s water,” Kharufeh conceded the third time I asked the question.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is a tasty, well-constructed burrito by any measure: The meat has that satisfying kiss of smoke you only get from grilling over a live fire; the beans are toothsome; the rice is well seasoned. But the sauce is what sets the burrito apart, giving it a slightly sweet, buttery richness (though it’s not made with butter) and a flavor profile loosely reminiscent of something you might find at one of New York City’s famed halal chicken carts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wrapped in eye-catching gold foil, the burritos are delicious enough, and aesthetically pleasing enough, to become the Bay Area food scene’s next big thing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929782\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13929782\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito.jpg\" alt=\"An oozy, overstuffed burrito wrapped in gold foil.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito-800x550.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito-1020x701.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito-768x528.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito-1536x1056.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The gold foil–wrapped burrito is delicious — and also ready for Instagram. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Afghan Burrito)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But according to the restaurant’s founders, the Afghan burrito actually has a long history in the East Bay, going back at least 30 years. That’s when Popal’s uncle, Kabir Nejat, invented it for his own restaurant, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thehotshopofficial/\">the Hot Shop\u003c/a> in Albany, which sells a similar style of burrito to this day, just two miles up San Pablo Avenue. Nejat is the one who created the now-famous golden sauce and then sold the recipe to Popal and Kharufeh in 2020, when the two friends were looking to open their own food business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In that sense, the Afghan burrito is a cherished family recipe as much as it is some newfangled fusion creation. “We’re living off that legacy,” Kharufeh says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if Afghan burritos haven’t gotten a lot of mainstream traction up until this point, that might be in part because the Hot Shop has never branded them quite so explicitly. It lists the equivalent burrito on its menu as a “Tropical Burrito” (or “Cajun Burrito,” if you want it to be spicy). Also, the golden sauce is described as a “\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=429499815911663&set=a.429499779245000\">tropical honey curry sauce\u003c/a>” — another clue to its ingredient makeup, perhaps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kharufeh and Popal stress that their take on an Afghan burrito is mostly identical to a classic Mission burrito in its construction. Popal, the restaurant’s main chef, added his own tweaks to his uncle’s sauce, which is made with a blend of “a lot of spices” that are typical in Central Asian cooking, the only one of which he’s willing to reveal is turmeric. That’s what gives the sauce its characteristic golden hue. He also developed a new marination technique for the meats that’s based on the traditional way you would marinate Afghan kebabs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The results speak for themselves. Afghan Burrito opened its San Pablo Avenue storefront last spring after an initial stint in a commercial kitchen, and the burritos have already built up a loyal and diverse fanbase. For Ramadan, earlier this spring, the restaurant stayed open late on the weekend so that Muslim customers could come for suhoor, the pre-sunrise meal eaten before the start of a day of fasting. It wound up being a huge success — though “ironically,” Kharufeh says, “Muslims didn’t show up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929783\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13929783\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito-outdoors.jpg\" alt=\"A restaurant's palm tree–lined parking lot and outdoor dining area lit up at night.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito-outdoors.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito-outdoors-800x550.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito-outdoors-1020x701.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito-outdoors-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito-outdoors-768x528.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito-outdoors-1536x1056.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Through the end of the summer, the restaurant will stay open until 1 a.m. on weekends. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Afghan Burrito)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Instead, the restaurant’s tented dining area filled up with folks from all backgrounds — “our tribe,” as Kharufeh puts it — who were simply thrilled to find a rare late-night food spot in Berkeley. The response was so enthusiastic that the restaurant plans to stay open until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays at least through the end of the summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13900855,arts_13929494,arts_13895209']Meanwhile, Popal and Kharufeh have even bigger plans in the works. They say their West Berkeley location was never meant to house just one restaurant. Instead, they’ve dubbed the venue the “Cal Food Garden” and want to develop the outdoor dining area, in particular, as a welcoming, family-friendly community space. Eventually, they plan to open additional vendors within that space, including a cafe and a barbecue restaurant that will be built around another set of old recipes they’ve acquired — from Big Daddy’s Barbecue, a spot that was popular in Oakland back in the ’80s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for Afghan Burrito, Popal and Kharufeh say the burritos are just the beginning. This summer they’ll expand the menu to include crowd pleasers like fried chicken, loaded fries and something they suspect people will like even better than the burritos: Afghan \u003ci>tacos\u003c/i>, drizzled with that same golden sauce their customers can’t get enough of.