http___www.palmsprings.com_blog_ga_palmsprings-com-spotlight-an-interview-with-felipe-castaneda-of-el-mirasol-cocina__1.xml
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Felipe Castañeda at El Mirasol Felipe and Lisbet Castañeda are natives of the small ranching town of Tepechitlan, Zacatecas, an area with a proud culinary history that borders Jalisco’s famous Tequila region. Since opening El Mirasol Cocina Mexicana in the Spring of 1985, the Castañedas have seen their tiny original restaurant grow into two busy Palm Springs locations: El Mirasol South and El Mirasol at the Los Arboles Hotel. El Mirasol South is still in the original location they opened in 1985. The restaurant is a landmark in Palm Springs and enjoys a bustling atmosphere, small bar and outside tables on East Palm Canyon Drive. The newest El Mirasol at the Los Arboles Hotel features a lush garden patio setting and an expanded bar area. KB: El Mirasol has been part of Palm Springs for 28 years. What prompted you and your wife Lisbet to open a restaurant back in 1985? FC: I grew up in the shadow of my father, helping him to prepare fresh foods for his small restaurant. I was taught the value of quality ingredients, to be fair to your customers and to work hard at a very young age. There was no other path for me to choose that would have brought myself and my family the joy that opening El Mirasol did in 1985. FC: When we bought Los Arboles, it was a run down, falling apart property that we didn’t know what to do with! We bought the property in 1999 and put it into mothballs for 8 years before construction and renovation began in 2008. It took three years to completely remake the property, but it was well worth the investment. We are very proud of our new hotel and our customers seem pleased too! You might find it funny to know that Lisbet and I thought that running a hotel couldn’t be too much different from running our restaurants, but we soon found that it’s a completely different animal. Luckily, we surrounded ourselves with great people—experts in their field—and we soon had the entire operation up and running. KB: I understand your next project is a catering division for both on-site and off-site event catering? Tell me more about that—why the decision to open a catering division, and what will your specialty or focus be? FC: We have built a loyal and wonderful client base at the restaurants and they continually asked us to cater for them. We found that we were catering but with no real rhyme or reason. So last year we decided to create a catering menu and to open this new division so that the same great, quality that we put out every single day in our restaurants are now available to our catering guests as well. Currently we are capable of catering parties of 20 to 125, but soon we’ll be able to handle almost any size of event. KB: I’ve long enjoyed dining at the original El Mirasol, and my favorite dish is your chicken mole. I know that Mexican food traditions go back for generations in your family. Is this an old family recipe? FC: Ah, that’s a family secret that’s well known! I will also tell you this…every single recipe that we use is from our family. Each has a little of my family or Lisbet’s family tree in it. We are committed to keeping our family food traditions alive through our restaurants for generations to come! KB: Both your restaurants are known for their welcoming hospitality and passion for traditional Mexican flavors and wholesome ingredients. What are your favorite dishes, or is that like naming a favorite child? FC: Funny! Every dish is my favorite! KB: A family business has its own unique dynamics. What’s been your experience in creating a thriving restaurant business alongside your wife, Lisbet (co-owner and co-founder of El Mirasol)? FC: Lisbet and I are a team. We have created a beautiful family together and a business that we are very proud of. Whoever said that working with your wife was not fun, has never worked with Lisbet! She is my inspiration! KB: What’s your restaurant philosophy—your mission statement? FC: Simply put: We strive to deliver wholesome, handmade, delicious foods to every customer every day. Nothing more needs to be said I think. KB: Tell me more about your background—is it true that when you immigrated to the US, you taught yourself English by listening to popular music? FC: “The Beatles” and the “I Love Lucy” television series… I will always be indebted to both of them! KB: What made you decide to settle in Palm Springs? FC: I was working in LA and as much fun as LA is, it was a little too fast-paced for this Mexican native. I was drawn to the desert and to its warm temperatures and welcoming people. I have never regretted that decision. KB: When you’re not busy transforming the dining experiences of Greater Palm Springs, what do you and Lisbet enjoy doing in your spare time? FC: Spare time?? I’m laughing because our time is given gratefully to our children and our business. Both bring more joy to our lives that we deserve. I’m a simple man with simple tastes. My life is perfect! KB: And what do you love most about Palm Springs? FC: Absolutely all of it! The great people that live, work and call this town home. I’m in debt to each and every one of our residents for giving me the opportunity to build my business, to raise my children and to enjoy life in this paradise. Thank you!
