Tacos of Texas

Esme Tejeda: We’re going to eat somewhere. But wait, let me see the cook. Ah, ah, it’s a little grandma wearing her Mexican apron. Those are the best meals. And why? Because we implement that flavor. Sometimes people say it’s not true, but yes, sometimes grandmothers pass it down to grandmothers, mothers, and daughters. We inherit a seasoning that we infuse with love into the by what? Because we are also thinking about cooking. Like for our children, it’s something our families.

Mando Rayo: Whats up Taco World? I’m Taco Journalist Mando Rayo. And welcome to the Tacos of Texas podcast, El Cinco, produced by Identity Productions in partnership with KUT & KUTX Studios. And we’re back  exploring Taco Culture in Texas through the eyes of the people in the Lone Star State. So grab a sarten and get your Mexican hands out and get ready for some muy tasty taco conversations!

¡SABOR!

Today on Tacos of Texas, we’re going behind the kitchen doors with chef Esme Tejada at El Dorado Café in Austin, Texas. We talk about what it really takes to run the back of the house and how chefs are the backbone of restaurants and kitchens.

What’s up, my people, ex Mando Rayo. You know, growing up in Texas, tacos were everything—comfort food, celebration, connection. But what I remember most is how the women in my family moved through the kitchen: my mom, my sister, my cousins, my aunts. They were always making sure no one was hungry. I see them in the kitchen after a long day, putting love into every meal for the family.

 Back then I didn’t really get it, but later when I started stepping into restaurant kitchens, I saw it again—just louder and faster. The women holding it all down behind the scenes, the cocineras, they were always pushing forward without ever asking for credit. Today, I’m sitting down with Esme Tejada at El Cafe in Austin. As a cocinera, she tells stories through her dishes, her sazón, and the energy she pours into every meal. So let’s step into the kitchen and show some respect for the cocineras, the ones making sure no one ever goes hungry.

 It’s taco time and now here’s a word: designated a national historic trail, El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro connects Mexico City to Santa Fe. Walk, drive, and experience El Paso—it’s more than just a place, it’s a passage through time.

 History in El Paso. Many thanks to our friends. For more episodes, follow Visit El Paso on Instagram, Facebook, or visit their website at visitelpaso.com.

 Esme Tejada is the head cook at El Dorado Cafe, where she works alongside Chef Jri and the team to deliver hearty and delicious Mexican comfort food, from enchiladas to signature salsas and tacos. With over eighteen years of experience working in restaurants and kitchens, she has a passion for flavors that…

 Feel like home Esme is the backbone of what makes El Dorado a neighborhood favorite. Heads up, this interview will be in Spanish, so grab your Duolingo or Spanish-speaking friend and listen together. Eh? Bueno, Esme, thanks for coming. The podcast here is La Taquería de Sin Nombre. What do you think?

Esme Tejeda: Very well, taquería. Without a name.

Thank you very much for the invitation. It’s a great pleasure to be here, not just as myself, but as a representative of all the cooks in restaurants.

Mando Rayo: And that’s why I invited her to see. Uh, the role of the cooks because, you know, whenever there are awards or announcements, the recognition always goes to the chef or the owner.

 But I know that in kitchens, we all learn from the cooks, our mothers, our grandmothers, aunts, cousins, everyone, right?

Esme Tejeda: Yes, basically it’s like a whole team where we know how to handle high volumes of work. But yes, you’re absolutely right in saying that sometimes the awards go, well, deservedly so.

 Yes, the owners and, well, but yes, in the kitchen it’s a daily battle where you come in, arrive, and always do your best, but one of the best recognitions I can have as a cook is a customer’s comment. Ah, that’s one of the best things that I, as a cook, can experience when a customer comes up to the window and says, hey, this food was delicious, huh?

You know, it’s a long process since there are seven or eight cooks there working on it. Maybe for just one dish. Yes. But that comment is what motivates you to keep going and to make the food amazing. That’s the

Mando Rayo: touch. Yes, I always, when I cook. And well, I put everything on the table, I’m watching to see who likes it, who likes it, right?

Esme Tejeda: The problem and some of the things you always have to do. It’s about having someone else taste it because, for you, it might be good. But it’s always good to have two or three people give their opinion. Tell me your opinion, why? Because cooking is exactly that. It’s about opinions and choosing something you practice many times to achieve success.

