The restaurant's menu, cooking skills, and tradition in the kitchen have now earned official recognition: the Sello M, a distinction that promotes authentic Mexican gastronomy abroad.
It is awarded by Mexico's Secretariat of Foreign Affairs, through its embassies together with the Mexican Academy of Gastronomy, whose panel of experts evaluates each candidate. The owners of Taco Shop are very proud of this honour and thankful to the Mexican Embassy and the Academy of Gastronomy in Mexico.
The requirements are demanding: at least two years of operation, a menu rooted in Mexican traditions, traditional ingredients (imported or locally sourced) and techniques, and a chef with the proven certifications and experience.
The panel also conducts interviews and on-site visits as the evaluation includes also the location where the restaurant is established. According to the Mexican Embassy in Belgium, which also covers Luxembourg, this is the first seal awarded in the Benelux area so far and two more are expected soon in Belgium.
Behind the seal awarded to Taco Shop are two hard working entrepreneurs from Mexico, both with professional training: Chef Vicente Escarrega and Laura Saquelares. Vicente is a certified chef and the face of the restaurant; he cooks, runs the kitchen and the team, and oversees the bar, which also serves traditional Mexican drinks.
Laura has business management experience and works behind the scenes: documents, accounting, payments, and working with suppliers, among other tasks. Her work is just as demanding, and the restaurant would not run without it. Now their young child is enthusiastic about their business too.
Vicente and Laura met in Mexico’s Sierra Tarahumara, in the Copper Canyon, where both worked at a hotel. Originally from Sinaloa, they took the train up into the mountains and spent 25 days working, followed by five days of rest, before having to make the climb again. It was a hard life, but there Vicente practiced and mastered his already acquired cooking skills and became a recognised chef.
However, Vicente's path to the kitchen was not a straight one. He loved to cook since he was young; at 12 years old he baked his first cake, and then his strict father, a lawyer, pulled him out of the kitchen. He expected him to follow the family profession. Vicente attended law school, but, convinced it was not what he wanted to do, left it and was sent to work the family farmland as punishment.
The punishment did not work however; Vicente loved working with vegetables, understanding seeds, soil, and products. After a frost destroyed the tomato crop, he left for the United States, then returned to study gastronomy in Mexico, drawing inspiration from American chef Anthony Michael Bourdain and Argentine chef Ariel Rodríguez Palacios. Vicente graduated as a chef in Mexico and later rose from cook to chef at the hotel where he met his now wife, Laura.
Together they took a chance, first in the Netherlands, then in Luxembourg, where Vicente cooked at a squash club in Sandweiler, and built up his reputation again. Their entrepreneurial spirit brought them to try what they called an adventure, and launched their first food truck.
Weeks later, COVID-19 struck, and the government implemented many restrictions on restaurants, allowing only food trucks to operate. This setback became the foundation of the business, now two food trucks, one restaurant, and a brand already recognised by the public enjoying authentic Mexican gastronomy.
The cheerful couple recounted the history: “The first Taco Shop food truck started with the grill, charcoal grill, open air, and people coming from the woods after exercising, running or on their bicycles... attracted by the smell of grilled meat cooking; most of them became loyal customers, because they valued our service and the relation between smell, flavor and quality. Our adventure started there”.
What you can expect if you decide to try authentic Mexican cuisine in Luxembourg, is a menu offering permanent dishes like pastor, steak, cochinita pibil, house-made chorizo, and the customers' favorite one, birria. A new “special of the week” rewards regulars with something different, from fish tacos to pozole, tamales or mole. The tortillas are made on an artisanal machine brought from Mexico in 2021, all made in house and most of the time from scratch.
The owners passed on the colourful clichés common to Mexican restaurants, explained Vicente: the space is dimly lit and comfortable, with classic Mexican cinema decorations, so guests get a cultural experience beyond the plate. Customers come from Luxembourg, Germany, and the Netherlands for the ingredients, the flavour, and the chef’s skill at this restaurant located in Clausen. Some families have made “Mexican Friday” a weekly tradition at Taco Shop.
What's next for this couple? First, they want to consolidate what they have built. After that, they hope to strengthen the brand and products such as sauces and chips, keeping the flavour customers return for. Their goal is to grow without losing quality or authenticity, the authenticity they have been rewarded for with the Sello M.