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Afghan Burrito is open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m–9 p.m. and Fri.–Sat. 11 a.m.–1 a.m. at 2309 San Pablo Ave. in Berkeley.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>No one would dispute the Mission burrito’s status as an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13900855/garlic-noodles-sf-bay-area-iconic-foods-thanh-long-smellys\">iconic, quintessential Bay Area food\u003c/a>. But in case you needed further evidence, consider the many tortilla-wrapped spinoffs that our region’s multicultural food communities have wrought: Here in the Bay, we have Mexipino \u003ca href=\"https://www.senorsisig.com/menu\">sisig burritos\u003c/a>. We have kati roll-esque \u003ca href=\"https://www.curryupnow.com/menu\">Indian burritos\u003c/a> stuffed full of saag paneer or chicken tikka masala. Vegan barbecue burritos (aka “\u003ca href=\"https://veganmob.biz/menu\">barbequitos\u003c/a>”). \u003ca href=\"https://tacorea.com/menu\">Korean burritos\u003c/a> layered with gochujang and kimchi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The latest trendsetter? West Berkeley’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/afghanburrito/\">Afghan Burrito\u003c/a>, whose namesake specialty comes generously stuffed with kebab-inspired chicken or steak, rice, beans and — crucially — a signature “Golden Sauce” so top-secret that co-owners Khalid Popal and Hani Kharufeh are reluctant to tell me \u003ci>any \u003c/i>of its ingredients. (“There’s water,” Kharufeh conceded the third time I asked the question.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is a tasty, well-constructed burrito by any measure: The meat has that satisfying kiss of smoke you only get from grilling over a live fire; the beans are toothsome; the rice is well seasoned. But the sauce is what sets the burrito apart, giving it a slightly sweet, buttery richness (though it’s not made with butter) and a flavor profile loosely reminiscent of something you might find at one of New York City’s famed halal chicken carts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wrapped in eye-catching gold foil, the burritos are delicious enough, and aesthetically pleasing enough, to become the Bay Area food scene’s next big thing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929782\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13929782\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito.jpg\" alt=\"An oozy, overstuffed burrito wrapped in gold foil.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito-800x550.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito-1020x701.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito-768x528.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito-1536x1056.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The gold foil–wrapped burrito is delicious — and also ready for Instagram. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Afghan Burrito)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But according to the restaurant’s founders, the Afghan burrito actually has a long history in the East Bay, going back at least 30 years. That’s when Popal’s uncle, Kabir Nejat, invented it for his own restaurant, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/thehotshopofficial/\">the Hot Shop\u003c/a> in Albany, which sells a similar style of burrito to this day, just two miles up San Pablo Avenue. Nejat is the one who created the now-famous golden sauce and then sold the recipe to Popal and Kharufeh in 2020, when the two friends were looking to open their own food business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In that sense, the Afghan burrito is a cherished family recipe as much as it is some newfangled fusion creation. “We’re living off that legacy,” Kharufeh says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if Afghan burritos haven’t gotten a lot of mainstream traction up until this point, that might be in part because the Hot Shop has never branded them quite so explicitly. It lists the equivalent burrito on its menu as a “Tropical Burrito” (or “Cajun Burrito,” if you want it to be spicy). Also, the golden sauce is described as a “\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=429499815911663&set=a.429499779245000\">tropical honey curry sauce\u003c/a>” — another clue to its ingredient makeup, perhaps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kharufeh and Popal stress that their take on an Afghan burrito is mostly identical to a classic Mission burrito in its construction. Popal, the restaurant’s main chef, added his own tweaks to his uncle’s sauce, which is made with a blend of “a lot of spices” that are typical in Central Asian cooking, the only one of which he’s willing to reveal is turmeric. That’s what gives the sauce its characteristic golden hue. He also developed a new marination technique for the meats that’s based on the traditional way you would marinate Afghan kebabs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The results speak for themselves. Afghan Burrito opened its San Pablo Avenue storefront last spring after an initial stint in a commercial kitchen, and the burritos have already built up a loyal and diverse fanbase. For Ramadan, earlier this spring, the restaurant stayed open late on the weekend so that Muslim customers could come for suhoor, the pre-sunrise meal eaten before the start of a day of fasting. It wound up being a huge success — though “ironically,” Kharufeh says, “Muslims didn’t show up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929783\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13929783\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito-outdoors.jpg\" alt=\"A restaurant's palm tree–lined parking lot and outdoor dining area lit up at night.