Mando Rayo: And did you start, did you start in the kitchen or how did you begin? Well, at home and in a restaurant.

Esme Tejeda: Well, I think the passion for cooking starts at home, from seeing your mom or your grandmothers cooking. It’s beautiful in Mexico. I remember my grandmother would go to what we call the “milpa” to pick fresh squash.

 Waiting for the hen to lay the egg to go and get it. That’s where it starts. There. You see how you can create a good meal with your family? Growing up. I came here at 17 years old and started, like most people, washing dishes. That was my first job, washing dishes.

Mando Rayo: Yes, I also started as a dishwasher too.

Esme Tejeda: That’s great, because I think it’s a very fundamental base for growth since you get to know the kitchen from start to finish.

 Right now, I’m very happy to be. Ah. Eh, the manager of a restaurant, which has allowed me to learn from other kitchens. I worked from washing dishes to being a prep cook, then on the line, and now, thank God, I have the opportunity to be a manager, so I see things from a different perspective.

Mando Rayo: And

Esme Tejeda: it’s different because it’s not easy to just become a manager without having the.

 Experience

Mando Rayo: experience. Yes, and now it’s at the Dorado Café here in Austin, at the

Esme Tejeda: Golden Café in Austin, the owner, the owners are such wonderful people. Joe Alfred and Joe Alfred have really opened many doors for me. They trusted me, and believe me, I will be eternally grateful to them, and up to this moment, well.

 Whatever they say, we do. We’re there with them as far as we can go. Yes. Super good.

Mando Rayo: really good people, right? Yes, yes, truly,

Esme Tejeda: I give them my thanks because there are few owners like them there are few there are few, many are focused on their own interests and profits. No, no, no, not them. They are very good people who are now dedicated to, just like to.

 Well, to protect their employees, which is one of the things I like, because the foundation of a restaurant is its kitchen, and a restaurant without a kitchen is not a restaurant.

Mando Rayo: Right?

Esme Tejeda: If you don’t have a kitchen and they support everything that comes, the work, they are the ones who support you.

Mando Rayo: Yes, and can you explain to me how. A typical day like a Friday today, which is super, eh?

 Customers always go from breakfast to their meetings, to their lunches, to everything, right? Yes, how do you handle all of that? You,

Esme Tejeda: Well, practically, it’s not just from one day. I think we have the previous days. It’s like preparing the day before for the next day to avoid surprises.

 We’re talking about preparing the food so that everything is fresh a day in advance. You arrive and start serving, but it’s also very important how you are. You have to leave many of your personal things aside because, as a woman, you carry a lot. Ah, like your children. Ah, it all starts with making sure your children are in a good place.

 You arrive at work, start organizing all your merchandise, making sure you have everything ready to serve, and wait for the staff to arrive because if the staff doesn’t show up, it can be a bit complicated to work. But once everyone is there and the team is complete, it’s very easy because I like the work environment we have right now; it’s very collegial, and we help each other out.

Mando Rayo: And if

Esme Tejeda: that doesn’t exist in a kitchen, it’s very hard work.

Mando Rayo: It’s tough, right? It’s tough to have

Esme Tejeda: that edition, but we’re not very, very happy working there. That’s our day-to-day preparation. Arrive and see how many buffets we have. Ah, check the buffets first, then go to the line. What time do we open?

We have everything ready for lunch service. Okay, what’s next? Let’s move on to dinner. We’ll have everything. It’s a step-by-step process, checking in with your colleagues. Ah, managers too, obviously. And then, finally, check in with your leader.

Mando Rayo: and then the recipes. I know that in one of the restaurants, they already have their, well, their menu ready, right?

 And there’s no room to bring in new ideas. How? How do you handle that?

Esme Tejeda: When, well, we practice a lot something that we like and that I have learned from Mr. Hoel is to practice, to practice a recipe that we can add to the menu, and right now we are doing it to innovate new things.

 Although we already have a menu, we create specials, which we call the special of the day. Yes, so we keep coming up with new specials. This is where we innovate new dishes, and the ones that our customers like the most are the ones we add. When we do a menu review, that’s when we include them.

 Those new specials stay on the menu so we can keep serving them.

