Tacos el Nevado family opening authentic Oaxacan restaurant
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The family behind Tacos El Nevado, one of Charlotte's most popular Mexican restaurants, is opening Sabores de Oaxaca, a new restaurant devoted exclusively to traditional dishes from Oaxaca, Mexico.
Why it matters: It's the latest chapter for a growing immigrant-owned business that started nearly two decades ago with a food truck and, its owners say, just $30.
What to expect: The new fast-casual restaurant at 3654 Central Ave. will focus strictly on Oaxacan cuisine, unlike Tacos El Nevado, which draws flavors from across Mexico.
Dig in: The menu will feature traditional guisados (stewed dishes), sopes and torta de pierna (a pork leg sandwich).
- It'll also serve Oaxacan hot chocolate and other regional specialties rarely found outside southern Mexico.
Zoom out: Oaxaca is widely considered one of Mexico's culinary capitals, known for its tlayudas, moles and deeply traditional cooking methods.
- "Recipes are passed down from generation to generation," the family tells Axios. Oaxacan dishes haven't changed much from their origins centuries ago, they explain.
Flashback: Husband-and-wife team Víctor Santiago and Isela Juárez, along with Isela's sister, Vianey Juárez, and her husband, Heriberto Mali, have steadily built a small Charlotte restaurant group rooted in traditional Mexican cuisine.
- Víctor and Isela moved to Charlotte in 2005, joining Vianey and Heriberto, who were already here. About a year later, they were offered an opportunity to rent-to-own a food truck. The owner gave them 20 minutes to decide.
- "My wife always wanted to have a business," Víctor tells Axios. Despite limited funds, they made the leap, bought a few ingredients and parked the trailer on Central Avenue. "We got started with $30. That's what we used to start our business."
- Within months, they had regulars. In 2008, they opened La Guelaguetza between Eastway Drive and North Tryon Street — named after Oaxaca's cultural festival. A year later, they opened a second restaurant, Tacos El Nevado, on Central Avenue, where it remains today.
Between the lines: The family closed La Guelaguetza in 2009 following the Great Recession.
- They have since expanded Tacos El Nevado to South Boulevard.
- Their children, nieces and nephews are all part of the family business now, helping to run the restaurants.
What they're saying: "There will be failures and barriers. But when you truly want to do something, you can," Víctor tells Axios.
What's next: The team is targeting a late April or early May opening, pending final inspections.
- The hours of operation will be Monday-Thursday, 6am-9pm; Fridays, 6am-10pm; Saturday-Sunday, 9am-10pm.
Editor's note: The interview with Víctor Santiago and his niece Litzy Mali was conducted in Spanish and translated for this story.