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito-outdoors.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito-outdoors-800x550.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito-outdoors-1020x701.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito-outdoors-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito-outdoors-768x528.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/afghan-burrito-outdoors-1536x1056.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Through the end of the summer, the restaurant will stay open until 1 a.m. on weekends. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Afghan Burrito)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Instead, the restaurant’s tented dining area filled up with folks from all backgrounds — “our tribe,” as Kharufeh puts it — who were simply thrilled to find a rare late-night food spot in Berkeley. The response was so enthusiastic that the restaurant plans to stay open until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays at least through the end of the summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Meanwhile, Popal and Kharufeh have even bigger plans in the works. They say their West Berkeley location was never meant to house just one restaurant. Instead, they’ve dubbed the venue the “Cal Food Garden” and want to develop the outdoor dining area, in particular, as a welcoming, family-friendly community space. Eventually, they plan to open additional vendors within that space, including a cafe and a barbecue restaurant that will be built around another set of old recipes they’ve acquired — from Big Daddy’s Barbecue, a spot that was popular in Oakland back in the ’80s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for Afghan Burrito, Popal and Kharufeh say the burritos are just the beginning. This summer they’ll expand the menu to include crowd pleasers like fried chicken, loaded fries and something they suspect people will like even better than the burritos: Afghan \u003ci>tacos\u003c/i>, drizzled with that same golden sauce their customers can’t get enough of.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Afghan Burrito is open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m–9 p.m. and Fri.–Sat. 11 a.m.–1 a.m. at 2309 San Pablo Ave. in Berkeley.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Taqueria El Mezcal's Hot Cheetos Burrito Is Endorsed by Chester Cheetah",
"headTitle": "Taqueria El Mezcal’s Hot Cheetos Burrito Is Endorsed by Chester Cheetah | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hen it comes to Mexican American junk foods—those hybridized flavors that aren’t fully Mexican or American, but exist somewhere in a middling borderland—nothing is more representative than an iconic bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With its artificial red 40 food coloring, monosodium glutamate and other ingredients I can’t confidently pronounce, the enriched cornmeal munchie has become the embodiment of a fuego emoji—not only for Latinx teenagers and food vloggers, but for American pop culture at large. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">From \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.mountaindew.com/products/mtn-dew-flamin-hot/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Flamin’ Hot Mountain Dew\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/katy-perry-is-a-hot-745481/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Katy Perry donning an adult-sized Flamin’ Hot Cheetos outfit\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the years-long craze has totally consumed the mainstream.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nowadays, you can find Hot Cheetos just about anywhere. In fact, they’re so prevalent that I can even get them by rolling past the drive-through window at my neighborhood taqueria, where the workers serve them in a bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, with said Cheetos stuffed inside a carne asada burrito.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd5zZR0AK5_/\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Most recently, the product appears in \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/ChesterCheetah/status/1526334576951447553\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">a new ad campaign with Bad Bunny\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, where the Puerto Rican reggaeton sensation coolly struts down city streets while transforming any surface he touches into a bursting combustion of red. (Bad Bunny’s co-star, Chester Cheetah, uses the cameo as an opportunity to change his social media name to Bad Cheetah. Nicely played, animal kingdom).\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The commercial is a tantalizing promise that Frito-Lay has been enticing customers with since first launching their brand in the summer of 1990: that Flamin’ Hot Cheetos are more than a red-fingered trend; they’re a lifestyle.