El Naranjo

Iliana and Ernesto married in Mexico City and shortly after moved to Oaxaca, where Iliana had deep family roots and where she wanted to open a restaurant specializing in Oaxacan cuisine. Ernesto was a trained architect and initially lacked professional experience in the kitchen, but jumped in, and, as he says, “became her best student.” At first, there were many trials and tribulations, but by May 2003, their food was featured on the cover of Bon Appetit magazine with the caption:"The Soul of Mexico: bold flavors, romantic places, and rich traditions." The restaurant flourished until 2006, when the community experienced a period of political unrest, causing Iliana and Ernesto to sell their restaurant and move to the United States.