After 27 years, Helen and Tony Sauceda retired from their landmark business, Mima’s Kitchen, last month. Their son David Sauceda and his wife Melissa have stepped in to continue the family legacy.
The younger Saucedas will run Mima’s Kitchen under a new name: Mima’s Tacos. This will be in addition to their own business in Canyon Lake, Mima’s Tacos to Go.
“When my parents opened the business in 1995, there were no places to buy tacos in Wimberley,” David said. “Mima’s Kitchen was the first place to offer my mom’s style of home cooking to the public. At first it was meant for take-out only, but before long, they had seating inside and out.”
Today, the restaurant seats 50 people, 28 on the patio, and operates a large takeout business.
Born and raised in Wimberley, David trained in his parents’ restaurant as a teenager and then, after graduation from high school, began working there full time. However, he said it took him a while to warm up to the idea of working in the restaurant as a permanent vocation.
“I remember saying that I’d never work in restaurants and never work construction,” David said. “Both of those were the careers my parents chose, and for some reason, I thought they wouldn’t work for me. But now, I love working at Mima’s.”
“It’s a big challenge to get it all done in the course of a day, but the best part of it is being around people and being part of the community,” he added. “After working here for so long, I’ve seen several generations of the same family grow up. It’s a big deal to us.”
It seems the business owes its success to fresh food, reasonable prices, consistent hard work and its location on FM 2327, next to the Lions Club Market Days grounds.
“Market Days are the busiest day of the month,” David explained. “We start work at 2 a.m. so that we have 700 tacos ready at 6:30 a.m. for the Lions Club concessions at Market Days. They usually run out of our tacos by 8:30 or 9 a.m. The real challenge is keeping up with the demand for our food.”
Since 2017, David and Melissa have owned Mima’s Tacos to Go in Canyon Lake. When asked how they will keep both places going, he said, “I have a great partner in my wife Melissa.” He met Melissa when she was in high school working at Mima’s.
“People have asked us if Mima’s Tacos in Canyon Lake will close, and the answer is no,” said Melissa. “A lot of our customers worried that we might not be there for them, and we’ve had to assure them we will continue serving Mima’s Tacos.”
Besides the name change, other changes are on the way but the Saucedas say they are slowly easing into things. After years of accepting only cash, Mima’s Tacos now accepts credit cards.
The pair have also added two items to their menu that proved popular in Canyon Lake: Swamp Chicken and the Frito Bandito, a Mexican-style Frito pie. Eventually, David said, they will be adding burgers and catfish to the menu, and once they’re able to hire and train staff, they plan to open for dinner.
One of the biggest internal changes they made was to upgrade their accounting practices from paper to online. Melissa says their next challenge is to train workers and staff up.
“We’re hiring all positions and offering competitive wages and flexible scheduling, especially for high school and college students,” she said.
“This is the perfect place for young people to learn how to work and to earn money,” David added. “It’s great to see shy high school kids come out of their shell after working here for a while. They learn to interact with the public and with fellow employees.”
Long a family endeavor, the new Mima’s Tacos is also a multi- generational affair. Sons Xavier and Tripper said they are excited to be a part of the new enterprise, originally named for their grandmother.
“Working here is going to be a blessing,” said Xavier. “I’m glad to be part of this legacy.” Xavier is already working in the Canyon Lake location. Brother Tripper admits to being nervous but said he is excited to jump in and be a part of it all.
Mima’s Tacos is open for breakfast and lunch, Tuesday through Saturday, from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. On Sunday, the restaurant is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch starts at 11 a.m. It is located at 701 FM 2325, and orders can be phoned in for pickup at (512) 847-1305.
PHOTO BY TERESA KENDRICK.
PHOTO BY TERESA KENDRICK.
