Exterior view of Tuck Mexican Restaurant in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hong Zehua
Guangzhou, 2 Sep (Xinhua) -- Esquière Santa Cruz Clement has been cooking for 20 years, including 10 years in the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. Today, his restaurants have opened in Fujian and Shanghai.
"Shenzhen is the starting point of my business and opens the window for me to understand China." He said, "Shenzhen has an inclusive urban culture and has become my second hometown. ”
Tucker Mexican restaurateur Esquière Santa Cruz Clemente chatted with reporters at the store. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hong Zehua
Esquière Santa Cruz Clement is from Veracruz, Mexico. When he came to Shenzhen in 2010, he didn't think that he would spend 10 years in the city.
In 2014 Santa Cruz opened its own Taco restaurant. A traditional mexican food, Tarco rolls up the pancakes by hand on a pancake of corn or wheat with different fillings such as roast beef, chicken, pork, vegetables or cheese.
Santa Cruz's Taco Restaurant has successively launched 6 flavors of Taco, Mexican pancakes, tortillas and other Mexican specialties. In order to ensure the authentic taste, Santa Cruz insists on recruiting Mexican chefs, and the ingredients are strictly imported from Mexico.
"Ninety percent of the customers at that time were foreigners, and even if they occasionally Chinese, they were mostly attracted by the Mexican-style decoration and took a photo when passing by." Santa Cruz laughs and says, "But now it's often only one or two tables of foreigners out of 20 tables, and the rest are all Chinese diners." ”
At Tucker Mexican Restaurant, the chef is adding a special sauce to the signature dish "Taco". Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hong Zehua
Facing the South China Sea and adjacent to Hong Kong and Macau, this city in the heart of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is full of charm and vitality. During these 10 years, Santa Cruz has felt the tolerance of the city and witnessed the process of its modernization.
"Shenzhen's large and small business districts bring together cuisines from all over the world, and many restaurants are operated by foreigners. More and more Chinese are willing to explore new things and try new flavors. Santa Cruz said, "People's living standards are getting higher and higher, and customers entering the store are no longer simply 'punching in', but purely for the enjoyment of food." ”
Neatly arranged wine glasses in Tucker Mexican Restaurant. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hong Zehua
In the afternoon, the Taco Mexican restaurant business is still booming. Outside, under wide-brimmed straw hats, customers enjoy authentic Mexican tacos, while indoors, accompanied by dynamic Mariachi music, customers sip cold beers.
"The chef will be very happy to see the diners who are having a good time. I recommend different tacos according to their tastes, tell them the most authentic way to eat, and hope that they can explore more interesting things about culture from one dish. Santa Cruz said.
Tucker Mexican restaurant, one of the specialties of the shop. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hong Zehua
Santa Cruz's restaurant is located in Sea World in Shekou, Shenzhen. Shekou is the landmark area of China's reform and opening up, with the sound of a "cannon" that year, kicked off the prelude to the construction of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, and then gave birth to the era slogan of "time is money, efficiency is life".
Santa Cruz said that when it first arrived 10 years ago, the small city did not have so many buildings, and the area was not as prosperous as it is now.
Referring to his favorite Chinese patron, Tucker Mexican restaurateur Esquière Santa Cruz Clemente smiled widely. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hong Zehua
From a small fishing village on the coast of the South China Sea to a modern metropolis, from a special economic zone to a pioneering demonstration zone of socialism with Chinese characteristics, Shenzhen's development has never stopped in the past 40 years. Santa Cruz recalls that he was impressed by the changes that have taken place in the city over the years. "There were very few subway lines 10 years ago, and now there are 10. China will never stop moving forward, and the speed is amazing. ”
From Shenzhen to Fujian to Shanghai; from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to the Yangtze River Delta. Santa Cruz's Taco restaurant is growing thousands of miles away from home, and on September 11 this year, he will open a second store in Shanghai.
Tucker Mexican restaurateur Esquière Santa Cruz Clemente makes small talk with the shop's customers. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hong Zehua
"The Chinese market is vast and open, as long as you abide by the laws and regulations and operate in good faith, you will have good opportunities and get good results, which is why I am willing to stay in Shenzhen." There are many fields that foreigners can work in In China, and people from all walks of life can find a space to display their talents here. Santa Cruz said.
In Tucker's Mexican restaurant, the chef is busy. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hong Zehua
Another reason Santa Cruz fell in love with Shenzhen was that he met his current Chinese wife here and had a lovely daughter. On weekdays, Santa Cruz takes care of the business in the restaurant, and his wife takes her 4-year-old daughter to the beach to play. Just a 10-minute walk out into the azure waters and enjoy a moment of tranquility amid the hustle and bustle of the city.
For the future, Santa Cruz does not have a detailed plan. "The pandemic has changed people's attitudes towards life a lot, and I don't know where I will be in the future, but as long as I run Taco Restaurant, I will definitely choose China."