One Man’s Dedication, Four Decades of Flavor: Tito’s Senior Cook Speaks
By Dolores Quintana
Severiano Gonzalez is the senior cook at Culver City’s iconic Mexican restaurant Tito’s Tacos. Born in Jalisco, Mexico, Gonzales was hired to work at Tito’s in 1985. After working at a plastics manufacturing company, when he was offered a job at the restaurant, he took it and never looked back. The seventeen-year-old knew opportunity when he saw it.
After forty years with Tito’s and as the father of a family of four, Severiano Gonzales is known as a man of few words but a sincere dedication to his craft as a cook and, dare I say it, a chef.
I spoke with Severiano Gonzales, through an interpreter, about his work and his passion for cooking. One of the other employees, who has worked with him for many years, said that he was surprised that Gonzales spoke so freely, because he is a man of few words.
After the interview, I stopped to order food and had to wait for a bit because the restaurant had a line. It was clear that people love the food that Tito’s Tacos serves and the food that Severiano cooks with love.
Dolores Quintana: When did you first decide you wanted to be a cook?
Severiano Gonzalez: When there was an opportunity [at Tito’s Tacos], when they gave it to me. I took it.
Dolores Quintana: But I wondered if your family cooked a lot and if you learned how to cook at home. If you loved cooking with your family in your home, if that’s where your desire to cook came from. Also, I know that the cuisine in Mexico is different from what people in the United States know as Mexican food.
Severiano Gonzalez: Yes, my family always cooked, but restaurant cooking is different from homemade cooking. Home cooking is different because it’s not in a restaurant setting where you’re making tons of food all at once, but it’s also different because you’re making something for your children. Yes, I agree, Mexican food in Mexico is much different than Mexican food in the United States.
When the opportunity was given to me, and I found that I loved working here at Tito’s, I took that opportunity because I wanted to grow. I wanted to learn. I was taught by the ones that came before me, the managers and the bosses that I worked with before when I was young. They taught me everything about the restaurant business: how to cook and how to manage the volume. Tito’s is a family business, and the ingredients have been in the family since the business started. They haven’t changed, so I have learned the Tito’s way.
Dolores Quintana: How long have you worked at Tito’s?
Severiano Gonzalez: 40 years. I started as a runner and a server, and then moved up to making food for the customers. I have been the senior cook for 25 years. I am in charge of cooking beans, rice, and enchiladas, and in charge of always being on top of what they need in the front of the house.
Dolores Quintana: Does that mean that part of your skill as a cook is knowing and anticipating the needs of the business throughout the day? Is it that you have an eye for those needs or training?
Severiano Gonzalez: It’s both. I was very well trained to be on top of what is needed out in the front, and because I was so well trained, it has given me the eye to watch what is needed and to know what will be needed. I do this daily, so it’s something that comes naturally now.
I love what I do, and I’m very good at it, and I always strive to do my best when I am working.
Dolores Quintana: I’ve noticed that to cooks and chefs, cooking is more than just a job. It’s like a passion that is within them. How do you feel about your work?
Severiano Gonzalez: You have to be very vigilant when cooking because you know you want to make sure everything is coming out correctly. You’re right, what you say is correct. It’s a passion, and you do it, not just with passion, but with your heart.
Dolores Quintana: Cooking is a craft, and like a lot of other crafts, like writing or filmmaking or acting, or dancing, it’s also an art. I believe that chefs and cooks know that there is a magic of creativity involved. I think it is very similar. I’ve heard it described that they just want to feed people, and it’s just what makes them happy, you know? When they see people enjoying their food, they say, “My life has meaning.”
Severiano Gonzalez: It is a great pleasure to see people love what they’re eating, especially when the food is something that you’ve cooked.
Dolores Quintana: Is there anything like a specific dish or a type of food here that you really enjoy?
Severiano Gonzalez: I eat a bean, cheese, and rice burrito and one taco with cheese every single day.
Translator: When I started here, I asked him because I saw what was on his plate every day. I try to take care of myself, and I love Tito’s. But sometimes, I have to hold back. I asked him one day, “Do you eat here every day?” Severiano said, “Every day. Since the day that I started working here.” That’s why when you ask that question, I smiled because I know what he eats, and that’s what he has eaten every day for 40 years.
When he was in Mexico, he grew up eating a lot of beans, and he was raised on them, so he loves beans.
Severiano Gonzalez: I cook them in a way that I think someone will enjoy. I cook them in a way that I enjoy the food when I eat it. When I’m making the food, I’m thinking about how to cook them the Tito’s way, but also how I enjoy eating them. I have ordered beans at other restaurants, and I can tell when they are canned beans. It’s not just the color, the beans that I cook must have the right flavor, the right texture, and they must be hot.
Founded in 1959 by Benjamin Davidson and now run by his granddaughter Lynne Davidson, Tito’s Tacos is an iconic Mexican fast-casual restaurant in Los Angeles. Known for its “folded” hard shell tacos and burritos beloved by celebrities, locals, and visitors, Tito’s menu features crispy beef tacos, tamales, burritos, enchiladas, tostadas, and guacamole, among other dishes. The award-winning cuisine is made from scratch using original recipes and served to thousands of loyal fans daily, often by employees who have been with Tito’s for decades. Available for takeout or delivery.
