EL NARANJO CELEBRATES THREE KINGS DAY WITH ROSCA DE REYES
Plus New January Specials to Welcome the New Year
AUSTIN, TX – El Naranjo, Austin’s acclaimed spot for authentic Mexican cuisine, helmed by 2022 James Beard Award winner Chef Iliana de la Vega and Chef de Cuisine Ana Torrealba, announces Rosca de Reyes for Three Kings Day as well as an all-new Chef’s Menu for the month of January. The menu features dishes inspired by Tlaxcala, Mexico, which may be Mexico’s smallest state but it is one of the most quintessentially Mexican in its traditions, especially in the realm of cuisine.
Three Kings Day
To celebrate Dia de Reyes and Three Kings Day on January 6, 2025, El Naranjo offers individual sized Rosca de Reyes (Three Kings Cake) at brunch. These sweet breads are formed into a ring and flavored with orange blossom, decorated with dried apricots, figs, candied oranges, pecans, and sugar. The cake also has a plastic baby Jesus hidden inside. Traditionally, whoever finds the figurine must take it to church on February 2, Día de la Candelaria or Candlemas Day, and invite people to join them in celebration.
"Each dish on this menu is a celebration of the layered flavors that define Tlaxcala cuisine, while also embracing the beauty of seasonal ingredients,” says Chef Torrealba. “From the smoky warmth of El Durazno to the earthy complexity of the Mole de Huitlacoche, every bite is crafted to tell a story and create a memorable experience for our guests."
January Chef’s Menu
As one of Mexico's oldest cities, Tlaxcala is known for moles, barbacoa, tamales and mushrooms. The menu this month features several special dishes including the Taco de Carne Adobada with its chile ancho and cocoa-marinated steak, and the refreshing Tuna Ceviche with nixtamalized corn and serrano chile.
Cocktail
El Durazno
Mezcal infused with warm spices, peach, lemon, house made orangello
Taco
Taco de Carne adobada con Chile ancho y chocolate
Chile ancho and cocoa bean marinated flank steak with roasted tomatillo salsa, grilled spring onion and micro cilantro served over house made corn tortilla
Ceviche
Tuna, nixtamalized corn, tomato, white onion, serrano chile, lime juice, olive oil, micro cilantro
Soup
Sopa Tlaxcalteca
Roasted tomato and a touch of chile pasilla flavored chicken broth garnished with crema Mexicana, queso fresco, chicharrón, fried tortilla strips, and avocado
Entrée
Mole de Huitlacoche
Traditional mole made with huitlacoche, chile meco, and corn mas with epazote and rice, tender mini corn, mushrooms and zucchini
Served with choice of duck or chicken breast
Dessert
Tres leches de durazno
The tres leches cake filled with whipped cream and peach cooked in syrup
El Naranjo Complete press kit HERE.
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About El Naranjo
In 1997 Iliana de la Vega and Ernesto Torrealba opened El Naranjo, a restaurant specializing in Oaxacan cuisine. Ernesto was a trained architect and initially lacked professional experience in the kitchen but jumped in, and, as he says, “became her best student.” At first, there were many trials and tribulations but by May 2003, their food was featured on the cover of Bon Appetit magazine with the caption, "The Soul of Mexico: bold flavors, romantic places, and rich traditions." The restaurant flourished until 2006, when the community experienced a period of political unrest, causing Iliana and Ernesto to sell their restaurant and move to the United States.
Not long after their arrival to Austin, Ernesto began planning the El Naranjo trailer as a first step to learn about the Austin market and its culinary scene. Meanwhile, Iliana was offered a position as a cuisine specialist, researcher, and chef instructor at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America San Antonio where she hosted the first cooking classes dedicated to Mexican Cuisine. She is frequently asked to make national appearances to chime in on various aspects of Latin American cooking and to help people understand Mexican food beyond tacos and Tex-Mex.
About Chef Iliana de la Vega
Iliana de la Vega is an award-winning Mexican-born chef and owner of El Naranjo, a traditional Mexican restaurant in the heart of Austin, Texas. Chef de la Vega and her husband Ernesto Torrealba first opened El Naranjo as a restaurant and cooking school in 1997 in Oaxaca, Mexico; the restaurant received worldwide acclaim and was lauded as “the soul of Mexico” on the cover of Bon Appetit and at The New York Times Dining Section, among other notable publications. El Naranjo in Austin has been recognized as the best Mexican restaurant in the region, and it has been named among the top 10 restaurants in the city.
Chef de la Vega served as the Mexican/Latin Cuisines Specialist for the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) from 2007 to 2012. In 2014, she was awarded the Ohtli Award in recognition of her work in furthering Mexican gastronomy in the United States and the 2014 Hispanic Female Entrepreneur of the Year award from the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Chef de la Vega was also named a semifinalist in the 2019 and 2020 James Beard Awards for Best Chef: Southwest. In 2022, she became the first-ever winner of the Best Chef: Texas category in the James Beard Awards. Chef de la Vega was awarded ‘Chef of the Year’ by Bar and Restaurant expo in 2024.
As a restaurateur and consultant, Chef de la Vega creates menus and oversees training in the U.S. and abroad for hotels, restaurants and universities, such as Stanford University and UMASS. Additionally, she and her anthropologist and journalist daughter Isabel lead culinary trips to various regions of Mexico, including Oaxaca, Mexico City and Mérida through their gastronomic tour company Mexican Culinary Traditions.
About Chef Ana Torrealba
Ana Torrealba is the Chef de Cuisine at El Naranjo restaurant in Austin, Texas. She was born in Mexico City but grew up in the city of Oaxaca in Southwest Mexico. She grew up at her family's restaurant, El Naranjo, always surrounded with the aromas of corn, chiles and freshly baked bread. In 2006, she moved to the United States and began her career in the food industry, working at various bakeries and restaurants.
Torrealba graduated from The Culinary Institute of America with an Associate's Degree in Baking and Pastry. She then returned to Austin to work at her family's restaurant for a couple of years. In 2015, Zagat included her in their "30 under 30" List of Best Chefs in Austin. Interested in learning more about the process and chemistry of food, she moved to Mexico City IN 2016 to study food engineering.
Since her return to Austin, Chef Torrealba has developed breads, desserts, and pastries, as well as other savory parts of the restaurant’s menu.
Madeleine Nasch