Episode 71: Iliana de la Vega

Chef Iliana de la Vega won the prestigious James Beard Award for Best Restaurant in Texas in 2022. El Naranjo, the restaurant she owns and operates with her husband, means The Orange Tree and is regarded as the highest quality traditional Mexican restaurant in the state of Texas. But life wasn’t always filled with success and recognition. 

In 1997, Iliana opened the original El Naranjo in Oaxaca. Her life changed dramatically as political unrest forced the family out of Mexico a few years later. Settling in New Mexico until a visit to friends in Austin, Texas convinced Iliana that it was the right place for her, and she reopened El Naranjo there in 2012.

In this episode, we learn how Iliana first learned of the Oaxacan delicacies from her grandmother and how as a young girl in Mexico City used those earthy, smoky chiles and spices to cook authentic Mexican dishes with her mother. "My love for cooking began as a young girl, I enjoyed going to the market daily and traveling the country with my family tasting the flavors of the various regions,” says Iliana.

Iliana tells us how her love for teaching has helped her work with staff and operate her restaurant. "Patience is truly a virtue,” she tells us. "My signature Mole is a three-day process, so it's easy for me to understand that training staff takes time and repetition." Today her full-service traditional Mexican restaurant offers dinner service and a very popular Sunday brunch... Tomorrow may find us enjoying an additional concept as Iliana would like to offer her seasonal Mexican favorites in a less sophisticated, fast casual environment. We can’t wait!