Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Beaven.
Ana, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was devoted to retail and used to eat out every single day. In my fantasies, someone would open a good authentic Mexican restaurant some time. A friend that did accounting for a restaurant asked me to help them for a month and while in doubt, I said yes. I loved the job and stayed there for 6 years. After a while, I met my partner/ lover and we decided to open Cuchara and finally fill that empty space us Mexicans had…
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has been smooth and a great adventure. Our staff is amazing and they have made these 5 years a total joy.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Cuchara Restaurant – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Cuchara, located in Houston’s Montrose area, is an authentic Mexico City bistro that opened its doors on September 15, 2012, in a dual celebration of new beginnings coinciding with Mexico’s Independence Day. Cuchara, Spanish meaning spoon, occupies a refurbished 1940s brick building, formerly The Hyde Park Supermarket, at the corner of Fairview and Taft. The restaurant was conceived by owners Ana Beaven and Charlie McDaniel. The new design has a modern, minimalist theme and taking full advantage of the structure’s extensive storefront and high glass transoms and tall ceilings characteristic of 1940’s retail development. New smooth plaster walls in warm earth tones provide a calm and defined space and form a backdrop to the jolts of color found in the establishment’s rainbow-hued collection of cookware, plates, and bowls observed both in the open kitchen and tableside as well.
A collection of eye-catching murals by Mexico City artist Cecilia Beaven are presented throughout the interior, with the most recent addition created on an outside wall of the patio area. A chaotic maze of cars, roads, and landmarks depict the high energy of Mexico City on the largest mural, which runs the entire length of the dining room. Drinkers stylized in a ceiling mural look down at people sipping cocktails at the bar. A third interior mural surrounds the opening into the kitchen is of an open-air market displaying the ingredients that come straight from farms to the tables in unique ceramic and cast iron pots and pans in vivid colors. Muralist Celicia Beaven, the sister of owner Ana Beaven, also created the art and animated animal icons sprinkled liberally and playfully throughout Cuchara’s airy interiors divided equally into dining and bar. Ana explains her restaurant’s commitment to art. “I dare say that we are the only restaurant with a full-time artist on our staff! We create a very visual marketing campaign in everything we do”.
A successful restaurant is an equal part inspiration and management perspiration. Cuchara was created with equal and healthy portions of each. Ana Beaven, a neophyte in the restaurant operation, brings strong experience in the culinary fare of Mexico City, being born and raised in the vibrant, urban environment. She has infused the menu with dishes from family recipes and other selections from her youth spiced with a flavor of innovation and creativity while remaining true to their authentic character. Maintaining authenticity is at the heart of Cuchara in every way, from its culturally important art through its ingredients, recipes, presentation and a kitchen staffed exclusively by Mexican women that share their lifetime of skills, experience and loving care in each creation they meticulously prepare. Proud of her kitchen team’s abilities and experience, Ms. Beaven declares that “We are the only kitchen in town run exclusively by Mexican women”. Cuchara’s cuisine exhibits the same qualities of their customers’ grandmother’s recipes that they all cherished in their childhood. Its familiar, yet in many dishes, adjusted with a flavorful twist.
Co-Owner Charlie McDaniel provides valuable business management acumen to the success of the operation complimenting Cuchara’s creative and culinary components to maintain a harmony of success throughout the bistro’s operations and activities. Blending their varied skills, Ana and Charlie regularly work to ensure their restaurant’s desired standards are met on a daily basis. In maintaining its strong ties to the culture and cuisine of central Mexico, Cuchara celebrates every major holiday of Mexico such as September 15, celebrating Mexico’s independence from Spanish rule, Day of the dead on November 2nd, Mexican Revolution on November 20, Day of the Three Kings on January 6 and on February 2, the religious holiday, Dia de la Candelaria to name just a few.
Cuchara is truly equal parts restaurant and bar as both have their own following and both are notable in their own right. Featuring a full bar with 6 different agave house specialty cocktails as part of the bar menu created by Chris Frankel, formerly of the Houston’s popular Anvil Bar and Refuge and a daily happy hour with appetizer and drink specials from 5 to 8, makes Cuchara a popular decompression destination after a challenging workday. Crowd tequila-based favorites include ‘Charlie’s Devil’, an intriguing blend of blackberry, cucumber, lemon juice and ginger beer and the ‘Paloma’ of fresh lime juice, chamoy, and both grapefruit juice and grapefruit soda for a crisp, citrus finish. Try one with the fresh Chicharrones and salsa or the Tacos Chelo, crispy potato and spicy green sauce tacos accented with onion and salty Cotija cheese.
Cuchara is open six days a week for lunch and dinner as well as Saturday and Sunday Brunch starting at 11 AM. Lunchtime at Cuchara is held ‘comida corrida’ style, with the mid-day meal served in several courses from a menu that changes weekly and its offerings continuously updated for their loyal customers on the restaurant website. Dinner dining favorites are highlighted by the Mole Verde, a green mole pork tenderloin stew has proved to be a popular and a creatively delicious different dish compared to the traditional brown or red mole. The tender pork is complemented with rice, refried beans, and a white corn puree, each served separately in brightly colored lidded pots reminiscent of those used in the public markets of Mexico City. Other dinner favorites include Huachinango Veracruzana, a Veracruz styled red snapper topped with a rich tomato, onion, and bell pepper sauce and served on top of a plantain and amaranth cake. Other delicious dinner dishes include selections with fresh shrimp, “Tasajo” which is a thin beef fillet, chicken and the fully authentic Nopal, a grilled cactus paddle in dishes such as their Mula de Nopal, and Nopalitos appetizer. Every plate served to your table is presented as a small work of art, integral to the bistro’s exhibition of authentic Mexican art, traditional Mexican kitchen culture and its resulting distinctive, delicious cuisine.
Whether you have long loved traditional Mexican dishes or are feeling adventuresome in sampling their unique and flavor-filled bounty for the first time, the restaurant and bar in Montrose known as Cuchara will more than meet your expectations and surprise you as well with their authentic offerings of traditional and creative adaptations on the culture and cuisine from the interiors and coasts of Mexico.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We are growing our catering business, we are planning parties, private events at clients homes, shipping a lot of merchandise from our sister website www.cucharamarket.com, helping artisans from Mexico exhibit and sell their work here; bringing different chefs, traditional cooks (like ours) and restaurants from Mexico to pop up at Cuchara. The list keeps growing! And all within our 4 walls.
Pricing:
- Our dishes go from $8 to $30
- Our drinks are prepared with fresh ingredients and go from $8 to $15
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cuchararestaurant.com
- Phone: 7139420000
- Email: info@cuchararestaurant.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cuchararestaurant/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CucharaRestaurant/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Cucharahouston
Image Credit:
Chuck Cook, Sofia Van Der Dys
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