The couple says their children built independent lives, fulfilling the dream behind the restaurant.
A Colorado couple who moved from Mexico to the US in 1995 with a dream of giving their three children a different future, have closed the restaurant they built over 31 years. Jose said authentic Mexican food was less common in Fort Collins when the restaurant opened in 1995. The restaurant continued to grow, and after about 13 years in its first location, the Caballeros needed a larger space.
Some dishes were adjusted slightly for local tastes, while the family also introduced customers to the flavours they had grown up eating.
“I wasn’t prepared for that responsibility,” Maria said. Jose and Maria Caballero shut Los Tarascos in Fort Collins, Colorado, after decades of serving Mexican food to the local community. For the Caballeros, the closure is not just end of a restaurant. It is about the goal that brought them to Fort Collins in the first place- giving their children the chance to attend college, build careers and have lives outside the family business. When the couple arrived from Michoacan, Mexico, they brought their three children, Hugo Caballero Jr, Gema Caballero and Priscilla Umbreit. They knew little English and were starting a business in a new country. Jose already had restaurant experience in Mexico, while Maria had spent much of her life raising their family and was not prepared for the responsibility of helping run a restaurant. As more relatives came from Mexico, they also joined the restaurant. Parents, siblings and other family members helped with the business, making Los Tarascos a family operation from its early years. Building a customer base did not happen immediately. Over time, customers began bringing friends.
The restaurant close its doors on Wednesday, AOL reported.
That led them to 622 S. College Ave., where Los Tarascos spent most of its 31-year history. Another leap in the restaurant’s history came with its longtime customer and local businessman Jim Mokler.
