Steam rises from cauldrons of molcajete, a ruddy, rustic consume drips from tender birria, the mellow sweetness of shrimp swoons under the elusive gaze of seasoning that kindles the senses.
By any culinary measure, La Casa del Sazón is a success. There are three locations – two in Salinas, one in downtown Monterey. A fourth sit-down location is under consideration.
The restaurants follow the slow food ethic. Only after an order is placed does one hear the aria of patting, tapping and sizzling from the kitchen. Cooks prepare just a few necessary items in advance. The tortillas are made from scratch and the masa shaped to order, for instance. For recipes that require time, such as moles, they work in small batches.
“We don’t like to freeze stuff,” explains Marcos Maravilla. “If you have to freeze it, we prefer not to sell it.”
The family restaurant – mom, dad, sister and brother (Marcos, who acts as general manager) – shares recipes passed down through generations but given personal flair. It’s the nature of home cooking, and guests must wait that bit longer. But patience can be a virtue. The sister, Maria Maravilla, says regulars bringing a first-timer to the restaurant will reassure their fidgeting friends, telling them “You will like it, don’t worry.”
However, things were not as certain in the beginning. La Casa del Sazón opened in 2007 as a nine-table dining room on Romie Lane in Salinas. A cook kept on staff from the previous occupant questioned the wisdom of their decision, telling them it was a mistake, that no one comes downtown.
Looking back at the shaky start, when on many Saturdays the restaurant would bring in no more than $100 in sales, Maria’s eyes widen. Visions of success? “No, not at all,” she says. “But we never gave up.”
Following that difficult approach of innovating while still nodding to tradition, and of bucking the quick-service taqueria style, caught on. The second location – “the big one,” Marcos calls it – opened nearby in 2012 (it is currently undergoing a remodel).
A catering side followed. In 2020, just in time for the pandemic, the family added Monterey to the fold. Expecting a demand for hurried mid-week lunches, they framed it as an express – at first.
“We were getting people who thought it was the same as this,” explains Marcos, sitting at a corner table in the original La Casa dining room. “Little by little, we added plates. We did a full swap in 2022.”
The decisions to expand – even to go into the brick-and-mortar restaurant business in the first place – were all guided by observation. When the Maravillas began catering, much of the business came from customers in Carmel and Monterey.
The family business began as street tacos on the single road running through a small town in Michoacan, which continued after the family came to the U.S. In 2004, a relative asked them to prepare food for an event. That led to a cart, and then two.
“We started getting busy,” Marcos points out. “We were booked two or three years in advance.” And customers could not believe there was no permanent location.
Street tacos remain on the menu, but the restaurant gained a local following for the molcajete. The dish is named for the mortar, the cooking vessel. Marcos says that in 2007 the presentation was rare in the area. Now many Mexican restaurants list a version of the dish on their menus.
Trends in an industry keenly aware of the whims of consumer demand are nothing new. But the Maravillas see evidence that their little string of restaurants has a larger than expected influence. “We recognize other restaurant owners eating here, trying to learn the secrets,” Maria says with a laugh, miming the act of tasting followed by deep consideration. “We feel proud they look at us.”
The Michoacan-style recipe for molcajete remains untouched from 2007. But there are tweaks and additions to the menu. Maria mentions the vegetarian version of the restaurant’s signature dish and her eyes light up.
“Have you tried it?” she asks, leaning forward eagerly. “It’s so good.”
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