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Yet when the rest of us not named Bad Bunny touch anything with our red hands, we don’t change the world; instead, we just leave hard-to-remove splotches. Over my lifetime, I’ve accidentally stained countless white tees and fitted caps with red powder—or worse, I’ve mistakenly rubbed my eyes with the spicy residue that lingers uncomfortably long, like too much chile on an unprepared tongue. But even then, I always go back for the sting. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So how did this junk food with dubious origins reach the top of our cultural food pyramid? You can thank Richard Montañez. He’s the man who famously claims to have invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A former janitor whose parents worked in a migrant labor camp, Montañez has authored two books, including his latest memoir, \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Flamin’ Hot: The Incredible True Story of One Man’s Rise from Janitor to Top Executive\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. He documents how he went on to become the Vice President of Multicultural Sales and Community Promotions for PepsiCo, with a net worth of $10 million.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[pullquote size=\"large\" align=\"right\"]“The enriched cornmeal munchie has become the embodiment of a fuego emoji—not only for Latinx teenagers and food vloggers, but for American pop culture at large.”[/pullquote]\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-05-16/flamin-hot-cheetos-richard-montanez\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In what has since become a publicly disputed firestorm\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">—creating a rift \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101883550/la-times-flamin-hot-cheetos-expose-hits-a-nerve-with-latinos\">in the Latinx community\u003c/a>—Montañez states that he first pitched Frito-Lay’s executives on the idea of “Hispanic branding” as part of their “method-improvement program” decades ago. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkFGUimJfzM\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As Montañez tells the story\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, he came up with his legendary creation one day when he took home a bunch of regularly-flavored Cheetos bags from his workplace after a vending machine broke, then seasoned them with spices reminiscent of Mexican street corn.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s a lovable narrative that Frito-Lay never denied… until 2021, when the company declared it had \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-05-16/flamin-hot-cheetos-richard-montanez\">no record of Montañez’s involvement with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos\u003c/a>. This set off a chain of events in which internet sleuths, \u003ca href=\"https://knock-la.com/hot-cheetos-los-angeles-richard-montanez/\">community advocates and foodies defended Montañez\u003c/a>, declaring that his erasure was an act of racism—pressure that \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/05/20/origin-flamin-hot-cheetos-might-be-hot-lie-millions-will-still-gobble-it-up-anyway/\">led Frito-Lay to backtrack \u003c/a>while still not crediting Montañez as the snack’s sole inventor. It’s a hot topic that has yet to be fully resolved.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I’m not here to defend, deny or corroborate any of Montañez’s spicy revelations. All I know is that Flamin’ Hot Cheetos are devoutly beloved and have been a legitimate source of sustenance at any house party or after-school hangout, especially for Mexican Americans like me. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13914283\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13914283\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_exterior.jpg\" alt=\"A view of Taqueria El Mezcal's facade from the parking lot.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_exterior.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_exterior-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_exterior-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_exterior-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_exterior-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_exterior-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Taqueria El Mezcal’s San Pablo location is especially popular among high schoolers. The small East Bay chain also has locations in Hayward and San Lorenzo. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maybe that’s why Jesús Sepulvera, the owner of Taqueria El Mezcal, recited Montañez’s story to me when we met. As I sat inside the San Pablo location of the taco chain—which Sepulvera originally opened in San Lorenzo in 2008—I ate a Hot Cheetos burrito and listened to him tell me about the inspiration for his own creation.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Similar to Montañez, Sepulvera is of Mexican heritage, with roots in Jalisco, and has worked his way into a successful position after an entry-level start. In Sepulvera’s case, he needed a menu item to attract more customers to his business during the pandemic slowdown. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">That’s when Sepulvera decided to access the bursting mine of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Sepulvera started pouring bags of the neon snacks inside burritos, along with carne asada, gooey nacho cheese and french fries. As I munched on one of these burritos, the trademark taste of the Hot Cheetos was overpowered by the meat and nacho cheese, but I was left with a satisfyingly soft crunch in between each bite. The teenager in me could’ve eaten a few—they’re smaller than you might expect—but my adult stomach reached capacity after one order with a side of tortilla chips and a Jarritos.