ANNOUNCING... OUR 2021 MANAGERS OF THE YEAR

EDITOR’S NOTE: It’s always exciting for us to read the nominations for our annual Jarritos/el Restaurante Manager of the Year Contest. This year, the pool included many managers who kept their restaurants thriving through adversity. It was tough to choose the winners, but we think you’ll agree that the following three clearly stand out.

When Jesenia Rivera greets customers at Taqueria Los Magueyes in Upland, California, she doesn’t have a one-size-fitsall approach. Rather, she assesses the mood of each customer.

“I feel like I’m good at telling a person’s vibe,” says Rivera, who has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from University of California, Riverside. “If they want to talk about their day, I talk with them. Of if they’re more serious, I try to meet that tone. I try to reflect the mood they have.”

Making that personalized connection is one reason Rivera was chosen as the Manager of the Year for 2021. She also effectively manages her young staff and steps in wherever she is needed. “What makes Jesenia exceptional is her adaptability to do every task that you expect from working in a restaurant,” wrote Jose Rivera, her father and owner of the two-location restaurant. “She handles sales, maintains cleanliness, pays bills, deals with vendors, and will even swoop in and cook if we are jam packed.”

Rivera started as a part-time hostess when she was in high school, became a full-time cashier about seven years ago, and was promoted to manager about five years ago. Her ability to get the most out of her 14 staff members is just as important as her skill at assessing customers’ moods.

“A lot of my cashiers and front-of-house staff are pretty young, early 20s, and they go to school,” Rivera explains. “Since it’s a part-time job for them and they’re in school, I know they have other goals and dreams, so I want to give them some freedom. I say, ‘If you need a day off to do some school thing, tell us and we’ll let you, just return the favor when you can.’ That way they don’t have to call in sick.”

When COVID hit, Rivera researched all safety protocols restaurants had to follow, and also took the lead in applying for relief funds.

“That was a very intense time,” she remembers. “Every week there was something new, and I wanted to get everything perfect. I didn’t want us to get into trouble, didn’t want to get shut down.”

Rivera secured a Payroll Protection Program loan for each location, and a grant from the local authorities to buy COVID-related supplies.

What does the future hold? She would like to get a master’s degree, then maybe start her own restaurant.

“Since I have all this experience, it would be nice to open my own little spot,” she says. “I would like to take everything I’ve learned and apply it to a small business I could call my own.”

Celina Jimenez was already a valuable employee and assistant manager at Joselito’s Mexican Food in Tujunga, California when, about six months ago, she was asked to make the big jump to general manager. She handled it masterfully. “What impressed me the most about Celina early on was how well she gets it,” wrote Jose Grijalva, the restau-

rant’s owner, in the nomination form. “She understands the business in her heart and knows what it takes to keep it successful. Celina can jump in at the bar, wash dishes, prep food, plate food, and that does not even begin to mention her skill in the front of house. Customers love Celina and she knows everyone’s names.”

Jimenez joined Joselito’s as a host about four years ago. She later became a busser, then assistant manager. Every step of the way, she picked up skills she uses in her current position.

“When I started, I would jump into different positions when they needed me to,” she explains. “And I would learn by watching other people, like the waiters and bartenders. It got to the point where I can make any of our drinks.”

Grijalva ensured that Jimenez had some formal general manager training when he promoted her by enrolling her in some managerial classes, which she completed in record time. Like any good manager, Jimenez’s ability to manage her employees is one of her strong points. According to Grijalva, “she is strict but knows when to be lenient.” “I definitely try to make everybody happy, because it’s never fun to have grumpy employees,” Jimenez says. “But there’s still a limit of knowing what you can do for them and what isn’t possible. It’s important to have good communications with your staff. And when you step in to help them, don’t just tell them what to do, show them that you’re willing to go the extra mile to help them. Because we’re a team.”

During COVID, Jimenez discovered a fun way to show staff that she cares about them: She buys them paletas from the ice cream man, who passes by the restaurant daily. “The extra things like that go a long way with people,” she says.

“Celina is my choice for manager of the year because this is not just a paycheck to her. She cares about the restaurant and wants it to succeed… She is a rock star,” Grijalva said.

COVID tested the abilities of countless restaurant managers. For David Reed, general manager of El Toro Restaurant in La Porte, Texas, the pandemic was an opportunity to show what a talented manager he is.

“During COVID, David rallied the troops at his location and began brainstorming how we could plan and prepare for what was happening,” wrote John Mayes, El Toro’s vice president of operations, in his nomination of Reed. “He was not about to fail.”

