Mexican cuisine is one of the most subjective foods in the world. One can go to 100 different Mexican restaurants, and each one will have its own version of the same dish. There is no right or wrong way of making anything; as long as it tastes delicious. Chefs will add their own twist to traditional recipes to get the taste they like. In that vein, through years of experience, John is doing things his way in the hopes of delivering to you a Mexican taste extravaganza.

Here are a few examples of what John does differently to make the food healthier and more appealing:

Traditionally, Chiles Rellenos are peppers stuffed with cheese, dipped in egg batter and fried. Instead, John folds Poblano peppers around a thick slice of cheese and places them into mini-loaf pans, covering them with the egg batter and baking them until they’re golden-brown, light and fluffy. The result is a much healthier meal, free of the normal process of frying batter in oil.

Traditionally, when Tamales are made, pork lard is used for the fat in the masa (dough). However, John uses a blend of butter and peanut oil – the only oil found in his food truck.

Over the past decade, it has become common for many establishments to offer “Mongo” or “Huge” Burritos that include a large portion of white rice. John believes rice has no place inside a Burrito, as it’s only a cheap filler. A large 13” tortilla is needed, and along with the rice, half of the weight is starch. This only dilutes the flavours and adds to the cost.

Commercially grated cheese has cellulose (wood powder) to keep the shavings from clumping together. Here, John grates his own blend of Mozzarella and Jerseyland Organics White and Leicester Cheddars.

Commercial Tortilla chips are usually processed days and weeks before you eat them. John buys his custom-order corn tortillas directly from the factory, and they’re fried to order in peanut oil.

Many food outlets will use commercially processed and packaged sauces, proteins and produce. John makes every* sauce from scratch with fresh produce, his blend of four varieties of red chiles and spices. He takes all proteins from raw to the finished stage, and all produce (except frozen kernel corn), is fresh. Nothing is used directly from a can or jar.

John hates leaving any sauce and cheese stuck on the plate, so he bakes his Enchiladas and Chiles Rellenos on a bed of rice so nothing is left behind, resulting in a more value-added meal experience.

* Except imported authentic Mexican Green Sauce used in Salsa Verde.

In order to keep the menu-item descriptions brief & clear, words like “beef” and “cheese” are used, and described with further detail in the Glossary below.