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Felipe Castañeda ag El Mirasol Tá Felipe agus Lisbet Castañeda natives an bhaile ranching beag de Tepechitlan, Zacatecas, ceantar a bhfuil stair cócaireachta bródúil go teorainneacha réigiún Tequila cáiliúil Jalisco ar. Ós rud é oscailt El Mirasol Cocina Mexicana in Earrach 1985, tá an Castañedas feicthe a bialann bunaidh beag bídeach fás i dhá gnóthach áiteanna Palm Springs: El Mirasol Theas agus El Mirasol in Óstán LOS ARBOLES. Is el Mirasol Theas fós sa suíomh bunaidh oscail siad i 1985. Is é an bhialann sainchomhartha i Palm Springs agus taitneamh atmaisféar fuadar, barra beag agus táblaí taobh amuigh ar Thoir Palm Canyon Drive. An El Mirasol newest ag an Óstán LOS ARBOLES gnéithe lush leagan PATIO gairdín agus limistéar bar leathnaithe. KB: El Mirasol Tá cuid de Palm Springs ar feadh 28 bliain. Cad a spreag tú féin agus do bhean chéile Lisbet a oscailt bialann ar ais sa bhliain 1985? FC: D'fhás mé suas faoi scáth mo athair, ag cabhrú leis le bianna úra a ullmhú le haghaidh a bialann beag. Bhí mhúin mé an luach na gcomhábhar cáilíochta, a bheith cothrom ar do chustaiméirí agus ag obair go crua ag aois an-óg. Ní raibh aon cosán eile dom a roghnú a bheadh a thug mé féin agus mo theaghlach an-áthas go raibh oscailt El Mirasol i 1985. FC: Nuair a cheannaigh muid LOS ARBOLES, go raibh sé ina rith síos, ag titim ó chéile maoin nach raibh a fhios againn cad atá le déanamh leis! Cheannaigh muid an mhaoin i 1999 agus chuir sé isteach mothballs do 8 mbliana sular thosaigh tógála agus athchóirithe i 2008. Thóg sé trí bliana a remake go hiomlán ar an maoin, ach bhí sé fiú go maith an infheistíocht. Táimid an-bhródúil as ár n-óstán nua agus is cosúil sásta lenár gcustaiméirí freisin! D'fhéadfá a fháil greannmhar go mbeadh a fhios go bhfuil Lisbet agus mé shíl go reáchtáil óstán nach bhféadfaí a bheith i bhfad ró-éagsúil ó reáchtáil ár bialanna, ach fuair muid go luath go bhfuil sé ina ainmhí go hiomlán difriúil. Luckily, timpeallaithe muid féin le mór daoine-saineolaithe ina réimse-agus bhí againn go luath ar an oibríocht ar fad ar bun agus a reáchtáil. KB: Tuigim go bhfuil do thionscadal eile rannán lónadóireachta don dá ar an láthair agus lasmuigh den láthair imeacht lónadóireachta? Inis dom níos mó faoi sin-cén fáth an cinneadh a oscailt rannán lónadóireachta, agus cad a bheidh do speisialtachta nó fócas a bheith? FC: Táimid tar éis tógtha bonn cliant dílis agus iontach ag na bialanna agus d'iarr siad go leanúnach orainn chun freastal dóibh. Fuair muid go raibh muid ag freastal ach gan aon rann réadach nó ar chúis. Mar sin, an bhliain seo caite shocraigh muid a chruthú roghchlár lónadóireachta agus a oscailt an roinn nua seo ionas go mbeidh an céanna mór, cáilíocht a chuir muid amach gach lá amháin i ár bialanna ar fáil anois chun ár n-aíonna lónadóireachta chomh maith. Faoi láthair táimid in ann na páirtithe lónadóireachta de 20 