The Woodlands | February 2023

4 DISHES TO TRY

Sopa de lentejas ($6.50 cup, $16 entree) is a vegetarian lentil soup.

Gina Antimo is the owner and the “Mexican Mom” behind Mexican Mom Cocina Tradicional, which opened in 2022. Mexican Mom Cocina Tradicional Sawdust Road restaurant welcomes diners ‘home’ G ina Antimo, also known as “Mexican Mom,” considers her restaurant an extension of her home and her way I ate every day at home, the way my mom used to cook for us and my grandma used to cook for us,” Antimo said. BY KYLEE HAUETER DINING FEATURE PHOTOS BY KYLEE HAUETERCOMMUNITY IMPACT

Tacos de guisado ($17) are served with the diner’s choice of Mexican authentic dishes.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began and events halted in 2020, Antimo kept cooking for her family, which led to her opening the restaurant in September 2022. “We had two kids in college [in 2020], and they were missing eating mom’s food—they couldn’t come and visit us,” she said. “So I thought of a way to give them my seasoning, my cooking, so I started the canning—I started making my sauces. … I was sending my love in the jar.” While eating, diners may notice crickets incorporated into dierent aspects of the interior design. “There’s a sentimental thing behind this little cricket. My dad passed away a little more than a year ago, and he loved the empanadas; he loved my cooking. The last meal that he had was crickets with avocado in a taco, and he really enjoyed it,” Antimo said. “So he said to me, ‘When you open a place or if you keep doing your catering, call it the cricket, call it the chapuline.” Antimo already had the name “Mexican Mom” trademarked, so instead of changing the name, she added a cricket to the logo and included its image throughout the restaurant. Her favorite part about the restaurant is getting to interact with the people that come through its doors. “That’s the best part of my job—that I get to interact with people and please them,” she said. “That’s a very good part of it. I like to make them happy and to see them happy and see empty plates when [the plates] arrive to the kitchen.”

customers as her guests. “If you go to my house, this is pretty much how it looks. So it is our home,” she said. “I call them my guests. They’re not my custom- ers; they’re my guests—it’s my home and I want them to feel like [they’re] home.” Her restaurant, Mexican Mom Cocina Tradi- cional, oers a menu that changes weekly with some set items that appear every week, such as empanadas, enchiladas verdes and choriqueso, a dish including melted cheese and chorizo. Other items on the menu change from week to week, she said. Regardless of what dish is being served, it is always cooked from scratch with fresh ingredients, she said. “Saturday, Sunday, any time I have … I will go all the way to the market ... and get my boxes of fresh things that I need,” she said. “Everything is cooked fresh at the moment,” said Jaime Reverte, Antimo’s husband. “If you order enchiladas, she will cook them from scratch. The food is high quality; she goes and buys everything personally to make sure that everything’s top quality, and everything is cooked fresh.” Antimo started cooking 15 years ago, making food for her husband to bring to work, she said. After his co-workers started asking for food, Antimo quickly started in the catering business, creating authentic Mexican dishes. “I started with [doing something] a little more rened than the regular tacos or the regular Mexican food. We’re trying to make it a little more rened but [still] homestyle—the

Enchiladas verdes con pollo ($14.50) are chicken enchiladas in tomatillo green sauce with beans on the side.

Flan napolitano ($5) is a custard , and empanadas de manzana ($4.50) are made with a sweet lling.

Mexican Mom Cocina Tradicional 1027 Sawdust Road, Ste. 375, Spring 832-614-1798 www.mexmom.com Hours: Mon-Tue. 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; Wed-Sat. 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 5-8 p.m.; closed Sun.

SAWDUST RD.

THE WOODLANDS EDITION • FEBRUARY 2023