On Tacos and Taqueros

I like a nice chicken taco

Lil Jon

25 years ago, if you were an Idaho cowboy looking to drink some beer on a Friday night and maybe get in a fight, the city of Caldwell had decent prospects.

Fast-forward to today and the city has transformed into a pleasant and walkable town of brick shopfronts, a bustling town square, and smiling people in yoga pants. These days you’d be hard-pressed to find trouble-makers piling out of a rusty Chevy pickup - Caldwell’s predominant demographic wears oversized sunglasses and pushes spendy baby strollers.

Thank the City of Caldwell for the shift; focused leadership and smart public infrastructure investments helped make it happen. The biggest move was daylighting an underground waterway and removing a block of buildings to create Indian Creek Plaza.

But the real catalyst behind Caldwell’s transformation is an unassuming taquero named Salvador Alamilla. Born in Michoacan, Mexico, Alamilla was brought to Santa Ana, California at the age of five and grew up cooking at his mother’s side.

A few more moves and Mr. Alamilla arrived first in Boise, then Caldwell, where he became an entrepreneur and opened Amano, serving taco plates for $35.

If you think it’s impossible to pay $35 for a plate of tacos - and be happy about it - you’ve never been to Amano.

The folks at James Beard awards agree. In 2024 Mr. Alamilla became a Best Chef finalist. He’s a wonderful restaurateur, but his real skill is city transformation.

A Southerner from Perry, Georgia, Chance Evans spent part of the 1970s working for the Coca-Cola Company in San Miguel de Allende. After many late nights of fun and tacos, he landed on the big idea of creating a cantina back in Atlanta.

And 32 years ago, he made it happen in Atlanta’s Chatahoochee warehouse district.

Nuevo Laredo Cantina has a lived-in roadside vibe.

The tacos aren’t fussy, but they arrive fast and hot.

Mr. Evans created something special and the halo effect of smiling service, frosty margaritas, and tacos spread to the surrounding properties.

My friends at Selig Enterprises have the best property portfolio in Atlanta, and they’ve got the horsepower to create world-class projects wherever they choose, but I’ve got to believe Nuevo Laredo’s energy helped give them the conviction to create their nearby flagship development, The Works.

On this Thanksgiving holiday, let’s be grateful for our talented taqueros and their ability to create oceanfront property:

PS - if you’re interested in transforming properties and meeting the people that can make it happen, check out Automatic.