Thank you Austin!
Adiós Austin, We Love You!
We want to thank our guests, our dedicated team, and everyone who contributed to the story of El Naranjo in Austin, from our beginnings as a food truck, to our brick-and-mortar restaurant, to our final South Lamar location. We are also deeply grateful to the James Beard Foundation for recognizing us with the Best Chef: Texas award in 2022. It was a wonderful 16-year run, and we poured our hearts and souls into it.
Thank you to everyone who came by for one last meal, many of you more than once, some of you even took a trip to Austin just for us. Thanks for sharing your stories and what our restaurant and food meant to you, and for giving us such a beautiful and heartfelt goodbye. We are so grateful, and you will remain forever in our hearts. We hope we helped spread the love and appreciation for Mexico, its people, its culture, and its traditions. Thank you, truly, to all.
Our story isn’t over. Please continue to follow us, our work, and our journey at Culinary Traditions and/or Iliana de la Vega on Instagram and Facebook.
El Naranjo is now officially closed. Thank you, Austin, for being part of our story.
“If you talk to me about authenticity, I don’t know what you mean. If you say tradition, then I’m with you.”
— Iliana de la Vega
Chef De La Vega - Executive chef
James Beard Best Chef: 2022 Winner
James Beard Semifinalist for Best Chef Southwest (2019), Best Chef Texas (2020)
Recipient of Ohtli Award, the Mexican government’s highest honor given to Mexicans living abroad (2014)
Named Hispanic Female Entrepreneur of the Year by the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (2014)
Appointed Culinary Institute of America’s first Specialist for Mexican/Latin Cuisines (2007-2012)