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“Luis is amazing, he manages his restaurant with ease, has respect from all his team, and cares for each and every one of them,” wrote Katie Gerig, the restaurant’s catering event manager, when she nominated Luis. “Our French Quarter location is a well-oiled machine because of his skill and management style and oversight. We are lucky to have him!”
Or consider Celina Jimenez, second place winner in 2021. For about three years she worked several positions at Joselito’s Mexican Food in Tujunga, California, before being asked to make the jump to general manager. She handled it masterfully.
MANAGER OF THE YEAR CONTEST: Do You Have a Manager Like Luis or Celina?
2023
A good restaurant manager is essential to any restaurant’s success, but rarely do they get the recognition they deserve.
The 8th Annual el Restaurante Manager of the Year Contest, sponsored by Jarritos, aims to put the spotlight on the best managers of Mexican/Latin restaurants in the United States.
Take Luis Solano, first place winner in 2022. He mastered all of the jobs at Felipe’s Taqueria in New Orleans within three years and was named general manager of the French Quarter location in 2021.
“What impressed me the most about Celina early on was how well she gets it,” wrote Jose Grijalva, the restaurant’s owner, in his 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.”
Do you have a manager like Luis or Celina? If so, let them know you recognize them by entering them in the 2023 el Restaurante Manager of the Year Contest. There is no charge, and completing the application just takes a few minutes. The top three candidates receive cash prizes and will be profiled in the November/December issue of el Restaurante, and every nominated manager receives a beautiful certificate! Don’t wait— nominations are now being accepted at www.elrestaurante.com/2023-manager-contest.
Submit Your Favorite Salsa Recipe — We’ll Recognize the BEST
Many customers consider an excellent salsa essential to a good dining experience. We want to find the best salsa recipes in the country — so in partnership of Sammic, we are reintroducing the famous el Restaurante Sassiest Salsa Contest.
Entering the contest is easy, and the prizes make it worthwhile: The first place winner will receive a Sammic XM-52 Immersion Blender, the ultimate tool for mixing salsa! And the top three winners will win a cash prize: $750, $500 and $250, respectively. We’ll even feature all winning recipes in our Recipe-of-the-Week email program and publish them in the November/December print edition of el Restaurante
“We know how important great salsa is to a Mexican restaurant, and we are happy to support a contest that encourages chefs to create new salsa recipes,” says Neal Pearlman, sales director, North America, for Sammic. “And we know that Sammic immersion blenders are an essential tool for restaurants making their own salsa, so offering one as a prize for this contest made sense.”
To enter the contest, complete the form at www. elrestaurante.com/2023salsa-contest. The deadline is August 18, 2023. Your recipe must be an original creation. The recipes will be judged by experienced chefs and the winners will be announced in September. And remember: We’ll publish the winners, so don’t submit a recipe you want to keep secret. Good luck!
GREAT SHOWING FOR MEXICAN/ LATIN RESTAURANTS
If there’s been any doubt that Mexican/Latin cuisine has come of age and is holding its own with the best of the best in myriad categories, one look at the list of restaurants chosen as James Beard Awards semifinalists and included on Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat list for 2023 will quell that doubt! el Restaurante congratulates them all!
Carlos Salgado, Taco María, Costa Mesa, CA
Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)
Diana Dávila Boldin, Mi Tocaya Antojería, Chicago
Norberto Garita, El Barzon, Detroit
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
Dionicio Jiménez, Cantina La Martina, Philadelphia
Omar R odriguez, Oyamel Cocina Mexicana, Washington, D.C.
Outstanding Restaurateur
Johnna Hayes and Debra Zinke, 3 Sirens Restaurant Group (including Holé Molé), Tulsa, OK
Michael Reginbogin and Jason Berry, KNEAD Hospitality + Design (including MI VIDA), Washington, D.C.
Outstanding Chef
Dana Rodriguez, Super Mega Bien, Denver
Silvana Salcido Esparza, Barrio Café, Phoenix, AZ
David Vargas, Vida Cantina, Portsmouth, NH
Chef Junior Borges, Meridian Dallas
Outstanding Restaurant
Presented by Acqua Panna®
Natural Spring Water
La Condesa, Austin, TX
Mita’s, Cincinnati
Emerging Chef Presented by S.Pellegrino® Sparkling
Natural Mineral Water
Victoria Elizondo, Cochinita & Co., Houston
Julio Her nandez, Maiz de la Vida, Nashville, TN
Amado Lopez, Casa Amado
Taqueria, Berkley, MI
Akino West, Rosie’s, Miami
Best New Restaurant
Causa, Washington, D.C. Don Artemio, Fort Worth, TX
Tatemó, Houston
O utstanding Bakery
Buena Gente Cuban Bakery, Decatur, GA
La Casita Bakeshop, Richardson, TX
Yoli Tortilleria, Kansas City, MO
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker
Manuel and Jesús Brazón, Caracas Bakery, Doral, FL
Mariela Camacho, Comadre Panadería, Austin, TX
Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
FRIDA Southwest, Oklahoma City
Suerte, Austin
Outstanding Bar
Salud Cerveceria, Charlotte, NC
Best Chefs Presented by Capital One (by region)
Best Chef: California
Rocio Camacho, Rocio’s Mexican Kitchen, Bell Gardens, CA
Val M. Cantu, Californios, San Francisco
Gilberto Cetina Jr., Holbox, Los Angeles
Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)
Gregory León, Amilinda, Milwaukee
Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY)
Salvador Alamilla, Amano, Caldwell, ID
Jose Avila, La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal, Denver
M ichael Diaz de Leon, BRUTØ, Denver
B est Chef: New York State Giovanni Cervantes, Taqueria Ramírez, Brooklyn, NY
Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)
Dayna Lee-Márquez, Comal 864, Greenville, SC
Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR)
Ana Castro, Lengua Madre, New Orleans
R afael Rios, Yeyo’s El Alma de Mexico, Bentonville, AR
Francis Guzmán, Vianda San Juan, Puerto Rico
Natalia Vallejo, Cocina al Fondo, San Juan, PR
Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK)
Rene Andrade and Roberto Centeno, Bacanora, Phoenix
Wendy Garcia, Tumerico, Tucson, AZ
Fernando Hernández, Testal, Phoenix
Luis and Berenice Medina, El Chile Toreado, Santa Fe, NM
Best Chef: Texas
Olivia López and Jonathan Percival, Molino Olōyō, Dallas
Enr ique Lozano, El Charlatan, Socorro, TX
Emiliano M arentes, ELEMI, El Paso, TX
Ana Liz Pulido, Ana Liz Taqueria, Mission, TX
Anastacia Quiñones-Pittman, José, Dallas
R egino Rojas, Revolver Taco Lounge, Dallas
YELP’S TOP 100 PLACES TO EAT
Tumerico, Houston
Chellas Arepa Kitchen, Lancaster, PA
Rajas con Crema, Maywood, CA
Buendia Breakfast & Lunch
Cafe, Tucson, AZ
XOchimilco Mexican Restaurant, Chicago
La Condesa Eatery, Reno, NV
Mike’s Red Tacos, San Diego
Cocina Madrigal, Phoenix
Lord Empanada, Monrovia, CA
Buena Gente Cuban Bakery, Decatur, GA
West Coast Taco Bar, Sacramento, CA
Bocata Arepa Bar, Glen Allen, VA
La Cabaña, Seattle
Guava Tree Cafe, Albuquerque, NM
Corazon Taste of Mexico, Brea, CA
Taqueria El Amigo, Waltham, MA
La Reforma Brewery, Albuquerque, NM
