About this experience
Spend an afternoon and evening in a working family kitchen. You will press masa into tortillas, help prep salsas and moles from recipes that are older than the building, and learn how the kitchen gets ready for a Friday night.
Then you take a station on the line during dinner service with a cook beside you. Between tickets Rafael talks about food costs, suppliers, staffing and what it means to keep a family business going through three generations.
Your day
- 2:00 PM
Kitchen tour and family story
Meet the team and hear how a lunch counter became a neighborhood institution.
30 min
- 2:30 PM
Masa and tortillas
Mix, press and cook tortillas by hand until yours pass inspection.
1 hr
- 3:30 PM
Prep for service
Help prep salsas, proteins and garnishes and learn how the line is set.
1 hr
- 4:30 PM
Family meal
Eat with the staff before doors open.
30 min
- 5:00 PM
Dinner rush
Work a station on the line with a cook, then talk business with Rafael as service winds down.
What’s included
- Family meal with the staff
- Chef apron to keep
- A printed family salsa recipe
Good to know
- Closed-toe, non-slip shoes are required in the kitchen; long pants recommended.
- Kitchens are hot and busy; guests work under a cook’s supervision and follow food-safety rules.
- Let the host know about food allergies before booking.
Your curator
Rafael Ortega22 years in restaurant kitchens, 10 as ownerRafael Ortega is the third generation to run his family’s restaurant, which his grandparents opened as a six-table lunch counter. He trained in restaurant kitchens in Houston before coming home to take over. Today the restaurant seats 120 and still makes every tortilla by hand.
View Rafael’s profile