Reed quickly realized that to-go food was going to be the restaurant’s lifeblood.

“We had to shift our mindset,” Reed says. “We realized that guests don’t care what it looks like inside the restaurant, but they do care about how accurately their food orders are filled.”

Reed set up packing stations inside and staging areas in the parking lot. He also created a Google Sheet application into which employees could log information about each order.

“When people pulled up, we would ask them if they had already placed an order or would like to,” Reed explains. “If their order was not ready, we would direct them to a parking spot and fast track their order. If it was ready, we told them to pull up to the drive-thru and added information about their vehicle type to the Google Sheet. That way as soon as they pulled up to the window, we knew who it was and handed them their order. We were able to do a tremendous amount of business like that.”

It’s not surprising that Reed moved quickly to keep business flowing during COVID. He has worked as a restaurant manager for more than 20 years, and briefly worked at El Toro 15 years ago before returning to the company shortly before COVID hit.

Among Reed’s skills is the ability to motivate his team to excellence. He learns what is important to his employees and tries to create schedules that allow employees time for their personal lives. For example, one employee is an Astros fan who was scheduled to work when the team’s playoff game was on TV. He helped her reschedule so she could see the game.

“So, she is at home watching the Astros and has positive feelings about that interaction,” Reed says. “And I have some good juju out there for the next time I need somebody to work on a Friday night because we’re short staffed.”

“It’s important to know that we’re not in the food business – we’re in the relationship business,” he says. “That includes relationships with my managers, my team members, my guests, my vendors. The stronger the relationships I have, the better results I’ll have.”

Mayes said he’s delighted to have Reed on his team: “David is a great leader, speaker, trainer, and mentor. I’m glad that he came back home to be a part of our restaurant family.”

• ABISAI “JORGE” FALFAN, Taco Surf, Surfside, California • ALEXANDER BELLO, Bello’s Restaurants, Elgin, Illinois • ARMANDO TORRES, Las Palmas, Nashville, Tennessee • BRETT WOODFALL, Qdoba, Springfield, Illinois • BRITTANY GUZMAN, Central Coast Tacos, Arroyo Grande, California • CARLOS A. BARRERA, Valadez, San Antonio, Texas • CARLOS M. TAPIA, La Garnacha, Herriman, Utah • CARMEN AGUIÑAGA, Birrieria Aguiñaga, Dallas, Texas • CASEY GIBBS, Chuys, Southlake, Texas • CHRISTOPHER LEAL, Don Leal’s Restaurant, Robinson, Texas • GABRIEL MONTALVO, El Toro Barbacoa, Millersville, Pennsylvania • GARRETH DUTTON, Tocaya Organica, West Hollywood, California • GUSTAVO CARRILLO, Cristinas Mexican, Murphy,Texas • GUSTAVO RIVERA, Rancho Los Magueyes, Upland,California • JACINTO HERNÁNDEZ, Taqueria Los Fallos, Hayward, California • JENESIS PORRAS, CHIPOTLE, Los Angeles, California • JESSICA HERRERA, Las Fajitas Bella Vista, Bella Vista, Arkansas • JHONATAN SANCHEZ, El Taco Macho, Painesville, Ohio • JOHN MAYES, El Toro Mexican Restaurant, Baytown, Texas • JOSE G REYES, Manuels Mexican Restaurant, Houston, Texas • JOSEFINA FLORES, Gonzalez Tacos, Taylor, Texas • JUANA EVANGELISTA, Tacos y Mariscos Sahuayo,

Wilmington, California • LARISA YANICAK, Southbound, Charlotte, North Carolina • LORETO ROCHA, Rocky’s Taco House, San Antonio, Texas • LUCY RODRÍGUEZ, Autentika Mexican Grille,

Panama City Beach, Florida • LUIS ARGOTE, La Tolteca, Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania • MARGARITA GOMEZ, El Mercadito, Westbury, New York • MATTHEW LEISTER, El Poquito, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • MONICA MURGUIA, El Mexicali Cafe, Indio, California • NICHOLAS RENTERIA, Chubasco Tacos, Phoenix, Arizona • RAUL MARTINEZ-OLMOS, La Vecindad Pico de Gallo,

Las Vegas, Nevada • RICKY VITAL, Patio Mexican Restaurant,

West Helena, Arkansas • ROBERTO JOSÉ MONTALVO, El Ponce, Atlanta, Georgia • ROLANDO JUAREZ, 2 Compás Kitchen, Garland, Texas • RUBY FLORES, Taqueria Mexico, Killeen,Texas • STEFANIE HIEBER, Garzón Latinx Street Food,