Mando Rayo: Yes. And then, uh, and then when, when they are, are good, uh? If there’s a new dish, a new style that’s not common, how do you adapt to put it on the menu?

Esme Tejeda: Well, ah, it’s a bit complicated when we see that there’s a new dish and it’s popular.Well, when adding it, yes, you have to take several steps. Uh-huh. You have to start with one first, have the product. You’ll have it, right? How long does it take? Huh? To weigh at temperatures, how long does it take to cook? Because our workload is fast. So, we need to calculate the times a bit. Yes, we add that dish, how long will it take you as well to be able to, if it’s going to be good or not, do people have to wait a long time, the customers,

Mando Rayo: Okay, and then, and then the.

 And you say that, well, with your team, right? Yes, it’s more difficult when you can’t work together or there are some battles, right? And how do you, how do you inspire your team to work together?

Esme Tejeda: Well, one of the motivations that I, I always, since hiring a person or when I’ve had to hire most of them.

I believe that all the colleagues who are here have gone through me first. We always talked, and I always invite them not to come just to earn money. It’s not just about coming to earn money at Coppel. The job is easy once you have the … Once you have the practice, it’s super easy. But I also like to introduce a newcomer to the team and tell them, he’s here just like we were for the first time. So, it’s very important that the person feels supported. And once that person is established, just as we started, we continue helping each other, and one day they will excel in that area. We all support that area and the same the next day, it’s the same. But there’s a balance. One of the things I learned from Jo is to treat a colleague as if they were your brother or your parents.

 Because respect, respect is one of the things that will take you very far. If you want to keep learning and if you want to keep growing in that same work environment. And the respect of others obviously helps a lot so that there isn’t that bad competition, but rather good competition, because we all want to grow and we all want to achieve something.

So, we often have a lot of work to do, and we can’t afford not to be good colleagues. So no, I think we are very focused on what we are doing. Sometimes there’s not even time to make negative comments because we are so focused on that.

Mando Rayo: But, but like all siblings, they also fight, ah, of course, yes, it happens.

 But

Esme Tejeda: if you have that, they also fight. But sometimes one of the things that. What’s beautiful about a kitchen is that it’s like therapy for you. Why? Because you arrive, you’re working, uh, the cooks? I’m not going to deny it, but yes, we are gossipers,

Mando Rayo: and when you say

Esme Tejeda: gossip time, we do gossip time and gossip

Mando Rayo: time.

Esme Tejeda: We start maybe not gossiping, but talking. Sharing your experiences and by talking about them, you’re already releasing something you had inside. We don’t practice, we work, we do our job, but it helps us a lot to socialize and get to know a person. Getting to know me, I’ve really enjoyed meeting people who come from Guerrero, people we have from Michoacán, the State of Mexico, in other words, other cultures that even though we are.

 Whether we come from Honduras, El Salvador, or other countries, in the end, we are all human and we want to support each other because we share the same dream of being here to grow as chefs or in the culinary field. But camaraderie helps us a lot.

Mando Rayo: Yes, yes. And isn’t that part of leadership, right?

Yes, yes. And you focus on that, on teaching your team how they can improve in all their stations.

Esme Tejeda: Yes, of course. One of the things people often tell me is that I talk a lot. Yes, I talk a lot.

Mando Rayo: Yes, they tell me that too. And then they gave me a podcast.

Esme Tejeda: Yes

Mando Rayo: me too, I

Esme Tejeda: One of the things that I feel helps me communicate a lot with other people is that I talk a lot. I like teaching them. I like to teach them well because I tell them, look, if I’m. When someone, I want you to cover this shift. This station is important. I need you to learn it well. Why? Because I know that as a leader, I can’t be covering that area all the time. So, for me, it’s more important to teach them well and for them to learn and grasp the message I want to convey.

 The quality of the food is the most basic thing there that the quality of the food, I have to tell you that speed is very important. But if you don’t have quality, speed doesn’t matter. So I tell them they have to learn. And that, I want to teach them and they always say to me, oh, thank you very much. Look, you already know this station, I would love for you to move to another one.

Mando Rayo: Yes, and

Esme Tejeda: why? Because there are more opportunities for you. There are good days when someone else might get sick and not show up. Then you can cover that position because you have the ability. So, if you show that you want to grow as a person, there will always be someone who will tell you, and they have told me.

