Today we’d like to introduce you to Emmanuel Chavez.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I migrated to Houston, TX at age nine. Both my parents started working at restaurants that year. 1999 to make ends needs. I spoke no English the first three years, so making friends was difficult. Which meant my sister and I were obligated to accompany either of our parents to wait till the other one finishes their shift. I remember the loud cooks listening to music, chopping lettuce, calling tickets. The sound of plates hitting each other as they were put in the window for a server to take. I remember all of them. It was like watching a sport event live. Each movement faster than the last… that’s where my curiosity for this industry began.
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?
At age 20, I made the decision to get a full sleeve tattooed. Back then, tattoos weren’t a trendy thing. It definitely closed a lot of doors for me. Society definitely looked at me as a convict.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I recently moved back to Houston from a three years stay in Seattle, WA. While in Seattle, I realize that they weren’t many Mexican restaurants “taco joints” closed to me. So I began to study the art of making tortillas. At first, I practiced with Maseca. But the kitchens and chefs I worked with were made from scratch mentality, so I felt like I was cheating my self and my culture. So I started to practice Nixtamalization. Which is the process of taking dry corn and cooking it with cal “alkiline” this process allows us to digest the corn and when grounded provides us with masa. The base of Mexican Food. When I moved back to Houston my Business Partner Ana Villareal and I began building the company from scratch. Literally… we knew we wanted to give the Houston food scene the same level of attention to detail as the Mexican kitchens in New York and San Francisco. We pride ourselves in serving progressive Mexican inspired dishes. We are scheduled to open Tatemó late spring of 2020.
What were you like growing up?
I have always been an introvert. When I started cooking, there was no market nor need for chefs or cooks to be such public figures. Nowadays, you gotta have a personality to stand out as a cook and I really don’t believe that’s true nor right. Obviously as a business owner, you see things differently so I’m getting better at being the face of Tatemó.
Pricing:
- Pop-ups $40 per person
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tatemohtx.com
- Phone: 7133196751
- Email: Emmanuelchavezwaffle@gmail.com
- Instagram: @dishwasher89
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