In 1926, Adelaida Cuellar sold tamales and chili at a stall at the Kaufman County Fair. It was the beginning of a long journey selling Mexican food in North Texas.
The family opened their first restaurant in Dallas, El Chico, in 1940. It became a local Tex-Mex empire.
Using the family archives, Catherine Cuellar, Adelaida’s great granddaughter, has written a book chronicling her family history called “Deep in the Heart of Tex-Mex.“
Catherine Cuellar, her father John Cuellar, and John’s cousin Carmen Cuellar Summers joined us for this look back at the family business.
These interview highlights have been edited for length and clarity. To hear the full conversation, click the play button above.
El Chico Archives
When researching for this book, Catherine Cuellar said her dad and Carmen Cuellar Summers had a large collection of photos and artifacts, including old menus. They donated their collections to UNT.
From these archives and stories came the book.
“It started with UNT Library Special Collection Director Morgan Gieringer,” she said. “When Carmen Cuellar Summers, my first cousin once removed, and my father John Cuellar donated their considerable business archives, which have also been seen in the Smithsonian and the Dallas Latino Cultural Center, she said, ‘this is a book.'”
Impact on Tex-Mex and North Texas
John Cuellar agrees El Chico was on the forefront of popularizing Tex-Mex as a cuisine, but the family disagrees on what really defines Tex-Mex.
To Catherine Cuellar, it’s all about the order by number.
“El Chico was a chain years before McDonald’s had a second location,” she said. “Additionally, they were making their recipes from ingredients that were available here during lean times. So beans and rice are a staple food all the time. But the cheese was yellow. The ingredients came in big cans, and [El Chico] started canning their own food to ensure consistency across the multiple locations of the chain. So I would say for me, Tex-Mex is order by number. The cheese has to be yellow. And if you look at a crispy taco, the same ingredients in a crispy taco are in a hamburger.”
Their impact soared across North Texas.
“Businesses have a life cycle, and our family business… we’re kind of the bookends to the 20th century,” John Cuellar said. “We were the largest Hispanic founded business in Dallas in the 20th century. We created 4,000 jobs. Not too many employers can say that.”
Miranda Suarez and Ron Corning are the hosts of KERA’s NTX Now. Got a tip? Email Miranda at msuarez@kera.org or Ron at rcorning@kera.org.
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