Today we’d like to introduce you to Jose Torres.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jose. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up in the southern part of the state of Sonora, Mexico. After high school, I went to college in and got my degree in Industrial Engineering. I’ve always had a passion for food. My family all come from different parts of Mexico; so, I was exposed to very regional dishes and styles of cooking. I really enjoyed the time with my family and learning about the history of my family through food. After college, I came to Boston with the goal of learning English, it was a hot commodity for career advancement. Although that degree made my parents proud, I didn’t have a passion for engineering. When I got to Boston, I was interested in exploring my interest in culinary arts. I had some friends from my hometown who suggested El Pelon Taqueria and when I applied I found a few other friends from my home state that were already working there. The best part is when I tried the food, it was so close to the food we all ate back home. It was also an opportunity to learn every part of what went into making a successful restaurant. I started at the very bottom, washing dishes after a few years I move to prep and then as a cook. As my skill and language improved I was able to advance to the next level. It was a very open environment so with hard work and practice I was able to continue to advance as the restaurant grew
Has it been a smooth road?
The restaurant as survived two fires and almost 20 years in business. A neighboring business could fire in 2009, and we had to rebuild from the bottom up after a smaller fire two years earlier. I have helped rebuild twice and helped open the new location after the fire too. I’ve done pretty much every job in the restaurant, to even fixing things here and there. I began supervising the staff and was able to lead them because I have been their shoes starting out. It was also difficult because in Mexico it can be hard to move up the ranks in one company. It was also hard learning a language and new career at the same time. I have always found everyone in Boston was very welcoming. I was aware of differences in the cultures and customs, and at times it made me miss home. It took some time to adapt, but that experience helps me work with other people who may have gone through the same thing
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We are a small independent restaurant that has been in business for almost 20 years. We have two locations. We have our long time Fenway location, and about seven years ago we opened a second location in Brighton. We are well known in these neighborhoods and have an excellent reputation for authentic Mexican food. We have won a lot of awards and recognition. We have even been rated one of the top 10 burritos in the counter by FiveThirtyEight. The pride comes from all the people who have worked hard here over the years, we have accomplished a lot together I have personal and professionally grown, and our business is always evolving and adapting. People respect the care we put into the little things and how we stay true to making fresh, great tasting food from scratch each day and not taking short cuts. We still make our hot sauces from scratch daily. It’s the little things over time that matter and helps us stand out.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Boston is a great city to live and work in. It has been easy to attract workers because the quality of life in Boston is great.
Pricing:
- Hand Made Burritos starting $5.75
- Tacos starting at $2.00
- House made Horchata $2.00
Contact Info:
- Address: 92 Peterborough St
Boston Ma 02215
2197 Commonwealth Ave
Brighton Ma 02135 - Website: www.elpelon.com
- Phone: 617-262-9090
- Email: info@elpelon.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elpelontaqueria/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elpelontaqueria
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ElPelonTaqueria
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/el-pel%C3%B3n-taquer%C3%ADa-boston-3
- Other: https://www.yelp.com/biz/el-pelon-taqueria-brighton
Image Credit:
El Pelon
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