Nachos

In a restaurant called El Cholo in Los Angeles that is supposed to be famous – the claim to fame comes from serving stars such as Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty, Michele Phillips, Nolan Ryan, Marlon Brando, Madonna, Elizabeth Taylor, George Hamilton, Tom Hanks, etc. - they have information on the birth of the nacho. Namely, it is stated that one Carmen Rocha from San Antonio, who joined El Cholo in 1959, started making something called a nacho and that the restaurant brought said appetizer to fame

Based on my own exhaustive research, taken from the Texas Journal published May / June 2007, I can report the true story. In the early 1940s, Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya worked at the Victory Club in the Mexican border town of Piedras Negras across border from Eagle Pass, Texas. He was the only employee on duty when some women came in for a snack. In the blink of an eye, he tore corn tortillas into triangles, fried them, topped them with cheese, and placed a slice of jalapeno on top.

The women called it Nacho’s Especiales. It was soon shortened to Nacho and the new snack was born. Of course there was nothing wrong with Carmen taking it to Los Angeles in 1959 but it should be known that El Cholo didn’t have much to do with the regional delicacy that has swept the country.

Anyway, the food was pretty good there. And the weather was nice. And David graduated from college!