 I am very happy with my colleagues and I have always told them that if I, as a leader, do something wrong, I also like to be told because I know I make mistakes too. And we like this, we are human,

Mando Rayo: Right?

Esme Tejeda: Then no, because I am the manager or in charge here. Do they think I won’t make mistakes? No, on the contrary, you learn more from mistakes.

Mando Rayo: And that’s how I try

Esme Tejeda: to be a leader who benefits everyone.

Mando Rayo: Yes. And all of this, we men can learn. Right,

Esme Tejeda: Yes, and it’s different. I don’t think so. I don’t think so, one of my colleagues asked me what was one of the most difficult challenges of working in a kitchen, and I told her, and it gave me a bit of, well, really?

 Because she said my biggest challenge was talking. Playing, working in the kitchen. It was working with other female colleagues. And I wondered why they say that. Because sometimes among us women, we can be a bit more difficult to work with, or sometimes you work with men and we make mistakes too, but sometimes it’s not so much about the ego.

 There’s not as much fuss; it’s a bit more stable between men and women. But when we women chefs work together, it’s a very good environment, but also watch out, because we do have to be careful.

Mando Rayo: careful, that “don’t”

Esme Tejeda: color better with men than with women. And that comment made me laugh a lot, but I also understand, right, that it depends on how you were raised and where we come from, that’s how one sees companionship.

Mando Rayo: Yes, it is very,

Esme Tejeda: very important in that, but if it exists, it’s also uncomfortable.

Mando Rayo: Yes, and you come from Guanajuato, right?

Esme Tejeda: I am from a small ranch called Las Cabras, San Diego de la Unión is the municipality, San Diego de la Unión, Guanajuato. It’s very, very secluded, with very few inhabitants. You can pretty much know everyone.

There are about 30 families at most. Ah, okay. So it’s very small, most of us are family, but very, very close to the mountains and surrounded by nature.

Mando Rayo: and it’s very good. It’s beautiful,

Esme Tejeda: it’s one of the places and they look

Mando Rayo: many among the alleys.

 Hello, the mummies

Esme Tejeda: about mummies, mummy. Yes, it’s very, very,

Mando Rayo: very nice. Yes. And when you came here to Austin and started working in restaurants, right? The recipes that you know from Guanajuato, right? Were they different or similar to what we have here in this area?

Esme Tejeda: Ah, the recipes are very different.

That’s right. They are different, like. Maybe changing countries is a big change. So, yes, you do see the difference in the recipes, but I think if you have the knowledge of making a recipe as you know it there, it doesn’t mean you’re improving it here, you’re just implementing it. But it’s a bit different.

Mm-hmm. But they still give the same results, maybe even better in taste. Obviously, the organic stuff that I knew a little about in Mexico because I don’t know many places in Mexico, so I just traveled from there to here, and here I am. But it does change a bit, but I can tell you that the recipes I learned from my mother.

 I’ve made them in the restaurant. Ah, and they’ve really been liked a lot, yes.

Mando Rayo: Which ones?

Esme Tejeda: I have a recipe that my mom used to make enchiladas. In fact, at the restaurant in El Dorado Café, they are called, it’s men because they are made

Esme Tejeda: potato or more potato. But yes, in Mexico, we did it because we didn’t have much access to meat or things like that.

Well, we didn’t have that. I always remembered that my mom made me potato enchiladas in red sauce. And here, when we introduced them, they became very popular, very, very popular.

Mando Rayo: for people who don’t eat meat too

Esme Tejeda: perfect. Yes, in fact, I think most of the customers who like it are vegetarians, and that recipe fits very well, but it’s just one of many other recipes that one might have learned from their grandparents or parents, but they are implemented here and are well-liked, really, ah.

 Mr. Jol has left us a lot, eh, as managers to, eh, invent new recipes and put them on the menu, and they have been very well received. And what better reward can a manager or a cook have than being able to do that, to create a recipe, implement it, and have others like it?

Mando Rayo: and they like it, that’s the best thing you can hear.

Esme Tejeda: something, the best you can hear.

 Yes, yes.

Mando Rayo: Is truth a lake?

Esme Tejeda: That never, never ends.

