Taco Week is underway at La Taqueria Mexican Street Tacos, and behind the scenes, it takes days of preparation to keep up with demand.<\/p>\n
Co-owner and chef Cristhel Pipper, along with her husband and co-owner Lyle Jackman, says the work begins long before customers arrive, with hundreds of chiles cleaned and large quantities of meat prepared from scratch.<\/p>\n
Last weekend at the food truck battle, she says the kitchen processed roughly 400 kilograms of beef used in dishes like birria and adobo.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody can fool me. I tell Lyle, this is not real tomato paste. They just open a can, right? I know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pipper draws on her upbringing on the Gulf of Mexico in Veracruz, Mexico, where she learned traditional cooking methods that continue to shape the restaurant\u2019s menu.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn order to get a good taste, you have to do it the way we do it in Mexico.\u201d<\/p>\n
Related Stories<\/p>\n
A focus on authenticity in every taco<\/p>\n
During Taco Week, the restaurant is featuring homemade items including its Chicken Tinga taco, made with Pipper\u2019s signature red salsa.<\/p>\n
\u201cI try to find the proper salsa that goes with the taco.\u201d<\/p>\n
She says that attention to detail is what sets the food apart, with much of the preparation happening well before service begins.<\/p>\n
From professor in Mexico to restaurant co-owner in Winnipeg<\/p>\n
Pipper was a university professor in Mexico before moving to Canada in 2019 after marrying co-owner Lyle Jackman. The couple launched La Taqueria in 2021.<\/p>\n
Since then, she says the business has grown into more than a restaurant; it has become a workplace built on community and support.<\/p>\n
She credits staff members, many originally from Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia, for helping create that environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey apply because their English isn\u2019t very good, and they know that they can feel comfortable because it\u2019s all Spanish.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pipper also shared how that support became especially meaningful during a challenging period for her family.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey supported me when my husband was at the hospital for three months. I would go and cook in the middle of the night and then be at his side from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. So I mean, I love my staff because they have shown me that they are there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Outdoor seating planned for Taco Week<\/p>\n
As part of Taco Week, La Taqueria is also setting up picnic tables outside so customers can enjoy fresh tacos in the warmer weather.<\/p>\n
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