“They brought us along to give us a better future Named for the birthplaces of the two owners Culturas Hidalgo y Oaxaca serves traditional pre-Hispanic food local to both places Alongside Mexican dishes that many are familiar with like quesadillas well-seasoned barbecued meat traditionally wrapped in the parchment-like leaves of the maguey plant (though many use parchment paper) a dish made of masa (corn dough) and usually stuffed with cheese This super-stuffed sandwich is traditionally made with two enchiladas verdes “I wanted to do it homemade-style,” Tapia told The Californian, “everything made in the instant it’s ordered.” The restaurant has struck a chord with the community Though the pair thought their customers would mostly be agricultural workers and immigrants missing the tastes of home they’ve been surprised by how diverse the customer base is and how quickly it became a local favorite for all kinds of diners “Our mentality when we opened the place was: Cook something they’re not cooking,” Monjaraz said Vegan and vegetarian options are available Some of the best renditions of traditional British dishes can be found on the site of a 15th-century inn Order a baked Alaska at one of Hong Kong's last surviving places slinging “soy-sauce Western.” Sample Hong Kong’s famous “Swiss wings” at the source Serve yourself from the heaping carts piled with bamboo steamers at what may be Hong Kong's oldest dim sum parlor Chef Lisa Nelson serves up sensational doubles this no-frills spot has been turning out perfectly seasoned renditions of a Delta staple Martha Tapia holds out her swollen wrists for inspection They are perpetually misshapen from the 17 years she spent packaging cauliflower in the Salinas Valley fields co-owns Culturas Hidalgo y Oaxaca restaurant in Salinas with her son-in-law so named because while Tapia hails from Tulancingo Monjaraz was born in the small town of San Andrés who spent years harvesting strawberries in Monterey County brought him to Salinas along with his two sisters when they were children “They brought us along to give us a better future,” Monjaraz said “I think that’s why we all immigrate.” opening the restaurant was another calculated risk toward achieving the what he called the American Dream similar to the one taken by Tapia and his parents when they crossed the border Culturas isn’t your typical Mexican eatery and their family have been serving traditional pre-Hispanic food from both Mexican states since they opened almost exactly two years ago; their menu is full of dishes like mixiote “Our mentality when we opened the place was: Cook something they’re not cooking,” Monjaraz said So while they’ll still make a burrito if you ask them to they also have Monjaraz’ aunt’s home-cooked bitter-sweet chicken mole and Tapia’s guajolote — a Hidalgo specialty More: Poke tacos? Carnitas sushi roll? New Salinas restaurant fuses Mexican, Japanese cuisine “I wanted to do it homemade-style,” Tapia said in Spanish “Everything made in the instant it’s ordered.” The guajolote is a sandwich originally made with two enchiladas verdes all between two slices of perfectly toasted french bread chicharrón or turkey sausage and condiments until the paper-wrapped sandwich is close to exploding Tapia first started making guajolotes when she left the fields a few years back and began selling food out of her home After a neighbor complained about the informal business at her house told her about the restaurant space for sale More: Salinas street food shakeup: Homemade food sales now legal in California Monjaraz was dreaming of going to culinary school in Napa Valley and working two jobs from 8 a.m He had also been dating Tapia’s daughter ‘My mom wants to open a restaurant,’” Monjaraz said “This place had a bad reputation of having changed owners a lot before.” signing the lease in October of 2016 and deciding on a name that would pay homage to the origins of both their families The cultural fusion is also present in the restaurant decoration Photos of famous luchador El Santo and children in traditional clothing from Hidalgo hang alongside images of Frida Kahlo the famous artist from the Mexico City neighborhood of Coyaocán Brightly painted miniature carvings of alebrijes — fantastic mythological creatures made famous in Mexico City and Oaxaca — hang from the ceiling They recently started a new tradition: Día de Muertos decorations from their respective culturas on an alternating basis the restaurant features an altar in the Oaxacan style with faces of saints baked into them instead of the sugar coated or colored varieties seen elsewhere The altar is otherwise full of sugar skulls and plenty of bright yellow chrysanthemums Spirits of dead ancestors are said to travel on a pathway made up of the flowers through the archway of the altar to rest awhile on the mat woven from palm fronds They thought their clientele would consist mostly of field workers and immigrants But the two were surprised to see the level of diversity among their diners Though they currently serve a vegetarian tlayuda a traditional Oaxacan dish with a handmade toasted tortilla Monjaraz said he’s planning to expand the menu options for people with alternative dietary needs having made a profit their first year and at least breaking even in their second More: After years in the shadows, Salinas woman visits mom in Mexico for first time in 15 years “I used all the money I had saved over so many years But the family operation is already outgrowing the rental space and the two owners said they’re looking to buy sometime soon Culturas Hidalgo & Oaxaca Restaurant is located at 473 E Call the restaurant at 831-975-4766 for more information College Connections at STC recently held an Apply Texas and Financial Aid drive at the Hidalgo County Precinct 2 offices Financial aid outreach representatives from STC along with recruitment staff were on hand for county employees who are seeking to attend classes at STC in the fall A new partnership between Hidalgo County Precinct 2 and South Texas College is enabling county employees to return to college and complete their