Jerry Aguilar wanted fresh tortillas on Tucsonβs east side, where he and his family live.
And thatβs what he and his wife Geri got when they opened La Mesa Tortillas in 1996.
βThere were no places on the east side of town to get fresh tortillas,β Geri says. βOwning his own restaurant was always a dream of Jerryβs, and he thought that the east side needed something like this.β
Geri was hesitant at first β was there a demand for tortillas on that side of town? She figured she wanted them; others must want them, too.
Jerry eventually came across an empty space in a strip mall on East Broadway and East Pantano Road.
When Geri visited the space for the first time, she knew it was the right place. She had already created La Mesaβs logo β a Saguaro cactus and a bird with a mesa in the background. There was a mural on the wall with the same design.
βIt was fate at that point,β she says.
The east side wasnβt known for fresh tortillas, the Aguilars said. Many customers came in surprised to find the tortillas are handmade at the store.
βWe use flour, salt, shortening, and water,β Jerry says. βNo additives, no preservatives. Everything is mixed and cut down to the size of tortillas we need. They run through a sheeter and are stretched and cooked by hand. Theyβre made fresh daily.β
The Aguilars once looked into something less labor-intensive. When attending a food show, they were greeted with an automatic tortilla machine. It was so high-tech that you could choose the amount of brown spots you wanted on each tortilla. They decided against it.
βOur way of making the tortilla isnβt what the industry sees anymore,β Geri says. βIt takes more manpower to make our tortillas, but the quality is wonderful.β
The business boomed so much that the couple opened a second location on East Pima Street and North Alvernon Way. Shortly after that, they opened a third location on West Orange Grove Road and West River Road. Their sons manage those locations.
Customers can pick up flour, corn, whole wheat, and jalapeΓ±o tortillas in varying sizes, all by the dozen and topping out at $4.50 for large flour. Besides making tortillas, the Aguilars also offer such items as tamales ($10.50 one-halfΒ dozen) and masa ($5 for a 5-pound bag).
They also serve a full lunch menu that includes burros, quesadillas, tamales and nachos.
βWhen I want a chili dog, I go to Patβs Chili Dogs,β Jerry says. βI want people to want red chili beef and come here for it.β
Since they launched the lunch menu many years ago, the couple hasnβt changed any of the recipes.
βI hate when I go somewhere and get used to something, and then the restaurant changes the recipe or one chef makes it differently,β Geri says. βIf you come into our store, whatever you order will be of the same quality.β
They have, however, tried to add new items to the menu. They once added a barbecue beef sandwich β until a customer said, βI donβt come in here to buy something on a bun. I come in here to buy something on a tortilla.β
The couple says itβs been a rewarding experience to watch their customersβ families grow.
βWe have a customer who would come in with her son,β Jerry says. βShe would always say that her son lived on our tortillas.β
Now her son is in college and stops by La Mesa weekly.
βOne of the best compliments to receive is when people say that our tortillas taste like their momβs, or that it smells like their nanaβs house when they walk in,β Jerry says.
La Mesa is currently gearing up for the holiday season, their busiest time of the year. They begin taking orders for tamales on October 1, despite getting calls as early as August.
The tortilleria also ships their tortillas nationwide. Geri says they have regular customers from states all over the East Coast, Hawaii and Alaska.
There are no plans for a fourth location in town, but, says Jerry, βWith our kids working in the industry now, itβs really up to them. Never say never.β
