Latest news with #Salgado
Los Angeles Times
29-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
A new iteration of Taco María opens, in an unlikely place
Carlos Salgado wowed the world of Mexican food the moment he opened Taco María in 2013. His marriage of high-end with homestyle — sturgeon tacos, Flamin' Hot chicharrones, handmade blue corn tortillas from kernels he imported from Mexico and milled himself — seemed better suited to Los Angeles or Mexico City than a hipster food hall in Costa Mesa. The accolades came quickly: L.A Times restaurant of the year in 2018. Four straight Michelin stars. One of Esquire's most important U.S. restaurants of the 2010s. Salgado was a Best Chef in California finalist for the James Beard Awards — the Oscars of the restaurant industry — in June 2023. A month later, Salgado shocked his fans by closing Taco María. As his good friend, I have the exclusive on what's next. It's … Wisconsin? A few months after the restaurant closed, Salgada relocated to Door County — the childhood home of his wife, Emilie Coulson Salgado — in a move that left Southern California's food scene befuddled, if people knew at all. If anyone deserved to go all 'Walden,' it was the thoughtful Salgado. He had worked nonstop for a decade, weathering the pandemic and an Orange County audience that usually got mad when he explained why his space didn't serve chips and salsa or had 'Black Lives Matter' stenciled on the patio window. Taco María's lease was up, the location was never the best fit and Carlos and Emilie wanted to spend more time with their two young children and her parents while they recharged and decided what was next. Now, after some time off, they're in the restaurant business again, opening La Sirena this month in Ephraim, population 345, about an hour and a half away from the nearest big city, Green Bay. Expect everything that made Taco María so incredible — a prix fixe menu, a focus on local produce and meat, those fabulous blue corn tortillas that taste like a time portal to Tenochtitlan — except on the shores of Lake Michigan instead of off the 405 freeway. Nothing against the Badger State, but the idea of a Mexican chef of Salgado's caliber setting up on a peninsula jutting into a Great Lake is like Shohei Ohtani announcing he's leaving the Dodgers to join a Sunday beer league. Gustavo Dudamel deciding his next gig isn't the New York Philharmonic but the Whittier Regional Symphony. Gov. Gavin Newsom forsaking his office to run the Friends of the Sacramento Public Library. About 8% of Wisconsin's population is Latino, and Door County is 96% white. The Mexican food scene outside Milwaukee and maybe Racine is still mostly combo plates washed down with massive margaritas, or cartoonishly big burritos in the Chipotle model. Wisconsin is ... Wisconsin, land of cheese curds and brats and brandy Old Fashioneds. 'I would push back that [Mexican food] is out of place anywhere in the United States,' Salgado told me by phone last week. 'We are the foundation of the restaurant and hospitality industry, farming and construction — I don't need to say all the ways we're embedded.' He sure shut me up there! Besides, I'm proud that his and Emilie's next step is in an isolated spot in a state that went for Donald Trump in two of the past three elections. California needs all the ambassadors we can get, especially in places that don't look like us — and we can't get better ambassadors than them. 'In parts of the Midwest, you mention you're from California, there's inevitably haters who want to believe that we left California because it's a failed state, and they try to commiserate with us about how California is uninhabitable,' the 45-year-old Salgado said. 'Of course, I don't believe that. I have pangs of longing for my home state every day, especially fruits!' 'I actually thought we'd live in California forever, and I still consider us California people,' Coulson Salgado, 41, said in a separate interview. 'But this experiment to be here [Wisconsin] turned out to be really good for us and our children.' The two met in San Francisco in 2008, when Coulson Salgado was working for a literacy nonprofit and Salgado was a pastry chef at a high-end restaurant. He moved back to his native Orange County in 2011 aiming to help with his immigrant family's Cal-Mex restaurant in Orange. Instead, he capitalized on the era's food truck craze and opened Taco María. Coulson moved down in 2013 to help transition the luxe lonchera to a brick-and-mortar, eventually becoming the restaurant's general manager and beverage director, roles she will also assume at La Sirena. Taco María was a daily miracle, especially given its Orange County location. Salgado got nationwide media coverage and forced Angelenos to do the unimaginable: travel to O.C. for Mexican food. His exhortations for people to value Mexican cuisine and the people who make it was essential in an era where too many Americans love the former and loathe the latter. But the grind of running a restaurant — which I know too well, through my wife — wore on the couple. They didn't want to be rushed into opening a new Taco María, so they decided a sojourn to Door County would be fun and also right. 'Emilie put in 15 years with me in California,' Salgado said, and moving to Wisconsin 'was something we felt we deserved as a family.' He unwound from the restaurant rush by hiking through Door County's forests and fishing in its waterways while continuing Taco María's successful salsa macha mail-order business; Emilie moonlighted as a grant writer. The plan was to return to California sometime in 2024 and hop back on the restaurant hamster wheel. But the more they experienced Door County's slower pace of life, the more they realized it would be nearly impossible to replicate that in Southern California. 'We started Taco María without kids,' Salgado said. 'This trial gave us the opportunity to imagine the kind of balance that we wanted, and we realized that we stood a very good chance of creating it here.' I asked if he meant the cost of living or the sclerotic traffic or the lack of affordable housing or any of the other reasons California quitters give when they leave and whine about their move. 'We're certainly not California quitters,' Salgado deadpanned. 'People talk all the time about making career changes to spend more time with their families, and this is really it for now.' Coulson Salgado said it's been 'wonderful' to return to where she grew up 'with the eyes of an adult.' Door County has seen newcomers from California in recent years, mostly young families drawn by its immaculate landscapes. She does miss the multiculturalism of Southern California — 'My son will say, 'Let's get pho!' and I have to remind him we're not in Orange County anymore,' she said with a laugh. She doesn't frame the opening of La Sirena in the rural Midwest in the age of Trump as a political act. But she brought up the 'terrible' deportation deluge that has hit Southern California this summer (Wisconsin has so far been spared, 'but we're on high alert for it') as a reason why their presence matters. 'It's not like we're in some alternate universe out here,' she said, 'but you could be if you weren't paying attention, and that's what's scary … But that's why it's more important than ever to create more pockets of joy.' Her husband vowed that California 'hasn't seen the last of us yet,' while giving no timeline for a return. In an ideal world, he and Emilie would run both La Sirena and a restaurant back in O.C. 'I'm proudly Mexican American,' Salgado said. 'And I'm not going to shy away from taking up space and perform brown excellence in anywhere that I am.'
