Maria Carmen Gamez Llamas, on a train from Guadalajara to California met her future husband, Alberto Heredia at the age of 14. They started working together in Southern California, married five years later, and built their family as they migrated north, eventually settling in Old Roseville, outside Sacramento. The Heredias and their six children were literally living out of a boxcar, when Alberto was severely injured while working for Union Pacific Railroad. Remarkably, he was given a $10,000 disability settlement, with which he intended to return to Mexico.

That tenacity required to make dreams come true and the pride in one’s culture is also evident in Carmelita’s grandson, Marcos, and his team. When you walk into Carmelita’s Taqueria, your cultural experience begins.

“It was important to make sure that we stood apart, sharing our traditions, techniques and culture that have been passed down in my family for generations. The food is a testament to itself.”