Commentary: Taco María, a restaurant that felt like home

I came to Taco María in Costa Mesa at a formative time in life, almost accidentally. I was 29, a reporter sent to film chef and owner Carlos Salgado making guacamole, a unique interpretation that included concord grapes. The short video was to accompany a review written by the resident food critic at the magazine I was working for at the time. I returned to try the food for myself with my Mexican parents, and we left impressed. A few months later, looking for a part-time gig to supplement my entry-level income, I answered a help-wanted ad at Taco María for a server. It was 2014.

This week, Taco María announced it would close its doors on July 29. As one of the three Michelin-starred restaurants in Orange County, the restaurant’s absence will leave a hole in the county’s culinary landscape. It will also leave a hole in my heart.

I worked at Taco María as a server for three years, and although I worked my last shift there as full-time employee in 2016, I returned often to have dinner or to fill in as a back server when someone called out.

Many things set Taco María apart from the other restaurants I worked at before. Each night before service, after family meal had been put away and lineup was over, the few minutes staff had to dim the lights and turn on the music were electric. When the door was unlocked and the first table was seated, a controlled energy imbued the room that wouldn’t subside until the last ticket was stabbed.

One carnitas and one fish taco, served on handmade blue corn tortillas at Taco María.

(Sarah Mosqueda)

And then there was the food. Taco María became known for many dishes: Aguachile. Duck Mole. Mushroom Chorizo. Taco María served the best fish taco I have ever had in my life, and it remains the standard by which all subsequent fish tacos have been measured: beer-battered black cod on a handmade blue corn tortilla slicked with burnt scallion aioli and topped with lime-dressed cabbage and usually some kind of seasonal fruit. It was a masterpiece.

What I will miss more than the dining experience and the food however, is the work environment Salgado and his wife and general manager Emilie Coulson Salgado cultivated.

Professionally, the standards were high. A certain level of integrity was expected from every employee and a level of care for the job we did, whether grilling meat or making tortillas or polishing wine glasses or washing dishes. We strove to work at the caliber of a Michelin-star restaurant, even though at the time Michelin didn’t give stars in Orange County. I learned about sourcing ingredients responsibly. My eyes were opened to the many ways my Latinx culture was consistently devalued by a society that believed tacos should cost a dollar. Food became political. We were given the day off to vote. I was compensated well and even moved into a new tax bracket. Emilie taught me how to make granola. Lessons in hospitality stretched beyond the dining room and served me in my life outside the restaurant.

Personally, I learned to be proud of the Mexican food I grew up eating. I felt connected to my cultural identity in a way I never had before. A Pulitzer-prize winning writer, a Chicano studies professor and many famous chefs dined at Taco María, and I had the opportunity to meet them all. My co-workers became friends, and those friends became family. I fell in love. I met my husband, Ryan Garlitos, a sous chef with Taco María since the food truck days. We took our engagement photos at the restaurant because it made more sense to us and our story than a beach or field at sunset.

Sarah Mosqueda and Ryan Garlitos outside Taco María, where the couple first met.

(Josie Elle Photography)

When we learned of Taco María’s closing, my husband remarked that it felt like learning your parents had sold your childhood home. A home can be more than a house or more than the place you live. Home is where you feel the most like the best version of yourself.

The Salgados have assured diners they will reopen in a new location that feels more like a proper fit than the tiny restaurant at SoCo ever did. While I look forward to the new space wherever it ends up, for me Taco María always felt like home.