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.instagram.com/p/B4yOLGuBavc/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The flavorful burrito’s creativity has attracted praise from \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cheetos/\">Chester Cheetah’s official Instagram account\u003c/a>—and, according to Sepulvera, even got the nod of approval from Montañez himself. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sepulvera is not the original Da Vinci of this masterpiece, though. He credits a trip to San Diego as his muse and is happy that the Hot Cheetos burrito has brought in new waves of customers—most of them between the ages of 12 to 35, he says—to consume what is now the most popular dish on the menu.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With the help of Instagram and TikTok, the Hot Cheetos burrito has helped the neighborhood taqueria stay afloat amid a series of nearby closures. It’s especially popular with youth from schools in the surrounding area, whom Sepulvera acknowledges as being largely responsible for his business’s success.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13914284\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13914284\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_shakes.jpg\" alt=\"Two youngsters show off milkshakes loaded with sweet toppings.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_shakes.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_shakes-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_shakes-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_shakes-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_shakes-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_shakes-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In addition to its selection of Flamin’ Hot entrees, El Mezcal is also known for milkshakes with Mexican-inspired flavors. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">During my visit, high schoolers were lined up at the register, jostling with excitement over a Hot Cheetos calorie bomb with a side of extra sugar—such as one of the taqueria’s attention-grabbing flan, churro, or mazapan (Mexican peanut candy) milkshakes. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13913201,arts_13895488']“You can find regular burritos and tacos anywhere, but this is something different,” Sepulvera tells me in Spanish. “The young people love sweets, food that is a little more greasy. [This burrito] has more calories, but they seem to love it.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As a Flamin’ Hot Cheetos loyalist and burrito lover myself, I’m forever thankful I found El Mezcal’s Monday burrito specials, when you can get this divine item for just $7. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Those who like variety can also order a “Hot Cheetos Crunchwrap” off the taqueria’s secret menu or a classic Mexican food item like a shrimp cocktail from its mariscos (seafood) selection.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Whatever you do, make sure to indulge while there, since indulgence is the truest indicator of any taqueria worth its spice—no matter how red or artificial it may seem.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/elmezcalsanpablo/?hl=en\">Taqueria El Mezcal\u003c/a> is open 10 am–9 pm daily at 14260 San Pablo Ave. in San Pablo. The East Bay chain also has locations in \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/taqueriaelmezcal/?hl=en\">Hayward\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/elmezcalhesperian/?hl=en\">San Lorenzo\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">W\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>hen it comes to Mexican American junk foods—those hybridized flavors that aren’t fully Mexican or American, but exist somewhere in a middling borderland—nothing is more representative than an iconic bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With its artificial red 40 food coloring, monosodium glutamate and other ingredients I can’t confidently pronounce, the enriched cornmeal munchie has become the embodiment of a fuego emoji—not only for Latinx teenagers and food vloggers, but for American pop culture at large. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">From \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.mountaindew.com/products/mtn-dew-flamin-hot/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Flamin’ Hot Mountain Dew\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/katy-perry-is-a-hot-745481/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Katy Perry donning an adult-sized Flamin’ Hot Cheetos outfit\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the years-long craze has totally consumed the mainstream.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nowadays, you can find Hot Cheetos just about anywhere. In fact, they’re so prevalent that I can even get them by rolling past the drive-through window at my neighborhood taqueria, where the workers serve them in a bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, with said Cheetos stuffed inside a carne asada burrito.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Most recently, the product appears in \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/ChesterCheetah/status/1526334576951447553\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">a new ad campaign with Bad Bunny\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, where the Puerto Rican reggaeton sensation coolly struts down city streets while transforming any surface he touches into a bursting combustion of red. (Bad Bunny’s co-star, Chester Cheetah, uses the cameo as an opportunity to change his social media name to Bad Cheetah. Nicely played, animal kingdom).