SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Running a restaurant runs in Chantelle and Crystal Godinez’s blood, after all, they started running their parents’ birreria restaurant in Chula Vista at the age of 15.

So it makes sense that the natural next step was to go into the restaurant and hospitality business on their own accord.

“We were scheduling, managing the whole restaurant, creating relationships with customers, marketing, Instagram — so pretty much running the whole show,” said Chantelle. “We did that for, I want to say, about 10 years until we decided to part our ways.”

Their first venture on their own, Sunday Breakfast Society, opened near the Eastlake neighborhood in 2023.

But now the sisters have decided to take on something even more ambitious, opening a restaurant in North Park that combines elevated Mexican cuisine with ancestral roots in a 3,100-square-foot space on the corner of University Avenue and Iowa Street.

The stark white building stands out amongst the Holy Matchas and Seven Grands that also line the street.

From the beginning, the idea behind Carne y Hueso was to bring something different to the neighborhood known for its trendy bars and eateries.

“They wanted to know why it was all white, and what the reasoning was behind it, if it was a Mexican restaurant. Mexico has continued to evolve. It’s just that once it gets to the U.S., it’s a past trend in Mexico,” said Chantelle. “It’s not just bright colors and sombreros and all that. There’s also a lot of sophisticated design to it.”

The sisters originally planned to open the restaurant in 2024, but Chantelle said permits and opting for a more “minimalist” interior design presented challenges, which pushed the official opening date closer to December 2025.

Chantelle said that she and her sister always considered themselves “perfectionists,” which is also part of the reason their parents entrusted them at such a young age to run their business, and why everything with this new venture had to be exactly right before opening.

“Our family really taught us that hospitality — it’s not just a business, it’s more of a craft,” she said. “If people are giving you their time to be there and they’re giving you the opportunity to showcase whatever you have to tell, then you better take that responsibility serious.”

The sisters were also setting out to combine two worlds — what Chantelle described as the more sophisticated side of Mexico and its ancestral roots.

“It actually didn’t emerge from a standard business plan,” said Chantelle. “We wanted to bridge the gap between the true spirit of Mexico.”

A restaurant that came more so from a sentiment or feeling, a longing for Mexico.

“We saw that there was a need for that feeling of when you come back, let’s say, from vacation to Mexico to the U.S., and you’re left with that sentiment,” she said. “We didn’t find a place that would actually give you that same feeling.”

Part of recreating that feeling was sourcing ingredients for the restaurant’s menu directly from Mexico, like chiles directly imported from a specific region in Oaxaca or spices native to the Yucatan region for making mole.

Chantelle also said that their chefs use ancestral techniques to cook the food.

Those techniques shine through in menu items like huitlacoche tetela or cured nopal with heirloom tomatoes.

Looking ahead a few months after opening, Chantelle said she and her sister have high hopes for their latest venture.

“I think we have a story to tell,” said Chantelle. “We really are anticipating for it to be the best Mexican restaurant in San Diego.”

As far as being in business with a sibling, Chantelle said it’s a challenge, but also the reason why they both continue to put their best foot forward.

“We’re each other’s hardest critic, but we’re also each other’s biggest supporter,” said Chantelle. “We don’t just look at it as a business. It’s a shared vision. It’s a shared goal. It’s a shared dream.”

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