Latino Heritage month is so important to me because I am so incredibly proud of my Mexican heritage and I love the opportunity for the Latino community to take center stage. For me, it's also a wonderful yet sobering reminder of what my grandparents had to go through so many years ago.

As Mexican-Americans, they lived in a small latino community in South Phoenix and worked in the fields, picking citrus in order to provide for their family. With the extra money they made, they saved it in coffee cans buried in their backyard, hoping to save enough to one day open their own restaurant. They did just that and were able to open Ponchos in South Phoenix in 1972, using my Nana Isabel's Sonoran-style recipes.

Fast-forward to 1986 and Nana Isabel helped my parents open Someburros on Mill and Baseline serving up those same family recipes. Now for many years, I have been in charge of caring for those recipes and making sure that every taco and every side of refried beans taste just like my Nana used to make when I was a child.

For my family, food has always been a universal language of love and family connection. Latino Heritage Month is a time to reflect, honor, and share those deep-rooted traditions, flavors, and the journey that allowed us to open El Fogon Taqueria.

Seeing our recipes bring the community together, and becoming a part of our customers' family gatherings is a dream realized. Celebrating our heritage means keeping these traditions alive, sharing our culture proudly, and continuing to create a place where everyone feels at home.