[dropcap size=big]W[/dropcap]eekends are for adventure and good food.
Though most food dreams can be fulfilled by exploring the large and bountiful local Los Angeles, this past weekend, I decided to drive down the 5 South to San Juan Capistrano. The last time I took a drive to the area was in the third grade for my Mission de San Juan Capistrano project. This time, 22 years later, my visit was way more exciting. I was on a new mission to try some of California’s best barbecue: Heritage Barbecue, owned by Latino couple Daniel and Brenda Castillo.
Brenda and Daniel started out cooking for their usual weekly carne asada kickbacks at their home. Daniel grew up in the Pico Rivera, Montebello, La Puente, and Whittier areas, the part of Los Angeles known as the East of East L.A. He met his wife in high school, and after marrying, the pair moved to Midway City in Orange County. Before running their highly anticipated, popular, and growing eatery, Daniel shares that he spent his days as a mechanic working on lowriders and hotrods during the week and cooking carne asada, beer can chicken, and ribs for family and friends on the weekends.
After beginning to taste his ribs and chicken, Daniel’s own family began placing small catering orders, and the word got out. “Back in the day, you could say my family and I lived paycheck to paycheck. So when people began asking to order my food, the extra cash helped out!” After some thought, Brenda, Daniel's wife of 20 years and the backbone of Heritage BBQ encouraged him to take one step further and attend culinary school and explore the idea of selling their food widely.