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In September 2022, we were invited to try some dishes from the new brunch menu at the Yukon Street location of La Taqueria, a chainlet of Mexican street-food restaurants that began in 2009 as a single, narrow counter-service room in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and has since expanded to five bustling outlets in Vancouver, North Vancouver, Burnaby and Victoria, plus a food truck that can usually be found on West Georgia Street in Downtown Vancouver.
This was La Taqueria’s first attempt to become a part of the city’s tirelessly competitive, hugely lucrative brunch wars, and we arrived with no expectations other than to not leave hungry. What we experienced was, quite simply, one of the best meals we’d have that year, as well as one of the most unique and revelatory successions of brunch dishes we’d had in our lives.
These dishes shared one thing in common: They were each the creation of La Taqueria’s then-new executive chef, Maria Ponce, who had recently relocated to Vancouver from her native Mexico despite having never set foot in the city (or anywhere else in Canada) before. Since then, Maria has elevated the food at La Taqueria — as well as at the Michelin-recommended Chupito — to new heights of creativity and deliciousness.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
What’s your earliest memory of being taken to a restaurant?
It’s funny, because Chupito has something to do with it. Where I’m from is Navojoa, a little town in the north of Mexico, and it’s a desert but it’s also beach. My dad took me there and I used to eat the paté de camarón all the time, so it’s the one we now have at Chupito. I think I was three years old, and I learned how to tie my shoes, so it’s also a memory that I have of that restaurant.
You learned to tie your shoes at the restaurant?
Yeah. There was a kid there — the child of the owner — who taught me how to do it. She was older, but she used to play with me.
Was there one particular meal or restaurant that made you want to be a chef?
No. I think it was just my whole life, because I used to eat so well … My mom doesn’t eat pork or shrimp [for religious reasons] — she’s practically Jewish! So, my dad used to make something for her, something for me, and something for my brother and him. It was like a buffet all the time. My dad also loved to make a really big meal on Sundays.
But [in terms of] restaurants, it was my first internship, at the Greenbrier. It’s a huge restaurant and an amazing hotel in West Virginia, in a little town called White Sulphur Springs. They [the head chefs] were really rough there, but that was when I knew, “I want this.”
Had you spent any time in the U.S. before that?
No. This was a one-year internship from my college.
It must have been a huge culture shock. It’s one thing to go to New York or L.A. But West Virginia…
There’s nothing there! It’s a little town, but the hotel is enormous. That was where I was like, “OK. I want to do this the rest of my life.”
What kind of food were you cooking there?
It was fine dining, but the hotel has five restaurants: it has a steakhouse, it has breakfast… But it was the people there: they used to hit me, burn me, yell at me.
They hit you?
Yeah, like this. (mimes a little jostle) But not in a bad way; in a good way, to say, “Hey, you can do this.” And I loved it! The chef would say [in an encouraging tone], “Hey, you’re tough! You can do this!” And I’d be like, “Yes, yes, yes!”
How old were you then?
Nineteen.
Had you worked in restaurant kitchens in Mexico before that?
No. Never.
Oh, wow! And I assume the dishes you were cooking there were very different from anything you would’ve been eating at home.
Yes, of course — it was fine dining. And it was so disciplined, but so good! And all the kids in the internship were the same as me; they were like, “It’s not about the money. I want to do this.”
How many other cities did you live in before you came to Vancouver?
Well, there was another internship in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; and then I went to Amsterdam and Manchester, and then I went to other parts of Mexico: Ensenada and Guadalajara.
So how did you end up here in Vancouver?
My last restaurant job was with the father of Marcelo [Ramirez Romero, owner of La Taqueria and La Mezcaleria]; I worked there five years with him. He’s the best; really a good man. He was like my dad there, and that’s how I met Marcelo. And I started making recipes for La Mezcaleria, and for Chupito during their first year, even when I wasn’t [living in Vancouver]. And the chef who was at La Mezcaleria, Marianna [Gabilondo], went to Mexico and we worked together for a week or two, and she came back with new ideas. I continued sending recipes, then Marcelo told me about the job and I was like, “Yes!”
You didn’t visit here first to make sure you liked the city?
No. (laughs)
How did you know it would be a good fit for you?
I didn’t. I asked Marcelo questions, like, “Where should I live there?” But I didn’t know anything about Vancouver.
What was your first impression?
I loved it from the first day.
Did you arrive on a sunny day?
No. I arrived on the worst day in the year and a half I’ve lived here. But I loved it anyway. I spent seven hours in the airport without eating, without water. Nothing.
Because of immigration?
Because of immigration. It was nothing bad. They [the officers] were changing shifts, and this and that. And then COVID [tests]. And I was like, “I’m so hungry! I’m so thirsty! I just want to get out of here.” And then I took a cab to my Airbnb, where Marcelo was waiting for me. It was raining — the worst rain I’d ever seen. Really, really hard. The next day, my best childhood friend, who was living here, took me to breakfast.
Do you remember where you had breakfast?
The restaurant with the sun [in the logo].
Cora??
Yes, that’s the one.
Oh, no! Their food is terrible!
I know. I never went back after that. (laughs)
What was the first great meal you had here?
It’s a shame, because now it’s closed, but Ubuntu Canteen. And then Kissa Tanto. Como Taperia was love at first sight: If you want a drink, you just go; if it’s after work, you just go; if you want a really good meal, you just go. Savio Volpe also.
When you first looked at the menu at La Taqueria, before you had the opportunity to put your stamp on it, what did you think was missing, or that you thought you could bring to it that wasn’t already there?
It was good — I’m not sure if I’m saying this right — but a little more flavour, because there was no one here to train people all the time, because you need [consistency], teaching the cooks techniques, different kinds of skills. For example, the first time I did something here was for breakfast, and it was so different for all of them. And now, I believe, after one year and eight months, the cooks think differently, their vision is different. They want to be more like cooks, rather than just plating.
Was anybody within the company nervous about how these sorts of dishes would appeal to Vancouver diners?
Yes, all of us, because when you do something the same way for so many years, it’s hard. We didn’t remove [any of the dishes]; just, every day, trying to make it better.
So now, more than a year later, La Taqueria has a new location [at the Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby]. How would you say the overall response has been to what you’ve brought to the restaurants?
It wasn’t easy, because people tend to not like change: “Hey, what’s going on? Why is it different?” And we now have table service instead of counter service. But I believe people understand us now. We knew it would be hard, but now we’re on the right path.
What’s your favourite restaurant in Vancouver right now?
I’m gonna stick with Como.
(Photo: Ruben Nava)
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