Our Story
A room, a table, a place for Oaxaca.
The story of Oaxaca Restaurant begins with Tomasa López Mateo, her childhood in Santiago Matatlán, and the meals her family shared around one table. Those memories shaped the restaurant she later opened in Fresno and the traditions her children now help continue.
Chapter 01
Origins
She grew up as one of ten siblings in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca. Her family ran a small grocery store, cultivated maguey, and made mezcal, while her mother taught everyone to cook together. Years later, her brother encouraged her to open an Oaxacan restaurant in Fresno. She arrived without knowing the city or anyone in it. The beginning was difficult, but little by little, people found the restaurant.
Chapter 02
The Cuisine
The food reflects Oaxaca’s Valles Centrales—the region at the heart of the restaurant’s cooking. When the restaurant opened, many local guests were more familiar with food from Puebla, so part of the journey was introducing Fresno to the moles, tlayudas, meats, tortillas, and flavors of this part of Oaxaca.
Chapter 03
Ingredients & Technique
This food cannot be rushed. Chiles may be toasted or fried before they are ground; peanuts, spices, meats, and sauces each require their own preparation. The cuts, seasoning, and timing have to be right. Because some ingredients are difficult to find in Fresno, the restaurant brings certain products from Oaxaca.
Chapter 04
Hospitality
The goal is for guests to eat as though they were in Oaxaca—to remember their town, their families, and the food they grew up with. Seeing children and families enjoy the restaurant brings back memories of the same kind of table where this story began. Today, the next generation is involved, with the hope that the recipes will continue for many years to come.
“We want people to eat as if they were in Oaxaca—to remember their town and what they used to eat.”
— Tomasa López Mateo