Meet Ángel & Ángel | Promoters of traditional Mexican cuisine

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ángel & Ángel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ángel & Ángel, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
For us, making the decision to become independent from a conventional labor system was a decision that did not cost us much to make. We felt frustrated about those long hours of work and we took the initiative to begin to shape our dreams.

We both have a great passion for cooking, and we knew that working in a restaurant kitchen was not the best option for us. That is how we began to develop products and cooking workshops with a healthy and traditional approach.

We worked hard on promotion, going to events, knocking on doors in small establishments where they promote organic products, and when we least expected it, we began to gain a place among the people who appreciated what we were doing.

I think that the key to being able to start your project independently is promotion, contact with customers and offering quality in what you do.

Our market is mostly women, we love and enjoy having the support of all of them because they undoubtedly appreciate and value what we do.

It is important to define who your project is aimed for and what reasons you are focusing it on that sector.

I am sure that without the support of all the people who have been part of this adventure, we would not have achieved this growth.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Our project and lifestyle have been of great inspiration to many people who want to start creating a life with greater connection with nature. In current times where stress and emotional problems are more and more frequent, many people want to find a solution to their situation. Having this project has also been supportive to people looking for a space to feel silent, and it is also an opportunity to share with people who want are looking to learn new ways of living.

At Casa de los Cirios, we have a variety of workshops so that people can learn about our food culture. We share about corn and its uses, the nixtamalization processes, about the variety of fresh and dried chilies, as well as the importance of cacao in our culture and how the roasting and grinding process is carried out. In addition to the cooking workshops we have special guests who come here to share about experiences with traditional mexican cuisine worksops and dining service, temazcal, art and music. We also attend for prívate groups.

It is truly a pride and satisfaction to be able to provide people with this knowledge and at the same time we are enriched with new ideas and projects.

It has not been difficult to achieve this journey, honestly when you focus on the present it is much more comfortable to work like this, without thinking about what you want to achieve, simply enjoying what you are doing at the moment. We have never been ambitious. We only think about how much we would like to continue beautifying this space in order to give people a more enriching experience.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
In Mexico there are 132 “Pueblos Magicos” which translates to Magical Towns, this name is a recognition that is given to the town for being a place that offers experiences of value, history and cultural wealth to people.

In Baja California, Tecate is the only place that has this recognition. And yes we agree, it has magic! Here lies the history of our original peoples, our native cultures called Yumanos.

Undoubtedly one of the experiences that we like to show to the people who visit us is first to tell them that the place where we live is not just a simple desert and much less that the flora is just bushes and cacti. Here there is a great diversity of native and medicinal plants, as well as impressive trails where, in addition to appreciating the natural terroir, you could travel back in time and h experience cave paintings when you visit Vallecitos, about 15 minute drive from here.

La Rumorosa is a place with majestic beauty, which is very worthy visiting plus it is the perfect place to appreciate the night sky and stars.

In Tecate there are also vineyards, without a doubt it would be a must to visit the wine producers.

The gastronomy here is delicious, there are renowned restaurants in the culinary field that are undoubtedly worth knowing, also the production of craft beer is unfolding and there are incredible proposals.

Tecate is a quiet place, where you can feel an atmosphere of country life. Here, people don’t live in so much fast pace, everything is much calmer compared to Tijuana, where it is more common to enjoy the loud nightlife.

If what you are looking for is to enjoy a weekend experience with very relaxed activities, you can write to us and we will gladly share with you.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Our knowledge is mainly with the rich culture that we have in our country. All the inspiration for what we do is deeply linked to the ‘cocineras tradicionales’ of Mexico. These women who live in rural communities in different towns still preserve their roots and knowledge on so many topics, such as food and traditional medicine. And that’s what food is, medicine for our hearts. How many memories are there behind each dish, family stories and unique details that magnify with great devotion the love we now feel for our gastronomy.

Traveling through Mexico enriches you a lot, educates you and teaches you so much about the origin.