Mexicali Fresh owner Maggie Donnelly is loving the new Napier store. Photo / Supplied
Mexicali Fresh owner Maggie Donnelly is loving the new Napier store. Photo / Supplied
Maggie Donnelly, owner of Napier's newest Mexican restaurant, Mexicali Fresh, says there's plenty of reasons to visit the outlet. She chats to Mark Story.
Mexicali apparently began with a hippie living in a school bus. In the early 1970s a San Francisco hippie living in an old school bus got ajob in a new Mexican restaurant. On finding that he was good at cooking Mexican food he took the concept to New York and then to Oregon. His sons have continued the tradition in New Zealand. We grill and roast our meats, chop our salsas and fry up our tortilla chips every day to give our customers the most authentic California-style experience.
Its Californian-style fits nicely with Art Deco City – was this intentional or fortuitous? When the Mexicali team from Auckland visited Napier they were so impressed with Napier's beautiful Art Deco concept. I worked with Conor Kerlin to design the Napier store with Napier's Art Deco style in mind.
For someone who doesn't know what Mexican food is all about, help them out. We offer a wide variety of nachos, burritos, quesadillas and salads all with a fresh taste and options to have mild, medium or hot salsas.
Mexican food seems to be enjoying a popularity boom in this country. Why is that? I think New Zealanders are enjoying Mexicali Fresh because the food is made fresh every day and people of all ages can enjoy the wide menu options. All our meats are free range, and we offer gluten-free meals.
What's the biggest misconception about Mexican food? I think the biggest misconception of Mexican food is that it is over-spicy! At Mexicali Fresh all our meats are marinated but you the customer decide if the salsa added to your meal is mild, medium or hot. You decide how spicy your meal will be.
