Alejandro and Daniel both grew up in the El Paso-Juárez borderland but met through mutual friends while working in restaurants in Austin. After many years working at some of Austin’s top restaurants Alejandro traveled abroad and spent time developing his skill as a private chef in the Hamptons; while Daniel continued in Austin working at La Condesa, Ramen Tatsu-ya, Otoko, and Suerte. After 15 years of friendship and life experiences they decided to return to their hometown, bringing their collective knowledge and experience together to create Taconeta, a modern taqueria specializing in nixtamalized heirloom corn tortillas, and house-made everything. Taconeta opened in July 2020, in the middle of the pandemic to great reviews and an excited Borderland. Taconeta has been featured multiple times in Texas Monthly, Texas Highways Magazine, and most importantly MTV’s The Jersey Shore.