Lake Stevens, Washington • STEPHANIE DE LA ROSA, Shrimpy’s Mexican Cajun

Fusion, Turlock, California • SYLVIA CONTRERAS, Emilias Restaurant,

Brownsville, Texas • YULIANA SALAZAR, Birrieria Aguinaga, Grand Prairie, Texas • ZAKARIA BOUNANE, Fiesta Mexico, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania The Optimal Automatics Autodoner is ideal for preparing cones of al pastor and other stacked meats. Comes in many sizes and models, including natural gas, electric, and LP.

Se habla espanolSe habla espanol 847-439-9110 847-439-9110 www.optimalautomatics.com www.optimalautomatics.com

Chef Hugo Ortega’s Scallops with Mole Verde are served with white beans, green beans, chayote and masa dumplings.

PHOTO BY PAULA MURPHY

| BY KATHLEEN FURORE | “This is, to me, is a way of living.”

With that, Chef Hugo Ortega — owner of Mexican-themed Hugo’s, Xochi, Caracol, and URBE, all in Houston — describes the role mole has played, not only in his acclaimed restaurants but in his life since childhood, as well. While this award-winning chef has family ties to Oaxaca, a state known as The Land of Seven Moles, his recipes draw from Oaxaca and beyond.

“When I opened Hugo’s in 2002, I was very ambitious about getting something from every region in Mexico,” Ortega recalls. “Now, two decades later, I have the opportunity to cook and emphasize and create a few moles of my own. It is in me, in my heart, to do that and to cook this way.”

In this Q&A, edited for space and clarity, Ortega shares how mole has worked its magic on him and how he, in turn, now works magic with mole.

ORTEGA: Cooking moles and understanding them is in my DNA. It goes back generations. Moles are part of my heritage, so they are remarkably important.

(continued on page 16) “IT’S A UNIQUE PASSION I HAVE. NOW, WHEN I GO TO THE MARKET, I LOOK AT SOMETHING AND WHAT FIRST COMES TO MIND IS, ‘I CAN MAKE MOLE WITH THAT!’ IT’S A SATISFYING FEELING.”–CHEF HUGO ORTEGA

PHOTO BY LORENZO TASSONE

Start saving now! High-efficiency equipment could help you save money by reducing your energy usage

With the California Foodservice Instant Rebates Program you could save on high-efficiency equipment for your business. Choose from a variety of qualifying products and get valuable Instant Rebates as a discount on your invoice – no paperwork, no waiting. It’s easy – here’s how:

Find a participating dealer at www.caenergywise.com/instant-rebates

Choose qualifying product

Receive an Instant Rebate on your invoice

Non-residential customers of SoCalGas®, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E®), Southern California Edison Company (SCE®) and San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E®) are eligible to receive Instant Rebates. Equipment must be installed in a non-residential location that receives natural gas and/or electricity service from one of the above utilities. Valuable rebates are available on a range of natural gas and electric equipment for your business. For a full list of qualifying equipment, download the Qualifying Products List at: www.caenergywise.com/instant-rebates

Major cooking appliances account for almost 35% of the average restaurant’s energy expenditures. Efficient equipment could help decrease your energy use by as much as 75% compared to standard efficiency equipment.1 High efficiency equipment uses less energy and water, which could reduce your utility bills.

Many common makes and models of commercial foodservice equipment qualify for the California Foodservice Instant Rebates Program. Qualifying equipment must be installed at a non-residential site that receives natural gas and/or electricity service from SoCalGas, PG&E, SCE, or SDG&E. The fuel type of the equipment being purchased must match the fuel type of your non-residential account with one of the above utilities.

Natural Gas

Electric

Dual Fuel Rack Oven

Conveyor Oven Combination Oven

Convection Oven

Fryer Steamer

Underfired Broiler Griddle

Deck Oven

Combination Oven

Convection Oven

Fryer Hand-Wrap Machine Steamer

Hot Food Holding Cabinet Glass or Solid Door Refrigerator Refrigerated Chef Base Glass or Solid Door Freezer

Ice Machine

Ice Making Head Remote Condensing Unit Ultra-Low Temperature Freezer Conveyor Toaster Dishwasher

