Today we’d like to introduce you to Esdras Ochoa.
Hi Esdras, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’m the founder & executive chef at Mexicali Taco & Co., a popular taqueria in Downtown Los Angeles. I was born in Mexico City & grew up in Mexicali and the U.S. border town of Calexico, CA. Much of his childhood was crossing the border on weekends to partake in the culture and street food of Northern Baja. I moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in fashion design but soon found another calling to introduce the cuisine of his childhood to the city he now called home. In 2009, he started Mexicali Taco & Co. as a humble catering company and partnered with Paul Yoo in 2012 to open as a brick-and-mortar restaurant. Mexicali Taco & Co. has garnered numerous city & national awards, as being a favorite of critics like Jonathan Gold and fans alike. I love art & music, and those interests form a trinity with his cooking to convey his passions in life. Each plate is a canvas to present the vibrant colors, textures, shapes & taste of great ingredients to compose delicious and memorable dishes. My zest for life and people is seen immediately when you have the pleasure of meeting him! My favorite pastime is traveling the world–experiencing people and cuisines of different countries. It breathes life into who I am and hopefully is reflected in my cooking. I am also the co-founder and partner at Salazar, a wildly popular restaurant in Los Angeles. The restaurant is an outdoor oasis for Mexican food & drinks, of which he crafted the culinary style & direction of the restaurant. In the summer of 2017, he opened 11 Westside in Hong Kong to critical acclaim. The restaurant brings Northern Baja flavors to the area and is introducing Asia to his home-style cooking. In 2018, I appeared on the Netflix cooking competition program “The Final Table” and was a semi-finalist. The show has garnered much acclaim and popularity around the world. My base of followers grew immensely around the world, as he has participated in cooking demonstrations and pop-ups in countries like the Maldives, Caribbean, across Europe & Asia, Canada and various cities in Mexico. In 2020, I opened Reunion 19 in Austin, TX to meld the flavors of his Mexicali & LA roots with the vibrant Mexican dining scene already present in the area. 2020 also marked expansion of his Mexicali brand with a second location in Los Angeles, while the 11 Westside brand in Hong Kong added two additional taquerias in the area as well. He also is a founder & partner of 8A Hospitality, a restaurant management/consulting company that also has a division specializing in special event catering.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Every restaurant, every season of being a Chef is challenging and ultimately rewarding for all that you learn. The first Mexicali Taco & Co. opened in 2012 and it was my first time operating my own kitchen, so that was a huge challenge. Not just the kitchen, but all the auxiliary aspects of owning and operating a restaurant. I am just glad my business partner Paul was there every step of the way to help me and get through it together. Having a good and trusted partner is the key to any great leadership structure, and I am fortunate to have that. How to deal with staff, understand their problems and struggles is also something that makes a restaurant healthy. There are just so many little things that you encounter and learn to overcome when you own a restaurant–it definitely isn’t for everyone, and the realistic side of me cautions anyone who asks me if they should open a restaurant. The biggest challenge these days is keeping a restaurant profitable while still providing our customers a good value and experience. Rising payroll & food costs, real estate increases, etc. all continually become unfavorable, but we don’t just pass the difference along to our patrons, so it’s a big jigsaw puzzle of constantly rearranging and evolving who we are as a restaurant.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Mexicali Taco & Co.?
Mexicali Taco & Co. started in 2009 as a street stand. I had just been laid off from work and despite the vast array of Mexican food in Los Angeles, felt like I was missing the Northern Baja cuisine that I grew up with in Calexico / Mexicali. With the little savings I had, I bought all the equipment needed and set up shop in an empty parking lot in DTLA. We slowly built a following and soon after became the #1 searched “restaurant” in LA even though we were just a stand. I met my business partner Paul while he was a customer and we decided to open a brick and mortar. Our DTLA location opened in 2012. We specialize in grilled meats for Northern Baja cuisine. When we opened, we were one of the first, and there are now many others representing this cuisine in LA. We do simple food with a lot of heart behind it. Our staff loves what they do, and we try to build a culture of teamwork and love for our food and customers. Our restaurant is a welcoming place and we are proud that our brand has stayed true to the original focus behind the street stand of just having a great time around food. One bonus over the years has been to see how much kids like our food. You melt cheese and what’s not to like for kids, right? Our food really reaches palates and tastes of all ages and ethnicities and really represents what LA is all about. Aside from our well-known grilled meat tacos, we have delicious fish & shrimp tacos, our crispy cachetada and our vampiro (quesadilla) is always a fan favorite!
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
One of my favorite childhood memories is driving down the Baja Coast with my dad and camping. We would swim and fish for our daily catch and grill it right there near the shore. While the Mexicali region is not known for seafood, it is here that the seafood influence in my cooking got started. It’s also where my sense of adventure really got cultivated to where I am today loving to explore new countries, people, food and cultures. The serenity of the beach is always something I vividly remember and still enjoy today. It relaxes me, takes me away from worries and puts my mind in a good place to be creative.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.mexicalitaco.com
- Instagram: @mexicalitaco
- Facebook: mexicalitacoco
Image Credits:
Photo Credit: Mexicali Taco & Co.
