Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Blanchard.
Chris, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Chicas Tacos, it all started 30 years in Ensenada building homes for deserving families. And after many return visits and thousands of tacos consumed, the trio behind Chicas Tacos discovered the wine region of Baja where they met our matriarch, Carmela (AKA Chica). Quickly appreciating Carmela and her family’s style of cooking the boys knew, LA and the US was missing a true culinary art. Organically grown veggies from the farm, heirloom non-GMO corn, ethically raised livestock and line caught fish…it was a dream come true.
After years of cooking with and learning how powerful healthy foods positively impact us, it was time to go into action. With the blessing from Carmela and her grandmother, the boys sought out a local LA chef who understood the importance of this cuisine.
Today, one year later we are honored to be working with Executive Chef Eduardo Ruiz who brought the Chicas Taco Menu to life after almost 30 years…Salud!
We honor Carmela with the name sake of our restaurant. And our warmest thank you extends to all who have visited our kitchen over our first year in business. Cheers to many more years to come! – Thank you.
Chicas Story:
“I was born in the vibrant Valle de Guadalupe. My tacos came to life at the hands of my creative and health conscience grandmother (Mama). She taught me about life and living through the art of cooking.
Mi familia and our land is rich in heritage with natural organic foods. From the eager age of nine, I learned how to pick the freshest vegetables and select the highest quality meats. When it comes to fish, my father taught me that the best catch comes wild from the
sea.
Today, I prepare the combination of the highest quality ingredients from the land and sea to bring you Chicas Tacos…
I followed my dream and passion to serve, a better taco.”
– Carmela “Chicas”
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We have been fortunate to have wonderful supportive customers and family. Like all restaurants, the hours are long, the work is tough but the smiles and thanks we receive make every moment worth it.
In the beginning, we had to work through the doubts of our higher price point that comes with the choice we made to serve a high-quality produce and pay fare / above market wages. Mexican cuisine is on the rise and people are now starting to appreciate the rich culture and culinary history of Mexico. With the Alta California movement Mexican food is seeing the light in terms of perceived value with elevated plates calling for higher price points. We are honored to be a small part of this movement along chefs such as Wes Avila, Ray Garcia and Carlos Delgado. We are also honored to receive the #1 Fish Taco by TimeOut mag today; which LA Times writer Bill Esparza broke last year with his comments on how the Tijuana invented Caesar paired with the Ensenada beer battered fish “makes sense”.
For more on this rise of Mexican cuisine and Alta California see Anthony Bourdain’s latest episode of Parts Unknown which aired Sunday and starred our very own Chef Eduardo Ruiz: https://explorepartsunknown.com/destination/los-angeles/
Chicas Tacos – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Chicas Tacos is a uniquely located restaurant in DTLA. We are a humble 700sq’ little engine that could. We took over a part of the parking lot our building sit within and converted this space to what we call our backyard with a 1947 vintage Spartan trailer, red pic-nic tables and faux grass.
We are different in our design of HOME, we welcome every guest with a smile as if you just walked into your grandmother’s house. Our ingredients are fresh, organic, non-GMO, we don’t freeze our food and our fish are line caught. We are bright, vibrant in color and our food is bold yet balanced. We are different because our style of cooking comes from the Valle de Guadalupe, a region focused on the best.
Chicas Tacos is most known for our Angus Steak and Fish Tacos. Our secret menu includes a dish called MAMA Style; which is a 2 pound bake similar to lasagna, only we sub pasta for tortilla. Our Mexican Street corn is to die for as well. As an owner, I am proud of our staff and how welcoming and friendly they are with every guest, it reminds us of Carmela’s home in the Valle.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Short answer: being hugged by a dining guest after they said our taco was the best they’d ever had.
We are proud to say that we are helping young minds see that dreams do come true and hard work does pay off.
May 31st marks 1 year since we opened our doors and we are proud and honored to continue to serve our neighbors and friends everyday at Chicas Tacos.
Pricing:
- Chicas Taco Tuesday $2.50 Pork, Veggie and Chicken Street Tacos and Mexican Street Corn
- Brunch Menu recently launched with items starting at $5.95
- (new) Horchata Cold Brew $3.50
Contact Info:
- Address: 728 S. Olive St. DTLA 90014
- Website: www.ChicasTacos.com
- Phone: 213-896-0373
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chicastacos/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chicastacosla
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/chicastacosla/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/chicas-tacos-los-angeles
Image Credit:
Aliza J. Sokolow
Drip Group
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