\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The commercial is a tantalizing promise that Frito-Lay has been enticing customers with since first launching their brand in the summer of 1990: that Flamin’ Hot Cheetos are more than a red-fingered trend; they’re a lifestyle.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Yet when the rest of us not named Bad Bunny touch anything with our red hands, we don’t change the world; instead, we just leave hard-to-remove splotches. Over my lifetime, I’ve accidentally stained countless white tees and fitted caps with red powder—or worse, I’ve mistakenly rubbed my eyes with the spicy residue that lingers uncomfortably long, like too much chile on an unprepared tongue. But even then, I always go back for the sting. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So how did this junk food with dubious origins reach the top of our cultural food pyramid? You can thank Richard Montañez. He’s the man who famously claims to have invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A former janitor whose parents worked in a migrant labor camp, Montañez has authored two books, including his latest memoir, \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Flamin’ Hot: The Incredible True Story of One Man’s Rise from Janitor to Top Executive\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. He documents how he went on to become the Vice President of Multicultural Sales and Community Promotions for PepsiCo, with a net worth of $10 million.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "“The enriched cornmeal munchie has become the embodiment of a fuego emoji—not only for Latinx teenagers and food vloggers, but for American pop culture at large.”",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-05-16/flamin-hot-cheetos-richard-montanez\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In what has since become a publicly disputed firestorm\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">—creating a rift \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101883550/la-times-flamin-hot-cheetos-expose-hits-a-nerve-with-latinos\">in the Latinx community\u003c/a>—Montañez states that he first pitched Frito-Lay’s executives on the idea of “Hispanic branding” as part of their “method-improvement program” decades ago. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkFGUimJfzM\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As Montañez tells the story\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, he came up with his legendary creation one day when he took home a bunch of regularly-flavored Cheetos bags from his workplace after a vending machine broke, then seasoned them with spices reminiscent of Mexican street corn.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s a lovable narrative that Frito-Lay never denied… until 2021, when the company declared it had \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-05-16/flamin-hot-cheetos-richard-montanez\">no record of Montañez’s involvement with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos\u003c/a>. This set off a chain of events in which internet sleuths, \u003ca href=\"https://knock-la.com/hot-cheetos-los-angeles-richard-montanez/\">community advocates and foodies defended Montañez\u003c/a>, declaring that his erasure was an act of racism—pressure that \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/05/20/origin-flamin-hot-cheetos-might-be-hot-lie-millions-will-still-gobble-it-up-anyway/\">led Frito-Lay to backtrack \u003c/a>while still not crediting Montañez as the snack’s sole inventor. It’s a hot topic that has yet to be fully resolved.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I’m not here to defend, deny or corroborate any of Montañez’s spicy revelations. All I know is that Flamin’ Hot Cheetos are devoutly beloved and have been a legitimate source of sustenance at any house party or after-school hangout, especially for Mexican Americans like me. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13914283\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13914283\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_exterior.jpg\" alt=\"A view of Taqueria El Mezcal's facade from the parking lot.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_exterior.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_exterior-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_exterior-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_exterior-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_exterior-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_exterior-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Taqueria El Mezcal’s San Pablo location is especially popular among high schoolers. The small East Bay chain also has locations in Hayward and San Lorenzo. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maybe that’s why Jesús Sepulvera, the owner of Taqueria El Mezcal, recited Montañez’s story to me when we met. As I sat inside the San Pablo location of the taco chain—which Sepulvera originally opened in San Lorenzo in 2008—I ate a Hot Cheetos burrito and listened to him tell me about the inspiration for his own creation.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Similar to Montañez, Sepulvera is of Mexican heritage, with roots in Jalisco, and has worked his way into a successful position after an entry-level start. In Sepulvera’s case, he needed a menu item to attract more customers to his business during the pandemic slowdown. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">That’s when Sepulvera decided to access the bursting mine of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Sepulvera started pouring bags of the neon snacks inside burritos, along with carne asada, gooey nacho cheese and french fries. As I munched on one of these burritos, the trademark taste of the Hot Cheetos was overpowered by the meat and nacho cheese, but I was left with a satisfyingly soft crunch in between each bite. The teenager in me could’ve eaten a few—they’re smaller than you might expect—but my adult stomach reached capacity after one order with a side of tortilla chips and a Jarritos.