Today we’d like to introduce you to Emilio Lopez.
Hi Emilio, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Chef Emilio came to the DC area, Rockville MD in 1988 from his home in Mexico City. He was motivated to travel to the US because he is a big music lover, especially heavy metal bands, and he planned to tour the country attending concerts he couldn’t see in Mexico. He immediately started going to concerts at Cole Field House, the Capitol Center, and in clubs and venues across DC.
He settled in Montgomery County with two of his brothers and cousins and began writhing as a cook at area restaurants. He attended the Gordon School full time in Georgetown to learn English abd quickly moved forward in the hospitality industry.
In the early 1990’s when the Cheesecake Factory restaurant opened in the area, he was trained across the corporation and began opening new restaurants as a corporate trainer in new stores across the country. He later went on to manage the kitchens at the Cambridge MA, Baltimore, Tysons Corner, White Flint and Friendship Heights DC locations.
In 2007, Emilio was recruited by a restaurant group franchising DogfishHead Alehouse in Arlington VA where he created menu items, specials and featured dishes executing his creative culinary talent.
After the pandemic in 2022 Emilio was ready to move on as a solopreneur. In Feb 2023 he and his wife Christina opened the breakfast and lunch carry out Olivas Kiitchen in downtown Bethesda MD. Emilio’s scratch menu features oversized breakfast burritos, Mexican favorites like chaquiles, huevos rancheros and Mexican style eggs, peppers and onions.
Mexico City style street tacos are offered in a variety of home cooked toasted meats – barbacoa, al pastor, carnitas, asada, marinated shrimp, fish and lengua.
Olivas has grown over the past three years serving locals and visitors to NIH, Walter Reed, and tourists to a busy neighborhood spot, with great reviews from customers.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The biggest challenge is to meet the growing demand for catering orders. The kitchen is small- less than 300 sq ft and there is a breakfast and lunch rush from
10 am – 2 pm. To fulfill large orders we need to prep and cook after hours while still needing more counter and prep space. We have outgrown the size of the kitchen, but want to keep Olivas an order and take out model. If we had. space to grow we would add more seating inside and outside.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am known for my cooking – as well as authentic Mexican dishes I am known for my extensive cooking of pasta dishes- my fettuccine Alfredo is like no other better than the finest Italian restaurants, my homemade bread pudding we sell at Olivas is one of a kind and my homemade flan is the best.
What matters most to you? Why?
I love to feed people, see how much they enjoy and savor the flavors of my dishes, give them something to look forward to without having to do the cooking themselves.
Pricing:
- Tacos $3.95 each
- Taco Tuesday. Buy one taco and get one free
- Cubano Sandwich $13.99
- Homemade Fresh Agua Fresca $3.50
- Bread Pudding $5
Contact Info:
- Website: https://olivaskitchens.com/
- Instagram: olivaskitchenbethesda
