SACRAMENTO, Calif. — If you live in Sacramento, you've probably eaten at or know about popular Mexican restaurants like Mayahuel and La Cosecha in Cesar Chavez Plaza. Ernesto Delgado is the owner of many fan favorites, known for serving up delicious food in colorful restaurants.
His story begins in México — thousands of miles away from Sacramento.
"I was born in the city of Zamora. I'm from a little town called Atacheo, Michoacán, so I'm from the state of Michoacán," Delgado said.
Delgado was born in 1970 to a Mexican mother and father, and into a life of cooking and serving others.
"My mother's mole, my mother's carne con chile... (that's) my mother's way of showing love," he said.
But his time in México was short. Like many other immigrants, his parents had dreams of doing better for themselves and their family, so they brought him to the U.S. in 1976.
"I was brought here when I was five and I'd like to say that I didn't come here. I was brought here. It's kind of a funny way to look at it, but I feel like my México was taken away from me and I do all this to kind of recreate it," Delgado said.
He grew up in Napa Valley. Although his father owned a farm in México, when he came to the U.S., he became a farmworker picking fruit. Delgado worked alongside his father in the summer and on weekends.
Delgado graduated high school in 1990 and moved to Sacramento three years later. He attended Sacramento State University to study graphic design. With every step, he thought of the sacrifice his parents made to reach the American dream.
"It's truly how I feel, as you can see in my emotions," Delgado said with tears in his eyes. "I think the world of my parents. My mother is not with us anymore, but everything I do, I learn from her when it comes to the culture, the food. And my father taught me ... the idea of hard work."
Hard work led Delgado and a partner to open up his first restaurant right by Sacramento State in 2001. It was called El Patron Bar and Grill. He decided six years later the partnership wasn't for him.
Opening his own doors
He opened up his first restaurant of his own in 2011, a story he loves to tell.
"So first and foremost, I chose Mayahuel because it has my daughter's name in it. So my daughter's name is Maya, but after I started studying the name, I came up across Mayahuel," Delgado explained. "Mayahuel in Aztec mythology, she was the Aztec goddess of fertility and the agave plant that creates tequila or where you create tequila from, so I thought that that would be a beautiful name."
He’s serving a piece of home from the tequila to the food.
"I love to say that in my home it was all about hospitality. My mother, as soon as you walk through the door, she was offering you something to drink, something to eat, and if you didn't like something, she would offer you something else," Delgado said. "It was just, she loved to make people happy. And I think in our culture that's part of our history, our culture, our hospitality."
After Mayahuel, Delgado opened Mesa Mercado in Carmichael as a tribute to his mother. During the process, he came across the opportunity to open La Cosecha in Cesar Chavez Plaza in Sacramento. Now going on seven years, the idea developed after a trip to México.
"I was in Guadalajara... where I was at a similar plaza like (Cesar Chavez Plaza) and we sat at a bench after a long day of walking to restaurants and stores," Delgado said.
After La Cosecha opened, he was hungry for more. He decided to go to the Culinary Institute of America right before the pandemic started.
"I went to school with 18 year olds, 20 year olds, up to maybe 26. I was 50. I was the old man, but I didn't tell anybody I had restaurants. I just went to learn, but it was a two-year program. It was anywhere from an hour and 45 minutes to two hour drive, and it was the most challenging thing I ever did in my life. I thought I was gonna have fun in culinary school but it was nothing of that nature. It was all learning, book learning," Delgado said.
He took over Sal's Tacos during the pandemic.
He also put his effort, time and money into the idea of changing Cesar Chavez Plaza to Cesar Chavez Plaza Square, making it a destination for everyone with a story of what Cesar Chavez stood for.
A vision to create a hub for Latino culture
"In my mind, I would love to see a lot of exhibitions of Latino culture, which is a destination for everyone to enjoy," Delgado said. "Beautiful restaurants all the way around the plaza, Latino museum in the Old City Hall, a hotel, the old post office that would showcase Latino hospitality."
That dream is just a vision for now, but he's already making his own additions to it. He likes to host Mercado Urbanos Market and brings different concerts to the plaza. The vision also includes opening up a cevicheria, a Mexican seafood restaurant.
"I ended up turning one Mexican seafood restaurant idea and concept into three," Delgado said.
The plan is to eventually open Octopus Mexico in West Sacramento and a Mezcaleria taco bar in Oak Park.
In total, Delgado would own eight locations, a business empire some can only dream of.
Creating a legacy
This Hispanic Heritage Month, Delgado reflects on the challenges he and his parents overcame to be where they are now.
"It was very difficult for all of us to come to a country that wasn't very accepting. I remember being a young kid in elementary school and being made fun of. They changed my name to Ernie from Ernesto," Delgado said. "I was an Ernie for a long time but I realized in celebrating my culture that I had to be Ernesto, Ernesto Delgado and that's who I am today."
Delgado has built his life in Sacramento for almost 30 years. The focus now is to inspire others.
"It's all about believing in yourself, always showing up, being persistent and doing what you love," he said.
Delgado's mother died almost 20 years ago. While she did not live to see his success, he hopes she's watching from up above.
"Definitely proud, and that she knows that she created all this through me," he said with a big smile. "Salud to her."
Explore another local Latino-owned business: How a Sacramento business owner is sharing culture through chocolate