Our journey began in Puebla, Mexico, where I was born and raised between Puebla and Mexico City. When I was five, my parents made the difficult decision to migrate to California in search of a better future. My siblings and I stayed behind with our grandparents for six months. When my father finally returned to bring us to California, we left with nothing but the clothes on our backs and the determination to start over. California shaped my childhood and teenage years, but in 2000, we packed up once again—leaving everything behind except what we could carry—and moved to North Carolina. Each move meant beginning again, but through it all, we held onto our traditions, our resilience, and our love for family and food.

Puebla’s cuisine is rich in history and flavor—mole, tacos, and fried masa snacks infused with spices like cocoa, vanilla, epazote, and a variety of chiles. These flavors are woven into my earliest memories. My grandparents were farmers who grew and raised their own food, and my grandmother, as a child, worked as a maid in a convent, where she learned to prepare meals for the priests. That love for cooking carried through generations. My father left home at 15 to join the restaurant industry in Mexico City, working as a waiter and bartender in high-end establishments where only politicians dined. Cooking and hospitality were in his blood, and over time, they became a part of mine too.

Family has always been at the center of everything we do. In the early ‘90s, when my brother suffered a brain injury in a terrible accident, we became even more united. We leaned on each other, supported one another, and found strength in our closeness. And food was always there—bringing us together, reminding us of home, and keeping our culture alive.

Fifteen years later, we discovered a letter my father had written to my grandfather, revealing his dream of opening a restaurant where we could all work together. That dream came true with Chile Loco.

Every recipe we use comes straight from my grandmother’s kitchen—the salsas, the mole, the spice blends that season our meats. Some of my fondest memories are of my grandfather butchering a cow while my uncles prepared corn for nixtamal to make tortillas, and my grandmother grinding chiles on a molcajete for salsa. Cooking wasn’t just about making food; it was about preserving our heritage and honoring the generations before us.

Beyond the food, my family has always had a heart for hospitality. My parents opened our home to new immigrants, offering them a place to stay and a job to help them get on their feet. That same spirit of generosity is alive in Chile Loco, where everyone who walks through our doors is treated like family.

Sharing our journey has been a blessing. Chile Loco is more than a restaurant—it’s a place where tradition, hard work, and love come together in every dish. We invite you to stop by and be part of our tradition here in the mountains of Western North Carolina.  Sit at our table, taste the flavors of our heritage, and become part of our story.