The Citizen
24-07-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Banyana still have a lot to play for at WAFCON, says Ellis
'It's not just the medal but like I said we're going to try and do this for Gabriela," said Ellis. Despite their failure to defend their Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), Banyana Banyana still have something to play for and they will fight with everything left in them to return home with a medal. This is according to Banyana coach Desiree Ellis. ALSO READ: Banyana star Salgado on the mend after successful surgery Speaking ahead of the third-place playoff match against Ghana at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca on Friday night (kick-off is at 9pm SA time), Ellis said that it was important for Banyana to end their WAFCON campaign on a high note. 'Most definitely, there's disappointment with not getting to the final of course but there's still something to play for and that is important,' said Ellis. Ellis added that they also want to win their encounter against the Black Queens for Gabriela Salgado, who will miss it because of an injury. Salgado suffered a serious injury during Banyana Banyana's 2-1 loss to Nigeria in a semifinal clash played against Nigeria at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium last Tuesday. 'It's not just the medal but like I said we're going to try and do this for Gabriela. She is going home with an injury, we will make sure that she gets a medal because it's important that we still fight for the third place, so there's still something to play for, it's not just a playoff match that doesn't mean anything. It's a playoff match that gets you a medal and I think it's going to be important how we lift ourselves up after this and then get ready for that match,' said Ellis. Meanwhile, Salgado underwent a successful operation at the Mohamed VI University Hospital in Casablanca, Morocco, on Wednesday. Banyana team doctor, Dr Lindi Mokoena, says following the operation, Salgado will be out of action for the rest of the year. 'Gabi sustained a fracture of the mid-shaft of her left leg during the fixture against Nigeria and underwent a successful surgery at the Mohamed VI University Hospital in Casablanca. She will be out of action for the rest of the year, but we are pleased that she received exceptional care from the medical team of Banyana Banyana, CAF and the hospital,' said Dr Mokoena. ALSO READ: Ellis blames Salgado injury for Banyana's WAFCON loss 'We were fully confident and comfortable with the procedure that was performed in Morocco and would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to CAF and the dedicated staff at the Mohamed VI University Hospital for their professionalism and outstanding support during this time.'
The Herald
24-07-2025
- Sport
- The Herald
‘We'll do this for Gabi,' says Ellis as Banyana fight for bronze at Wafcon
Salgado was successfully operated on at Mohammed VI University Hospital in Casablanca, but is likely to spend six months on the sidelines. Banyana coach Desiree Ellis said she had to play a different role for distraught Banyana players — like midfielder Linda Motlhalo — when they could not keep hold of their emotions after Salgado's horror injury on Tuesday. 'I was a mother, and I was just trying to say to her, 'Stay calm, just do that for Gabi'. That was the talk: 'Do that for Gabi and make sure you get over the line for Gabi', because that's what it was all about at that moment. 'It was very difficult to keep them calm because a lot of them broke down. Going back onto the field I think some were still crying and I think that's really what got to them.'
