NT Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 102, No. 13, Ed. 1 Tuesday, February 25, 2014 Page: 3 of 12
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TUESDAY, FEB. 25, 2014
FEATURES 3
illl
R
enton s taco culture
obed htiue
Senior Staff Writer
Within a one-mile stretch on East
McKinney Street, past the Denton
Square and the railroad tracks, sit
four small, rest-stop style restaurants.
These taco shops, or taquerias, as
they are called in Spanish, represent
a different side of the independent
business identity of Denton. From
2000 to 2010, Denton's Hispanic pop-
ulation grew by more than 35,000 lo-
cal residents.
Carlos Nunez Jr., second in com-
mand at Taqueria Guanajuato, said
that he has seen a lot more Hispan-
ics since his parents opened the res-
taurant in June 2006.
"There's definitely a lot more His-
panic people now," Nunez said.
"We've been here for a while already.
We've had customers that have been
coming since we opened."
Nunez said the restaurant sees a
variety in its clientele on a daily ba-
sis, from curious university students
to next-door neighbors.
"We try to keep it as authentic as
we can," Nunez said. "We tiy to keep
it as fresh, too."
Michelle Cunningham, economic
development office for the city of
Denton, said the variety in the mar-
ket is representative of the popula-
tion change as well as the blending
of cultures.
"Good food speaks to everyone
regardless of their gender, ethnicity
or any thing else," Cunningham said.
"We Texans love our Mexican food."
As far as business goes, Cunning-
ham said, there is an added bonus to
students and locals not only enjoying
TOP: Gricelda Soma no hands a customer
extra salsa Feb. 14.
MIDDLE: From left: chicken, carne asada and
al pastor tacos from La Estrella Mini Mart,
Chef and owner Rodolfo Samano periodi-
cally prepares the cuts.
BOTTOM: Raymundo Nunez covers his tacos
with salsa de molcajete (mortar and pestle
mashed sauce) Feb. 17.
Photos by Obed Manuel, Senior Staff Writer
a different culture but also support-
ing small businesses.
"If you're a student who comes
to UNT and you don't have any ex-
posure to other cultures other than
the ubiquitous fast food culture, you
have the chance to try authentic lo-
cal food," Cunningham said. "I don't
see how there couldn't be anything
but positive consequences that col-
lege students have access to afford-
able meals."
Jose Ralat-Maldonado, food and
beverage editor for Cowboys and
Indians Magazine, said the taquerias
bring more than a different style of
eating.
"These people work in basic ano-
nymity and they have amazing sto-
ries that help build communities,"
Ralat-Maldonado said. "They're just
as valuable as the tacos they sell and
as the people who eat those tacos."
Ralat-Maldonado said he has eat-
en at about 500 taquerias, mostly in
the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He said
the affordability of the meals at ta-
querias is an added benefit for uni-
versity students.
"If you don't have a lot of money,
only a couple of bucks, you could
probably get a taco," Ralat-Maldona-
do said. "They offer students a quick
fix, something they can afford."
Gricelda Samano, owner of La
Estrella Mini Market, said what she
enjoys most when running her small
business is the fact that she can offer
meals to palates that are not accus-
tomed to eating this kind of food.
"We're able to show them and to
share with them our culture because
tacos is our culture," Samano said.
Samano, an international business
senior at UNT, said that her taqueria
and the others in the area also offer
the growing Hispanic population a
sense of familiarity,
"What I think we can offer is a
sense of belonging. A sense of eat-
ing the food that you grew up with,"
Samano said.
Around the crack of midday, a
customer walked in to the cramped
space at La Estrella and said to Sa-
mano, "I hear you make good tacos."
Samano smiled and responded,
"We have the best tacos."
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Darnell, William A. NT Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 102, No. 13, Ed. 1 Tuesday, February 25, 2014, newspaper, February 25, 2014; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth531888/m1/3/: accessed June 11, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.