dsm Dish - May 2, 2025

The women of Tasty Tacos: four generations, one legendary business

By Mary Jane Miller

At Tasty Tacos, “nada es impossible.” That’s their familiar tagline, but it also happens to be true.

For more than 60 years now, four generations of Mosqueda family women have built the business into one of the most popular restaurant chains in Central Iowa. I recently had the pleasure of meeting three of them — CEO Jennifer “Jenni” (Mosqueda) Gardner with her mother, Linda Mosqueda-Blair, and grandmother, Antonia Mosqueda — at the headquarters in Pleasant Hill. Until they built it four years ago, the company’s main office was tucked in Antonia’s home, where meetings took place around the kitchen table.

In 1961, Antonia and her husband, Richard, (pictured) moved to Des Moines from northern Iowa and took out a $500 loan to open the first Tasty Tacos shop at Easton Boulevard and Searle Street. Everything on the menu came from family recipes, including the iconic puffy flour shells. At home, the Mosquedas filled them with seasoned beef, as well as scrambled eggs or fruit.

In the early days, Antonia managed the small takeout shop until Richard finished his shift as a barber and then came over to help. Soon enough, they opened a second location at East 18th Street and Hubbell Avenue, with tables for on-site dining. Today the family oversees six locations with indoor and patio seating, as well as an app for online orders and DoorDash.

Since Richard died in 2000, the Mosqueda women have run the show.

Linda has done literally every job in the business, from washing dishes and cleaning floors to handling paperwork in the office as the former CEO. She took over after her dad’s death and then retired as president in 2024. Jenni followed a similar path.

These days, even though they’re retired, Antonia and Linda still attend meetings to share their opinions and keep an eye on the business. They all listen to each other; after all, family comes first. “You have to do what’s best for the business but also remember that they are family, not people you can fire and never see again,” Jenni said. “Grandma is 95, the matriarch of our family. She is absolutely amazing, sharp as a tack and her advice is always helpful.”

The business currently employs 11 family members, including Jenni’s teenage daughter — generation No. 4. Antonia said she had “no doubts it will continue,” and Jenni agreed.

Richard often compared running the business to having a baby: It’s always on your mind. But there are limits. The family tried extending the hours to Sunday but decided against it, in deference to their Catholic faith. “Without God we wouldn’t be here today,” Jenni said.

Now that Tasty Tacos has six locations, including the newest spot in Clive, the team is focusing on retail, through Mosqueda Foods. Customers can find their hot sauces and taco seasonings in Fareway and Hy-Vee stores and online. The merch, known as Tasty Swag, is popular, too, and every year before Christmas the company ships hoodies, T-shirts and mugs all over the world. You can’t order an actual Tasty Taco outside of Central Iowa, but affection for the brand has spread far and wide.

Tasty Tacos “is one of Des Moines’ most iconic foods,” said local chef and restaurateur George Formaro, who knows a thing or two about food. “It’s the first stop whenever I’m away for an extended time.”

I agree. I lived in Minnesota for 25 years and Tasty Tacos was always on my list whenever I came back to visit. Jenni smiled when I told her that and totally understood: “I think it tastes like home.”

Quick Bites

Cajun Fest: This year’s finger-lickin’ shindig is set for June 15 at the Hall in West Des Moines.

The Greek Food Fair is set for June 6-8 at St. George Greek Orthodox Church. The 45th annual event offers a feast of gyros, souvlaki, spanokopita, dolmathes, baklava and so much more, including Serbian specialties like sarma (made with love and lots of pickled cabbage).

The Des Moines Art Center announced a new partnership with the local bakery la mie and its owners, Joe and Christina Logsdon, to reopen the museum cafe that closed in late 2023. Together the team will launch a full-service eatery called the Art Center Café, presented by la mie. New features include banquet-style seating, a community table where diners can eat solo or with others, a full menu of coffee and espresso beverages and a kid-friendly menu, according to a news release. The cafe will reopen in late spring.

Flora is offering a special Mother’s Day brunch and takeout boxes of pastry. Choose from three brunch seating times to suit your mom’s schedule: 9 a.m., 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. Call 515-323-6288 to make a reservation or to order some pastries.

ISU Extension and Outreach, Iowa Farm to School and Early Care Coalition and Iowa Food Systems Coalition will join forces to host the first Farm & Food Celebration June 13 in Grinnell. Event planners hope to raise awareness about local food systems and practices with a day of farm tours, catered meals and learning opportunities with farmers, growers, business owners and organizations. ISU Extension plans to host the event every other year.