TimesLIVE
24-07-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
‘We'll do this for Gabi,' says Ellis as Banyana fight for bronze at Wafcon
Banyana Banyana want to at least come back from the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) with the bronze medal in honour of injured teammate Gabriela Salgado. Salgado suffered a broken leg as the defending champions relinquished their crown to nine-time champions Nigeria with a 2-1 semifinal defeat in Casablanca, Morocco on Tuesday. Banyana coach Desiree Ellis said they will dedicate Friday's third-place playoff game to Salgado and play for the bronze when they meet Ghana, losers on penalties in their semifinal against Morocco, at Casablanca's Stade Larbi Zaouli on Friday (9pm). The final between the hosts and Super Falcons is at Stade Olympique de Rabat on Saturday (10pm). Salgado was successfully operated on at Mohammed VI University Hospital in Casablanca, but is likely to spend six months on the sidelines. Banyana coach Desiree Ellis said she had to play a different role for distraught Banyana players — like midfielder Linda Motlhalo — when they could not keep hold of their emotions after Salgado's horror injury on Tuesday. 'I was a mother, and I was just trying to say to her, 'Stay calm, just do that for Gabi'. That was the talk: 'Do that for Gabi and make sure you get over the line for Gabi', because that's what it was all about at that moment. 'It was very difficult to keep them calm because a lot of them broke down. Going back onto the field I think some were still crying and I think that's really what got to them.' 🏆 𝕎𝔸𝔽ℂ𝕆ℕ 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟜 🏆 ⚽️ ⒼⓄⒶⓁ: Nigeria restore their lead against Banyana Banyana. 🇳🇬 2⃣➖1⃣ 🇿🇦 🚨 LIVE 📺 SABC Sport | SABC 3 📱 #SABCSportFootball #TotalEnergiesWAFCON2024 — SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) July 22, 2025 Saslgado's injury came late in the semifinal with the scores at 1-1 and minutes later Banyana conceded a fluke-ish goal when Michelle Azolie's speculative cross evaded Nigeria's attackers and Banyana's defenders and goalkeeper Andile Dlamini for the 94th-minute decider. Ellis accepted South Africa had failed to defend their trophy but said she is hoping her players will have recovered enough to focus and win Friday's match against Ghana. 'Look there's nothing we can do. There's two days — a recovery day and two days. Again, when we huddled after the game we said if we didn't have a reason [to win on Friday], now have a reason to play for Gabi. 'That's what it [the third-place game] is all about, to make sure she goes off with a medal and to make sure Jermaine Seoposenwe [who retires from international football after Wafcon] also goes off well. That's how important it is.' Banyana have an advantage in that they have already defeated Ghana 2-0 in this tournament in their round-robin stage opener, where Motlhalo and Seoposenwe provided the goals to set up Banyana topping Group C. Ghana also progressed to the last 8 as they finished second after their 4-1 victory over Tanzania in their final group match. The Black Queens improve as the tournament progressed and beat Algeria on penalties in the quarterfinals to set up their semifinal against Morocco, who they pushed all the way with a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes before being defeated by spot-kicks. So the Black Queens Banyana face on Feriday night should be a notably stronger combination from the side they faced in the opening game in Oujda. But Banyana have an advantage in that they didn't have to travel after their defeat against Nigeria, but Ghana had to move from Rabat to Casablanca.
The Citizen
24-07-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Banyana star Salgado on the mend after successful surgery
Salgado will be out of action for the rest of the year. Injured Banyana Banyana utility player Gabriela Salgado underwent a successful operation at the Mohamed VI University Hospital in Casablanca, Morocco, on Wednesday. Salgado was stretchered off following a serious injury during the CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) semifinal clash against Nigeria at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium on Tuesday, which was lost 2-1 by South Africa. ALSO READ: Ellis blames Salgado injury for Banyana's WAFCON loss Banyana team doctor, Dr Lindi Mokoena, says following the operation, Salgado will be out of action for the rest of the year. 'Gabi sustained a fracture of the mid-shaft of her left leg during the fixture against Nigeria and underwent a successful surgery at the Mohamed VI University Hospital in Casablanca. She will be out of action for the rest of the year, but we are pleased that she received exceptional care from the medical team of Banyana Banyana, CAF and the hospital,' Mokoena told SAFA media. 'We were fully confident and comfortable with the procedure that was performed in Morocco and would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to CAF and the dedicated staff at the Mohamed VI University Hospital for their professionalism and outstanding support during this time.' Banyana and Super Falcons visit Salgado in hospital Salgado's Banyana Banyana teammates visited her at the hospital on Tuesday night after she had been stabilised following the injury. Meanwhile, in a show of sportsmanship, some Nigerian players also went to the hospital to visit Salgado on Wednesday and presented her with a signed Super Falcon jersey. 'The entire Super Falcons of Nigeria family, from players and coaches to staff were profoundly saddened to learn of the serious injury sustained by Gabriela Salgado during yesterday's match. Our immediate thoughts are solely with her for comfort, care, and the recovery journey ahead,' read a statement from the Super Falcons team. 'We are holding Gabriela, her teammates, her family and close friends in our hearts, sending our deepest wishes for strength and resilience. Our immediate focus, and our enduring concern, is solely for her wellbeing, comfort, and recovery. 'The spirit of competition instantly fades in moments like these, replaced by a shared sense of care for a fellow athlete. As fellow members of this football community, The Super Falcons NGR stands firmly alongside Banyana Banyana in solidarity and support. Our collective wish is for Gabriela's steady healing, renewed strength, and a return to the pitch when she is ready, surrounded by the unwavering support of the team and community. With sincere sympathy and solidarity,' Banyana were given the day off and returned training on Thursday to conclude preparations for the third-place playoff match against Ghana at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca tonight (kick-off is at 9pm SA time).
