TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Mateo Otero, who owns Rollies Mexican Patio, has been a part of the Best 23 Miles of Mexican Food for the past seven years. He’s used to cooking up classics like his rollies tacos, a staple of his restaurant.
“You could feel the difference of what brings as far as new customers,” he said about the event.
The event brings him customers from all over the country, even as far as New York. He said he could feel the difference it brings to the restaurant.
“We have to showcase our heritage and culture and our tradition,” Otero said.
His food is a tradition that is rooted in their Sonoran-style food like the flat enchilada. It’s a tradition that is also rooted in his family history.
“My great tias and great nanas taught me, taught my mom and my dad, and it came down to me,” he said.
Rollies is just one of the at least 175 restaurants that Visit Tucson said is going be a part of America’s Best Mexican Food. After years of being told by restaurants outside of the 23 miles that they need to expand, Visit Tucson president and CEO Felipe Garcia decided it was time to include restaurants from all of Tucson and surrounding cities.
“We know there’s great Mexican food all over Tucson,” Garcia commented. “We encourage people to go and try something new, try something different.”
Now the event is going to be all year long. Garcia said they also launched social media and TV ad campaigns in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, promoting the year-long event.
“So having this concept about America’s Best Mexican Food, it’s great because we’re recognizing individual stories about our communities,” he said.
Garcia mentioned his team went door to door to discover new mom and pop shops that didn’t know about this event. He also said Visit Tucson is considering having an event similar to the Best 23 miles of Mexican Food later this year
It’s a concept Otero said is going to help businesses like his gain recognition, and overall Tucson as well.
“People will travel just to see and I think it’s a good name and concept for us to bring people here to Tucson,” Otero said.
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Andrew Christiansen is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before joining the team, Andrew reported in Corpus Christi, Texas for KRIS6 News, Action 10 News and guest reported in Spanish for Telemundo Corpus Christi. Share your story ideas with Andrew by emailing andrew.christiansen@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
