Eat Your Way Around the World: Mario Mendoza, Manzanillo, Mexico

Mario Mendoza was first inspired to cook by his mother when he was a child. While he grew up in Mazanillo, Mexico, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean, he says his mom “cooked all the time” for everyone, and it was through her example he realized he enjoyed that and wanted to create a similar experience for others. Specifically, he wanted to bring Mexican food to the U.S.

When he was 16 years old, his cousin who worked at El Torero in Cape Girardeau told him he should come work at the restaurant in Cape. Mendoza decided to make the move and got his start in the hospitality industry busing tables at the restaurant. After that, he became a server. Throughout his 22 years in the hospitality industry, he says he has worked nearly every job in restaurants; before becoming manager and part-owner at Seis Amigos four years ago, he worked at El Acapulco and El Sol in Cape Girardeau.

“I like Mexican food,” Mendoza says. “I like to bring that food to Cape and show everybody what we’ve got in Mexico, because a lot of people, they can’t go to Mexico to eat it. So we can bring it here to show what we’ve got and what’s good.”

The guacamole at Seis Amigos in Cape Girardeau.Photo by Aaron Eisenhauer

Mendoza creates the menu and trains the chefs, servers and bartenders at Seis Amigos. Inspired by his wife and their two children, he says he is proud of his staff and wants customers to see how hard they work in creating a clean atmosphere where families can come and enjoy themselves.

Creating the menu is another aspect of managing a restaurant Mendoza enjoys. Currently, he is excited about the burrito on the menu that is his namesake: the Super Mario Burrito. He says he enjoys making trips to Mexico and bringing back recipes that aren’t offered at other restaurants in the area, such as chicken and shrimp soups and unique burritos and enchiladas.

Mendoza says he enjoys talking with patrons when they come to the restaurant. In addition to helping Southeast Missourians experience a taste of the culture of his hometown, his reason for why he does what he does is simple, and he shares it straightforwardly.

“I like to see people happy, you know?”