go 125, ach is gearr go beidh orainn a bheith in ann déileáil le beagnach ar aon mhéid de imeacht. KB: Tá mé le fada taitneamh as bia ag an bunaidh El Mirasol, agus is é mo is fearr leat mhias do caochÚn sicín. Tá a fhios agam a théann traidisiúin bia Mheicsiceo ar ais do na glúine atá i do theaghlach. An é seo an t-oideas teaghlaigh d'aois? FC: Ah, go bhfuil rún teaghlaigh go bhfuil ar eolas go maith! Beidh mé insint duit freisin seo ... gach oideas amháin a úsáid againn Is as ár teaghlaigh. Gach Tá beagán de mo theaghlach nó crann teaghlaigh Lisbet ar ann. Táimid tiomanta a choimeád ár dtraidisiúin bia teaghlaigh beo tríd ár bialanna do na glúine atá le teacht! KB: Tá an dá ar do bialanna is eol do a fáilteachais fáilteach agus paisean do blasanna Mheicsiceo traidisiúnta agus comhábhair folláin. Cad iad do miasa is fearr leat, nó go bhfuil cosúil le ainmniú leanbh is fearr leat? FC: Greannmhar! Tá gach mhias is fearr liom! KB: Tá gnó teaghlaigh a dinimic uathúil féin. Cad atá curtha ar do thaithí i ngnó bialann rathúil a chruthú taobh do bhean, Lisbet (comh-úinéir agus comhbhunaitheoir de El Mirasol)? Tá Lisbet agus mé ar fhoireann: FC. Táimid tar éis a chruthaigh teaghlaigh álainn le chéile agus gnó a bhfuil muid an-bhródúil as. Whoever dúirt nach raibh ag obair le do bhean chéile spraoi riamh, d'oibrigh le Lisbet! Tá sí mo inspioráid! KB: Cad é do ráiteas fealsúnachta-do misean bialann? FC: chur ort ach: Déanfaimid ár ndícheall chun folláin, lámhdhéanta, bianna delicious a sheachadadh do gach custaiméir gach lá. Riachtanais Ní dhéanfaidh aon ní níos mó a rá I mo thuairimse. KB: Inis dom níos mó faoi do chúlra-go bhfuil sé fíor go bhfuil nuair a immigrated tú chuig na Stáit Aontaithe, mhúin tú féin Béarla ag éisteacht le ceol tóir? FC: "The Beatles" agus an tsraith teilifíse "I love Lucy" ... beidh mé i gcónaí faoi chomaoin an mbeirt acu! KB: Cad a rinne shocraíonn tú a réiteach i Palm Springs? FC: Bhí mé ag obair i LA agus spraoi oiread agus is LA, bhí sé beagán ró luas tapa ar an dúchais Mheicsiceo. Tarraingíodh mé go dtí an Desert agus a teocht te agus daoine fáilteach. Ní raibh mé riamh aiféala an cinneadh sin. KB: Nuair nach bhfuil tú gnóthach ag athrú an taithí itheacháin na Mhórcheantar Palm Springs, cad a dhéanann tú, agus taitneamh a bhaint as Lisbet dhéanamh i do am spártha? FC: am spártha ?? Tá mé ag gáire toisc go bhfuil ár gcuid ama a thabhairt go buíoch dár bpáistí agus ár ngnó. An dá áthas níos mó a thabhairt ar ár saol atá tuillte againn. Tá mé fear simplí le cách simplí. Is é mo shaol foirfe! KB: Agus cad a dhéanann tú grá an chuid is mó mar gheall ar Palm Springs? FC: Cinnte go léir é! Na daoine iontach go bhfuil cónaí, obair agus glaoch ar an baile dúchais. Tá mé i bhfiacha do gach uile cheann dár gcónaitheoirí le haghaidh a thabhairt ar an deis a thógáil mo ghnó, a ardú mo pháistí agus taitneamh a bhaint as an saol sa Paradise dom. Go raibh maith agat!