Mando Rayo: And it seems like, well, the atmosphere, uh, in El Dorado and you manage all the employees and the kitchen is like, well, many people say that when you’re working, it’s like family. Do you feel that way?

Esme Tejeda: Yes. Yes, yes, yes. From the beginning. I think you can feel it even when you’re already in the kitchen, eh, a new person comes in and says, oh, what a great work environment you have.

 I like it. But it’s because, ah, if you balance work with friendship sometimes. Ah. Well, it’s good. But also, the nice thing about all this is that if everyone respects each other and does their responsibilities, there are no problems with other colleagues. So, it’s something nice that I feel, for me, so many years working with the same people.

I’ve been working with the same people for over eight years, and it’s something that you no longer just consider them as colleagues. You know about their lives, and they know about yours. So, it’s a bit more like you can consider them family.

Mando Rayo: you invite the little faces. Of course, the little faces

Esme Tejeda: here when we do it there when it gets complicated and everything, right? I mean, from Tan Ri. I think one of the following dishes. It’s the one with the traditional copper pot. If not, they’re still delicious. Many people say no, I think they’re the same, but I believe it gives a different flavor.

Mando Rayo: Yes, it’s different. Yes. It’s different than

Esme Tejeda: everyone has their own way of making faces, but in the case of copper, no,

Mando Rayo: no, it’s not

Esme Tejeda: One, it’s something I’ve always said about Rene.

 My husband has always made those little faces, and most of his colleagues say, “When are you going to make the little faces? We want them.”

Mando Rayo: Of course, my dear. Yes, I’ve also given it. My little faces, they call me DJ little faces.

Esme Tejeda: I don’t know, it’s just that it’s very innovative, really. Very few people do that, ah,

Mando Rayo: I don’t know anymore.

Esme Tejeda: many people over there in Mexico, maybe a little more.

But here it’s few and it gives me pleasure because I know that you do your work just like my husband. I mean, it’s a lot of work. It’s a lot of work, a lot of work. Yes. Well

Mando Rayo: Look, when people hear about tacos or Mexican food, they always give recognition to, well, the male taco vendors, right?

 But I know how we are, like we were talking about before, it’s the women who teach us. They help us, they teach us, not just things about cooking, but also how to get along, right? Of course. And what do you think? What is the different way of female cooks?

Esme Tejeda: What happens is that, well, women have, let’s say, a sixth sense. Being a mother completely changes the direction of your life because you see life differently. You’re thinking that someone depends on you. It’s not that men aren’t responsible—my respects to them as well, because sometimes…

Women, let’s say, add flavor to a meal, but men also add, let’s say, a bit more dedication. Because when I see men cooking, I notice the dedication they put into the timing of the cooking. But women add a bit more of that familiarity we have from cooking with a good seasoning that comes from…

We add the grandmothers’ seasoning, yes.

Mando Rayo: and it goes on.

Esme Tejeda: That. That’s the flavor that I don’t think men deserve credit for. No, but but I don’t know

Mando Rayo: listen to that. The grandfather’s seasoning, no, no,

Esme Tejeda: Exactly. He said, let’s see. Ah, we’re going to eat somewhere, but let me check the cook first.

Mando Rayo: Ah, ah, it’s a

Esme Tejeda: grandma with her Mexican apron.

 Those are the good meals

Mando Rayo: because

Esme Tejeda: we implement that area. Sometimes many people say no, it’s not true. But sometimes grandmothers, mothers, daughters, we inherit a seasoning that we put that love into the because what? Because we’re also thinking about cooking. Like for our children, it’s something for our family, well, they say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

 That’s where it all begins. Bread

Mando Rayo: full, a happy heart.

Esme Tejeda: Very well said, yes, it’s one of the things I think about, that it’s not about being a woman or a man, we don’t divide, but rather just give recognition to women. If a woman has a better touch,

Mando Rayo: that someone else, then they should be given more recognition.

Esme Tejeda: The thing is that women sometimes, uh, don’t.

 Out of the kitchen. You don’t see it much, right? You see the food, it you see the dish, you see the presentation. It looks good on a table when you’re at a restaurant, but once you cross the window, which we call the window where we are, where the cooks are preparing in the back, back there is the base from anyone because we need recognition, because those women, besides being mothers, have a life. Besides that, we arrive at the restaurant the next day and give it our all. We give it our all to make it a good day, so that customers leave happy, but we have much more work. A woman, ah, sometimes has a family at home, children. You’ve already dropped the kids off at school.