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The flavorful burrito’s creativity has attracted praise from \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cheetos/\">Chester Cheetah’s official Instagram account\u003c/a>—and, according to Sepulvera, even got the nod of approval from Montañez himself. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sepulvera is not the original Da Vinci of this masterpiece, though. He credits a trip to San Diego as his muse and is happy that the Hot Cheetos burrito has brought in new waves of customers—most of them between the ages of 12 to 35, he says—to consume what is now the most popular dish on the menu.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With the help of Instagram and TikTok, the Hot Cheetos burrito has helped the neighborhood taqueria stay afloat amid a series of nearby closures. It’s especially popular with youth from schools in the surrounding area, whom Sepulvera acknowledges as being largely responsible for his business’s success.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13914284\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13914284\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_shakes.jpg\" alt=\"Two youngsters show off milkshakes loaded with sweet toppings.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_shakes.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_shakes-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_shakes-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_shakes-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_shakes-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/elmezcal_shakes-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In addition to its selection of Flamin’ Hot entrees, El Mezcal is also known for milkshakes with Mexican-inspired flavors. \u003ccite>(Alan Chazaro)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">During my visit, high schoolers were lined up at the register, jostling with excitement over a Hot Cheetos calorie bomb with a side of extra sugar—such as one of the taqueria’s attention-grabbing flan, churro, or mazapan (Mexican peanut candy) milkshakes. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“You can find regular burritos and tacos anywhere, but this is something different,” Sepulvera tells me in Spanish. “The young people love sweets, food that is a little more greasy. [This burrito] has more calories, but they seem to love it.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As a Flamin’ Hot Cheetos loyalist and burrito lover myself, I’m forever thankful I found El Mezcal’s Monday burrito specials, when you can get this divine item for just $7. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Those who like variety can also order a “Hot Cheetos Crunchwrap” off the taqueria’s secret menu or a classic Mexican food item like a shrimp cocktail from its mariscos (seafood) selection.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Whatever you do, make sure to indulge while there, since indulgence is the truest indicator of any taqueria worth its spice—no matter how red or artificial it may seem.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/elmezcalsanpablo/?hl=en\">Taqueria El Mezcal\u003c/a> is open 10 am–9 pm daily at 14260 San Pablo Ave. in San Pablo. The East Bay chain also has locations in \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/taqueriaelmezcal/?hl=en\">Hayward\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/elmezcalhesperian/?hl=en\">San Lorenzo\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"marketplace": {
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"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
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"politicalbreakdown": {
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"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
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"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
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"pri-the-world": {
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"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
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"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
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"reveal": {
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"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
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},
"rightnowish": {
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"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
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},
"science-friday": {
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"info": "Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.",
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"snap-judgment": {
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"title": "Snap Judgment",
"tagline": "Real stories with killer beats",
"info": "The Snap Judgment radio show and podcast mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Snap's musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling... with a BEAT!! Snap first aired on public radio stations nationwide in July 2010. Today, Snap Judgment airs on over 450 public radio stations and is brought to the airwaves by KQED & PRX.",
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},
"soldout": {
"id": "soldout",
"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
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