Conveyor Broiler Demand Controlled Kitchen Ventilation $200 per foot $2,500 per unit $1,400 per cavity $1,500 - $3,0001 per cavity $700 per cavity $900 - $1,4002 per vat $2,000 per cavity $650 per foot $200 per foot $1,500 per cavity $1,500 - $3,0001 per cavity $750 per cavity $650 per vat $125 per unit $2,000 per cavity $200 - $7503 per unit $70 - $1003 per unit $250 - $5003 per unit $30 - $3503 per unit $70 - $1004 per unit $100 - $2504 per unit $250 per unit $1,200 per unit $600 per unit $50 - $6505 per unit $2,000 - $4,0003 per unit $700 per HP

*For the full and most current list of qualifying equipment, download the California Foodservice Instant Rebates Qualifying Products list at www.caenergywise.com/instant-rebates.

Xochi’s Mole Tasting Plate features 4 classic moles, folded tlayuda, frijoles and quesillo.

PHOTO BY PAULA MURPHY

ORTEGA: When I was a boy, I lived with my grandma in the mountains between Oaxaca and Puebla. I remember seeing her buy seed pods at the market and then toast the cacao beans. It was primitive — she used a metate and metapil (grinder) to grind the seeds. Then she would light a fire and toast the seeds on a clay comal. To my disbelief, I saw a gooey black substance. And when I asked, “What is that?” she just smiled, asked if I would like to try it, and put some in my mouth with her finger. I made funny faces — it was too bitter! She broke a smile and told me it was missing other ingredients like ground cinnamon and sugar. That was my introduction to chocolate — a main ingredient in some moles — at age 14. The rest is history. I saw my mom, my grandma, my aunt make mole and finally, at 20 years of age, I learned the recipe. I had graduated and could make mole on my own.

Beef Cheeks in Mole de Guajes. PHOTO BY PAULA MURPHY

ORTEGA: About 10 years ago, a neighbor came by Hugo’s and gave me a small plant — a fig branch — and told me to plant it. He said, “Give it a good hand and it will grow.” I planted that branch in the middle of the parking lot at Hugo’s and kept taking care of it until it gave black figs. One summer, I was sick of the black birds and crows getting the figs, so I decided to make a fig mole. That inspired me to experiment more.

Since then, I’ve made mole with cherries, pineapple, mango, pistachios, squash blossoms, and persimmons. The squash blossom mole is good with tamales and quesadillas, and the sweet flavor of the persimmon mole is good with quail.

It’s a unique passion I have. Now, when I go to the market, I look at something and what first comes to mind is, “I can make mole with that!” It’s a satisfying feeling.

ORTEGA: We focus on the flavors of Oaxaca at Xochi, so I do Oaxacan moles there. One of them is Mole Verde made with serranos and poblanos, onions, garlic, cilantro, and hoja santa for color. The thickness comes from a bit of water and masa. I serve it with scallops and masa dumplings called chochoyotes.

At Hugo’s, we have Mole Poblano from Pueblo, Mole de Xico from Veracruz, and Mole de Guajes, which is also called Huaxmole. Guajes are [flat, green] seeds from [acacia] trees. Mole de Guajes is traditionally served with pork, but my favorite pairing is with beef cheeks.

Customers must enter the code during the ordering process. Limit 1 per customer. Expires December 31, 2021

Models available for any size restaurant!

Pork Ribs with Ant Mole. PHOTO BY PAULA MURPHY

ORTEGA: Ant mole is an iconic mole from Oaxaca. The [Chicatana] ants hatch after the rains that come in April and May. Locals catch them, dry them, and use them for mole — Mole de Chicatana. They also season them and make salt. It is such an elementary dish...so close to the terrain. Ant mole has a fungus-like taste. I serve it with mushrooms, pork, or beef like a ribeye or tenderloin with full flavors.

ORTEGA: I think people receive mole well once they understand it. For years, customers would say, “It is too sweet and spicy” because they only thought of Mole Poblano and Mole Negro. I would say, “No, you don’t understand mole!’”

Mole comes from the Nahuatl word molli, which means sauce. And it comes in many types — some are lighter [than Mole Poblano and Mole Negro]. There are moles and there are molitos, which are moles made with just a few ingredients.

ORTEGA: Make time and go for it! Sometimes the best advice I can give to any chef is to understand what it is about...try not to complicate it too much. Start with a few ingredients, get confident, then try to master one of the most difficult ones.

See the recipe for Chef Hugo’s Scallops with Mole Verde on page 55.

VEGETABLECUTTER JERKYSLICER

MEATGRINDER

MEATCUTTER

MEATTENDERIZER