Sometimes we don’t give enough credit, but we should recognize women a bit more. All women have struggled, have suffered. We give it our all. Sometimes we don’t realize how much strength we have, but women find that strength within us.

Mando Rayo: kitchens cooking,

Esme Tejeda: cooking.

It doesn’t matter if you’re sad, happy, or just being yourself. You have to get that food out and do it right. That’s one of the best things we can do as women.

Mando Rayo: Well, beautiful. Yes. And, uh? It seems that, well, from your learning. Ah, you got a lot from your mother or your grandmother.

Esme Tejeda: I think more from my mother. My mother is one of those women who maybe never had a stable job because she took care of me and my siblings.

 She was always with us. But one of the things I did learn from her is not to do things half-heartedly. If you’re going to do something, do it well. She would say, “Why would you want to learn to cook if you’re going to do things carelessly? No, dedicate the time and learn to do things right.” And yes, she would give me a good talking-to.

 But I did learn, even if my mom gave me a hard time, she was very sweet. I learned a lot from her, many of the basics of how she cooks. Most of my uncles and cousins have always said, “Oh, your mom cooks really well, really well.” So that’s where it starts. That’s where the desire to try new things, to create new dishes, to have a good seasoning, and to do things right comes from.

 It’s one of the

Mando Rayo: 200 percent. Do

Esme Tejeda: do things well, try to improve. If you can do something and change it, make sure it changes for the better, to make something different, not just for the sake of change, but to improve what’s already been done.

Mando Rayo: And you know, always when I, well, when I cook, but I’ve also heard other cooks, uh, in the kitchen, talking about Mexican hands.

 Truthfully, that’s not good. When you see an American kitchen, they show you the dishes, the pickles, and everything, the knife. Everything, right? But it’s different with Mexican hands, isn’t it? Yes.

Esme Tejeda: Eh, the Mexican hand, what I have learned from working with people, and it’s not, ah, eh, giving praise to someone who doesn’t deserve it, but simply the Mexican hands.

 There is strength, there is work. There is effort, right? There is, ah, you will never give up. Mexican hands never do, because we always want to be doing something. You get cut, something happens, you keep going. You heal that cut, you burn yourself, you clean it. You’ll be fine, put on a band-aid, a glove, and you continue. It’s the inspiration to keep growing, to keep setting good examples, to motivate for tomorrow.

Your children, your nephews. I don’t know, maybe future grandchildren. Why not inspire them with what you were and what you are leaving behind as a legacy? What did you do with your Mexican hands that was your strength? And so we continue leaving a legacy, right? That we are growing. It is very nice to be zero. So having Mexican siblings. Yes, right? A lot.

Mando Rayo: Very beautiful, right? Well, with this Mexican hand to yours. Thank you very much.

Esme Tejeda: Thank you very much for this. Thank you very much. How nice.

Mando Rayo: Thank you so much, it’s me, Teje, from the cafe. We had such a great time, to be honest. I love her passion for being in the kitchen and.

 You know, working in the back of the house, she did great. We just think she’s amazing. So, with that, co-restaurants have some great cooks. Cocina de Consuelo in Austin, Texas. Che las Tacos in San Antonio. Tacos Doña Elena in Houston. Remember, you can watch the full episodes on our YouTube channel, Identity Productions. Check out the Tacos Texas podcast by Product. Enjoy today’s episode.

Taco content website www.identityproduct or follow on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube at Identity Productions and United Tacos of America. This is your host Mando Rayo, taco journalist. ¡Vamos a los tacos!

On the next proximo of Tacos of Texas, lets get a pulse of the community and how tacos play a role in identity and politics in 2025.

Louisa Van Assche : The Tacos of Texas podcast is presented by Identity Productions in partnership with KUT & KUTX Studios. Our host and producer is Mando Rayo. Our audio is mix is by Nicholas Worthen, our story producer is me, Louisa Van Assche and our creative producer is Dennis Burnet. Music was created by Peligrosa in Austin, Texas, and King Benny Productions located in the Fifth Ward of Houston.