Secret Admirer brings back its summer hours with the start of the downtown farmers market. The cocktail bar on Southwest Fifth Street will now open at 10 a.m. on Saturdays, right on time to grab a pre- or post-market mimosa or refreshing Topo Chico sparkling water.

Chickens for rent? It's true. We heard about it this morning on Iowa Public Radio.

Events

Saturday: The Downtown Farmers' Market opens with the ceremonial cowbell on Court Avenue and continues every Saturday morning through October.

Saturday: The Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival returns to the Iowa State Fairgrounds and promises a place for bacon lovers “to feast on tasty bacon delicacies, to get weird and to have a grand ol’ time.”

Saturday: Cinco de Mayo in Valley Junction celebrates the neighborhood’s past and present connections to Latino culture with live entertainment and plenty of delicious food.

Sunday: Table 128 is hosting an afternoon tequila cocktail class that includes a welcome cocktail, light bites and hands-on instruction for mixing your own craft cocktails.

May 8: The Centro Spring Rosé Dinner celebrates the season with a garden-fresh five-course menu designed to perfectly pair with a selection of rosé wines.

May 9: HoQ is hosting a gin cocktail class to learn new and classic recipes, and more about different gin brands.

May 10: “Pasta Making: Pappardelle to Ravioli” will teach you how to make pasta from scratch in the rustic kitchen at Whippoorwill Creek Farm in Lovilia.

May 10: The Terrace Hill Mother’s Day Tea offers scones, tea sandwiches and a chance to explore the public portions of the governor’s residence. It’s hosted by the nonpartisan, nonprofit Terrace Hill Partnership, which supports the 1869 mansion’s upkeep.

May 12: Market at Oak Park showcases the Ingersoll restaurant’s lineup of produce and food vendors alongside food trucks and live music.

May 13: Winefest’s Toasting Tuesday will take place at the home of Travis and Jenise Rychnovsky and spotlight eight domestic sparkling wines paired with bites from local restaurants.

For Derby Day, double up on dips

By Chris Diebel

Each year when the Kentucky Derby comes around, it’s an ideal time to serve two Southern favorites: pimento cheese and cucumber Benedictine. Both are easy to make and versatile enough to serve as a dip with crudité and crackers or composed in tea sandwiches.

You can find both recipes at dsmdish.com.

Pimento Cheese
As a Southern transplant who grew up on pimento cheese, I was surprised to learn the dip did not originate in the South. It’s a product of New York that became popular during the rise of industrial food production and marketing in the late 1800s, around the time that cream cheese was invented and Spain started importing jarred peppers to the United States. The domestic science movement (later known as home economics) helped pre-made versions of pimento cheese spread across the country. After the Great Depression, store brands fell out of favor, but Southern home cooks started riffing on their own recipes with a variety of readily available cheeses.

Frankly, as a kid, I didn’t much care for the basic store-bought pimento cheese that was often in our fridge. However, now I love the spread for its versatility. During a recent trip to Texas for a family event, my cousin served a version with pepper jack cheese and diced jalapenos. I’ve also had a variation made with smoked Gouda. Both were delicious.

Cucumber Benedictine
Kentucky’s own cucumber Benedictine actually originated in the South. Many Iowans aren’t familiar with this spread, but I can confirm that it appeals to most palates. If you’ve every enjoyed tzatziki at a Mediterranean restaurant, you’re going to like it.

Benedictine was created by Jennie C. Benedict from Louisville in the early 20th century. The basic ingredients are simple and readily available: cream cheese, cucumbers, sour cream and a little mayonnaise with green onions and dill. Some folks add a few drops of green food coloring, but I find the dye a little disturbing. There’s also a great debate on food blogs about whether the diced ingredients should be gently folded in or mixed in a food processor for a smoother texture. Personally, I like using the food processor, but I use pulses to keep some of the chunkiness intact. You can find my recipe on dsmdish.com.

Tips for tea sandwiches
If you use both dips for tea sandwiches, I’d suggest contrasting breads for each spread. Go for a classic white sandwich bread for the pimento cheese and something darker, like a pumpernickel, for the Benedictine. When building your sandwiches, be careful not to overfill them. Wrap the sandwiches tightly with plastic wrap and place them on a sheet tray. Add a second sheet tray to the top and give a gentle press. This helps the components meld together and stay intact when it’s time to cut the sandwiches. Refrigerate the stacked sheet trays for at least 30 minutes. (In a pinch, you could even put them in the freezer for 20-30 minutes). When ready to serve, remove the sandwiches and carefully cut off the crusts using a serrated knife. For further visual interest on the serving platter, consider cutting one variety into triangles and the other into rectangles.