TASTE OF SUCCESS

HUSBAND AND WIFE restauranteurs Armando Hernandez and Nadia Holguin had $50 in their checking account the day they opened their beloved taco shop Tacos Chiwas in 2016. Since then, the couple has wrapped enough tacos to increase their operating budget and become owners and co-owners of some of the hottest restaurants in the Valley: Tacos Chiwas, Espiritu Cocktails + Comida, and Bacanora.

Restaurant success isn’t that common right out of the gate, but the duo, who met at an ASU party, discovered they had similar back stories. Both were born in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, had immigrated to the U.S. as children, and were exposed to the food and restaurant industry early on. And both wanted to recreate the recipes of their youth.

“Everything is kind of against you,” says Hernandez of the challenges of opening a restaurant for the first time. “But when you’re so eager, you have this mentality of just like, ‘Hey, you know what? I think we can be successful and awesome.’”

The team’s confidence paid off. Tacos Chiwas was an immediate hit and the perfect platform to showcase the food of their upbringing in an affordable, fast-food setting. Lines quickly formed around the original taco shop at 12th Street and McDowell (a former Dairy Queen) to get a taste of their stuffed gorditas and quesadillas made from 100% organic, handmade flour tortillas.

“I always wanted to open a restaurant here, with a focus on the originality of Chihuahua, so a year after we were married, we decided to go for it. Every aspect of what we do is based on how we can make the best product,” says Hernandez of keeping things simple and using fresh ingredients.

Most new restaurant owners pine for media and peer approval, waiting years for acknowledgment. Yet the accolades—both local and national—have come fast for Hernandez and Holguin. Tacos Chiwas, now with three locations, has consistently garnered praise as one of the best taco shops in town by Phoenix New Times. Guy Fieri featured the eatery on his show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Their collaboration with chef Rene Andre at the Sonoran-style Bacanora, which opened in March 2022, has a three-month wait list. It’s also been recognized as a James Beard Foundation finalist and named one of the 50 Best Restaurants of 2022 in America by The New York Times.

Executive chef Roberto Centeno of the team’s seafood-driven Espiritu Cocktails + Comida, a partnership with Andre, recently won the culinary challenge on the popular TV show, Chopped.

In addition, Holguin, a classically trained chef who graduated from

Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Scottsdale, was a 2019 James Beard award nominee for her culinary direction at Roland’s Café Market Bar, a short-lived, but celebrated venture she and Hernandez had with chef and restaurateur Chris Bianco in downtown Phoenix.

The attention is flattering, but the goal for Hernandez and Holguin has never been to capitalize on what’s popular at the moment. Instead, they are in it for the long haul.

“We have a story that is very true. We’ve never really gone for gimmicky, meaning we don’t chase trends,” says Hernandez of staying authentic to their culinary roots. “The expectation is greater when people are talking about you. The notoriety just means we have to be better.”

Buzz aside, it might appear their momentum happened with little effort, but he points out building a small restaurant enterprise has been anything but easy in a fickle industry that can eat its own.

“People talk about success as it just happened overnight, but for us it’s been 16-hour days, 31 days a month, nonstop. You’ll find it hard to find someone who’s worked harder than us,” says Hernandez.

It appears their workload won’t lighten anytime soon. In January, they’ll launch another restaurant, Cocina Chiwas, at Culdesac, a 17-acre, car-free community in Tempe with an expanded menu including chile-centric vegetable bowls and wood-fired cheese crisps, deconstructed breakfast burritos, Chihuahuan French toast and seasonal salads.

“We’re not just trying to make a money grab. You know, there are people in our own field who need opportunities. And obviously that’s been our narrative,” says Hernandez. “As long as we’re able to do it in a fashion that still represents who we are, then we’ll just continue to try to do our thing. If you are true to what you’re creating, then it just comes out better.”