Committed to Kansas City

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Many of you may know José as the chef from the former Agave Restaurant in Parkville. After several years working with other restaurateurs in upscale communities in California and a resort in Cabo San Lucas, the Barreras came to Kansas City to work with Agave. After settling in, they discovered they loved our city. No surprise to the rest of us who also love Kansas City, but for a family that had lived in some of the most glamorous areas of the continent, it was—shall we say—unexpected?

Their reasons are what we all have come to take for granted: opportunity, friendliness, supportive community, great resources, impressive culture, low traffic, and a great place to raise a family—which they started doing right away. Now José’s third little one is on the way. With grandma and grandpa and Uncle Cecilio joining the family, they are gladly laying down roots here.

After Agave, they were left with a decision. Do they seek out yet another restaurateur or strike out on their own? The strength of their family and commitment to Kansas City gave them the answer.  Their decision to open their own restaurant in the Northland was quickly rewarded. With a near cult-like following, they are watching with wide-eyed joy as their dream of creating high quality, authentic Mexican food as a family is being realized.

Thinking About Cinco de Mayo

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Cinco de Mayo is the celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. Many people incorrectly think it is the equivalent of the 4th of July in the United States. If you’re in Mexico, we celebrate El Dia de la Batalla de Puebla (The Day of the Battle of Puebla), where we won an unlikely victory over the French military. Here in the United States, Cinco de Mayo is a day where we celebrate our Mexican pride and the cause of freedom and democracy.

In the Barrera family, our love of food comes from our proud Mexican heritage.  Cooking together was a time of building strong relationships and trust.  Today, each recipe created goes through rigorous family testing (yum!) to ensure it remains authentic to our Mexican roots while appealing to the sophisticated palettes of modern foodies.

Our ceviche is a great example. Ceviche is a popular seafood dish from the area of Mexico where our family originated. The shrimp we use is “cooked” by marinating in the fresh citrus juices and chili peppers. We add just the right amount of seasoning and avocado to complement the flavors. We always prepare it fresh to provide a healthy, beautiful eating experience.