Est. 1968 · Phoenix, Arizona
Three generations of the
Valenzuela familia
- 1950s
A dream from the trunk of a car
Manuel and Carolina Valenzuela sell homemade tortillas, burritos and tamales from their car at wrestling matches and to migrant workers across the Valley — everything made by hand, the old way.
- 1968
The first shop on Hilton Ave
With $400 in savings, the couple opens their first restaurant at 105 W. Hilton — a space so small that two people holding hands could touch opposite walls.
- 1972
Mohave Street
The lines get longer, so Manuel moves the business to 1519 East Mohave Street. After Manuel passes in 1979, Carolina and the family carry the kitchen forward.
- 1986
A new home on 12th Street
When Sky Harbor Airport expands, son Joe finds a new corner three blocks west at 12th Street and Mohave. Grand opening: the Fourth of July, 1986.
- 2002
Carolina's legacy
Carolina passes in May 2002, leaving behind a Valley institution. Her name — and her recipes — stay on every sign and every plate.
- Today
Five kitchens, one familia
North Phoenix, Peoria, Mesa, Greenway and Chandler — with the fifth generation now rolling tortillas. Same masa, same pride, since 1968.