Herradura Mexican Family Restaurant cooks up a lot of tasty love in its Greeley kitchen
A classic presentation of a smothered carnitas burrito at Herradura Mexican Family Restaurant in downtown Greeley. Photo by Emily Kemme.
By Emily Kemme
Miguel Orozco has cooked in restaurants for 33 years, so when he decided to open his own place in downtown Greeley alongside his son, David, he’d already formed an idea of what it should look like. In fact, you might say this special father-and-son enterprise has been simmering for some time.
The elder Orozco moved to the United States from Guadalajara, Mexico when he was a teen and spent time in Southern California kitchens learning the culinary arts. When his brother, Gorge, introduced Don Juan Mexican Restaurant to LaSalle in 2004, Miguel worked in the family restaurant.
But in contemplating what his own establishment would bring to the table, Orozco said he wanted to offer dishes that were a little different from standardized Mexican fare. He draws influences from both Southern California-style Mexican food and what he remembers as a child growing up on his family’s ranch in Guadalajara.
The restaurant’s name, Herradura Mexican Family Restaurant, with its logo of a rearing stallion inside a horseshoe, represents strength and luck. It also pays homage to Orozco’s familial roots.
Orozco said he designed his menu around traditional selections, but the difference is in how he enhances the seasonings and sauces to showcase the foods in the best possible way.
“If I go to Don Juan’s, I know what they have. You go to another place and it’s the same thing. I want you to taste the ingredients in my dishes,” he explained.
For Orozco, that means a light cream sauce for camarones cremados — a plate of grilled shrimp, onions, tomatoes and bell peppers cooked in a sour cream-based sauce — is prepared with half-and-half instead of milk. What that does for the dish is create a luscious, creamy mouthfeel that isn’t possible with a thinner milk product. He also sources the best quality of shrimp he can.
“I’m a little bit picky about the shrimp,” he admits. “It can’t be dry when it’s served.”
Plates of dishes ready to be delivered to tables at Herradura Mexican Family Restaurant in downtown Greeley. Courtesy photo.
Orozco also pays an extra dollar a pound for beef he sources locally to ensure it’s tender and juicy.
Miguel’s son, David, got his chops working with his dad at another Greeley Mexican favorite, Cazadores Mexican Restaurant. He echoes the specialness of his father’s new spot, noting that many businesses are run by siblings or spouses.
“This is a father-son business which meshes the old school tradition with new school tech. Combining the two worlds will be a treat for everybody,” David said.
Cooking for a lot of people is part and parcel of being an Orozco. Miguel grew up with 13 siblings, which meant that Christmas celebrations typically saw up to 40 cousins in attendance.
“We show our appreciation by feeding everybody,” David said. “I did not grow up in poverty like some people in Mexico, but we have a true appreciation for food and the American dream.”
The younger Orozco — he will turn 23 soon — hopes to use his skill with technology and advertising to instill some of that appreciation in his generation.
He runs the front of the house, but on Wednesdays he volunteers in the kitchen to learn cooking techniques. They’ve been open for two months, and he’s learned how to fix plates with garnishments on the end of the line. He grasps the importance of knowing the full business: learning how to cook the meats is on his radar.
“If I’m going to be a boss, I want to know the entire scope of my job, both front and back of house. I need to know if something isn’t cooked to the standard, particularly the seasoning.”
The restaurant’s location on 8th Ave and 13th Street makes the University of Northern Colorado its near neighbor. The university is a target audience for down the road, David said. He hopes to establish partnerships with it, ideally to have early morning sports team breakfasts and cater events.
A plate of camarones cremados — grilled shrimp, onions, tomatoes and bell peppers in a sour cream based sauce — has a light, luxurious mouthfeel. Photo by Emily Kemme.
Herradura takes the place of a longtime Greeley Chinese restaurant, Canton Garden, and David admits that patrons still can detect elements of its striking red and gold decor. The walls and ceiling are no longer painted red and the fringed pagoda-style chandeliers are gone; what remains are red upholstered booths and simple white walls.
He said he and his dad took on a big task getting the old building up to code, including revamping the kitchen which had been better suited for Chinese cuisine.
“We don’t have a use for big woks. We’re slowly decorating the inside to create a Mexican cowboy feel that reflects our family’s heritage on the ranch in Guadalajara.”
Mostly, the Orozcos want people to feel comfortable and at home. That’s why they removed the sit-down bar.
“I don’t want that to be the atmosphere,” David said. “We want the restaurant to be about family, with good food and with the kids being a little rowdy. It’s a place for people to sit down and be comfortable for a little while, a place where they can forget about the tensions of daily life and the world around them.”
If feeding people is about love of family and community, the Orozco family is overflowing with it. It’s the kind of love that’s tangible, a love you can taste in every well-seasoned bite.
To go to Herradura Mexican Family Restaurant
Hours: Monday - Friday 11 a.m. - 9 p.m | Weekends 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Where: 1330 8th Ave. in Greeley
Contact: herraduragreeley@gmail.com | 970-909-2719