Our people: 'King of the Kitchen' cooking again

At the freshly revived Guadalajara Restaurant in Clovis, Mike Mendoza has been called "The King of the Kitchen."

So says restaurant management leader John Rink.

Mendoza returns the compliment by describing Rink and the restaurant's management team as "one of the best he's seen anywhere."

Mendoza, grandson of Guadalajara's founder Librado Casillas, took some time Wednesday afternoon to talk about his life and the new Guadalajara Restaurant, just off the corner of North Prince and 21st streets.

Q: What is the story of you and Clovis?

A: I was born in Los Angeles, Calif.

In the early 1960s, my family -- my mother Mary, my three sisters and me -- moved back to Clovis. I was raised in Clovis.

We lived in a two-story house next to the original Guadalajara Restaurant on First Street. Years later they changed the street name to L. Casillas street to honor my grandfather.

As far back as I can remember, the restaurant has always been in my blood.

I went to Guadalupe Catholic School then went on to Clovis High School where I ran track and played football.

Q: Tell us about your family.

A: I married Bonnie.

That's her nickname; her real name is Denise.

We raised two children, son Jordan and daughter Alek.

Jordan is single and lives in Albuquerque, Alek married an Englishman. They live in Williams, Ariz.

Q: So you left Clovis for a few years? What did you do career-wise?

A: When Alek graduated high school we moved.

I wanted to move to the West Coast, but Bonnie wanted to stay close to Clovis to be near family, so we moved to Rio Rancho.

I took bucket-list jobs, jobs I always wanted to do.

I worked in the restaurants of ski lodges at Sandia Crest, Santa Fe and Angel Fire.

I worked on an armored truck for Brinks. That was an adrenaline rush job. All the money I saw.

For instance we had to make regular trips to the Federal Reserve Bank in El Paso, Texas, and to the Brinks warehouse where I saw tens of millions of dollars.

I thought it was funny when I had to make periodic trips to Clovis. I'd be in my Brinks uniform and nobody recognized me.

Q: Then you came back to Clovis...

A: Sid Strebeck was instrumental in bringing me back.

He started talking to me in 2017. He kept calling me. Sid had a vision of bringing the Guadalajara back.

I commuted to Clovis for two years starting in 2019, then in 2021 Bonnie and I decided to move back to Clovis.

Q: Tell us about Guadalajara and its new life.

A: My grandfather had a grocery store on First Street in the early 1940s.

He had started making chile con carne, just red chile with ground beef.

I guess back in that time it was a popular dish. So in the mid-1940s he started the restaurant.

I have an old, original menu from the 1940s: Tacos 15 cents, soda pop 5 cents, 25-cent enchiladas.

You could feed a family of four for about five bucks, and it was a lot of food. (The restaurant closed in 2006. The original building burned in 2014.)

Sid Strebeck is a businessman; he has a great vision for business.

I've known Sid nearly my entire life. He and his family ate often at the old Guadalajara.

He just wanted to bring it (the restaurant) back.

And boy did he bring it back; the size, the structure, the décor, everything.

We have a great management team. I told Sid all I wanted to do was cook.

So Sid put together one of the best management teams I've seen anywhere.

John Rink is the big boss, Bobby Robles is our general manager, Jennifer Chavez and Jackie Zediker are assistant managers.

Q: This revived restaurant honors your family?

A: Yes, mainly my grandad, but also the whole Casillas family.

When you walk in, there's a painting of my grandfather.

My family made this happen over the years, the Casillas family: Aunts, uncles and especially my mom Mary.

Q: What is your favorite dish to prepare?

A: It's one of my own originals, it's the carne adovada, marinated pork and red chile with some "secret" ingredients.

I slow roast it.

Q: What is your favorite food?

A: A K-Bob's cheeseburger. Sometimes I have it with green chile and bacon.

Q: What is your favorite saying?

A: I say this to my kitchen staff when we really get things going: "Now we're cooking with oil."