Feature
Generation to Generation Lupe Ruiz (right) poses with Karla Sanchez and Christina Chavez. Photos by Kayla Lasure
Boone Women Continue Passing Down Family Mexican Food Recipes Arcelia Alvarez and daughter Elizabeth operate Taqueria Doña Chelo.
Just outside Cornerstone Church in Boone, Taqueria Doña
Chelo, a little red food truck sits. Just nine minutes away, on N.C. 105, is the red and teal building of Taqueria El Paso. Connecting these two businesses is not only their authentic Mexican food but also the years of history behind the restaurants’ meals. Backing their recipes are the generations of women that came before Lupe Ruiz, owner of Taqueria El Paso, and Arcelia Alvarez, owner of Taqueria Doña Chelo. Both women co-own their restaurants with their husbands, but both places are a family affair. Lupe first learned how to cook when she was a child in Mexico. Her mother taught her and her siblings how to make the family recipes passed down to her from Lupe’s grandmother, leaving her
20 | July-August 2021
with fond memories of learning how to make homemade tortillas, enchiladas and other recipes that have become a staple in Taqueria El Paso. “It was a great experience because now we have our own restaurant, and we know how to make tortillas by hand, so that’s great,” Lupe says. In 2002, at the age of 15, she moved with her mother and sister to Boone to live with her brother. In the beginning, Lupe struggled with the transition but continued her love of food in the U.S. In high school, she took cooking and nutrition classes, where she learned about the food industry and how to prepare food. While taking classes, Lupe worked at a restaurant washing dishes and cleaning the tables. “It was hard in the beginning, but then I learned that you need to work to
succeed,” Lupe says. When her husband wanted to start a business, her time working in restaurants and learning how to cook from her family and school helped prepare her. Taking recipes from both her side of the family and her husband’s, they built the menu around tradition and authenticity. Now, customers can also experience Lupe’s family recipes, including her favorite — tacos with her mother’s homemade tortillas. “I think tacos are my favorite because we make the corn tortilla for the tacos, and that gives you a really good taste for tacos,” Lupe says. “If you want a chicken taco, it’s a homemade corn tortilla. That makes it a really authentic flavor.” However, using her family’s recipes isn’t the only thing she enjoys about aawmag.com