degree Oscar Salinas said he made the difficult decision to return to college despite a full-time job as a truck driver and in field operations with Hidalgo County Precinct 2 Starting college 20 years after graduating from high school Salinas says it is never too late to pursue career goals He now plans to complete his certificate in Business Management by May 2020 and then wants to continue with an associate degree in Business His ultimate goal however is to one day enter STC’s Bachelor of Applied Science in Organizational Leadership (BASOL) program “Starting college 20 years after graduating from high school is a scary thought I always wished I would have gone right after high school but I didn’t and I can’t change that but I can start now because it’s never too late,” he said “A college degree is often necessary for career advancement and that is what I am looking for I want to keep learning and growing both personally and professionally Education gives you the opportunity to do that.” Salinas is among five employees with Hidalgo Co Precinct 2 who have opted to return to college fall 2019 The event was the first of its kind for the college which will continue to conduct outreach with employers and non-traditional adult learners in the community “We usually do these kinds of events with high schools but we had never done it with an employer so we were willing to give it a try,” said Maricruz Hinojosa and the precinct set us up with a few computers in a conference room We had the employees go through the application process and submit the forms for financial aid.” Precinct 2 allowed employees to come to campus to speak with advisors if they needed The county precinct office has also pledged to work with employees’ schedule so they can attend classes “It’s difficult for these adult learners to come and seek services at the college They usually can’t come to us even if they wanted to so for us to come to them and help them through the process was something they appreciated,” Hinojosa said “With the county precinct’s assistance we were able to offer this for them as well as facilitate and encourage them to continue their education.” The College Connections Department builds a college-going culture by providing off-site assistance to residents in Hidalgo and Starr counties College Connection Specialists assist with enrollment Recruiters are tasked with promoting STC and connecting with prospective students as well as with the community to help transition them into higher education I just wanted to make sure that all of our employees knew that there were opportunities out there to get a degree,” said Hidalgo County Pct “We want them to become a better asset to themselves and to the county “I have always encouraged our staff to look for better opportunities they need to know there is always something better out there and they need to reach for the job of their dreams,” Cantu said For more information, or to schedule a visit with a South Texas College Recruiter, please visit https://studentservices.southtexascollege.edu/recruiters/index.html, call 956-872-6749 or email Maricruz Hinojosa at mhinojosa@southtexascollege.edu. Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker President Donald Trump makes a major sports announcement. The announcement comes amid reports Washington, D.C. will host the 2027 NFL Draft. WATCHWeather AlertSEVERE STORMS AND HEAVY RAINS   The main threats are large hail, damaging wind gusts, and heavy rains with an isolated tornado also possible. FORECASTSHARE PHOTOS & VIDEO3-year-old girl declared 'dead' wakes up at funeral Mexico (WKRC) - A grieving family is trying to pick up the pieces after losing a young girl twice Three-year-old Camila Martinez Mendoza was taken to a pediatrician on Aug The doctor reportedly diagnosed her with dehydration and advised her mother,Mary Jane Mendoza to take her to the Salinas de Hidalgo Basic Community Hospital doctors placed a cold towel on her to lower her body temperature before releasing her with a prescription forparacetamol to treat her pain and fever That doctor apparently told her mom to give her non-sweet fruits and water and her family eventually brought her to the emergency room at Salinas “They wanted to give her (intravenous therapy). They took a long time to put oxygen on her,” Mary Jane said “They didn’t put it on her because they couldn’t find her little veins; finally staff removed the IV and took her to a separate “She still was hugging me," said Mary Jane ‘You have to let her rest in peace.'" doctors told her Camila had died from dehydration A funeral was arranged for her the next day Mary Jane says she noticed the window of the glass coffin started fogging up She says other guests told her she must be hallucinating and that she shouldn't open the lid But Camila's paternal grandmother apparently went to get a closer look after seeing the toddler's eyes moving First responders rushed her to the hospital and began performing life-saving measures and Camila was pronounced dead from dehydration and a cerebral edema -- swelling in the brain she didn’t single anyone out,” Mary Jane said “We have many people on the ranch who support us Mary Jane says she is filing a lawsuit against the hospital accusing the staff of negligence for allegedly declaring Camila dead too soon “What I really want is for justice to be served I have no grudge against the doctors [who] went to extreme [measures],” she said and directors be changed so that it does not happen again.” Camila's family says she was supposed to start kindergarten soon “Operation Dirty Dozen” Sends Five More to Federal Prison for Several Years Texas – Six more people have landed in federal prison for their roles in a large scale drug trafficking organization operating out of Starr County United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today District Judge Micaela Alvarez sentenced Roel Salinas a legal permanent resident alien residing in Mission Judge Alvarez also sentenced Ivan Baldomero Vega a legal permanent resident alien residing in Roma while Ramos-Lozano was sentenced to 135 months Judge Alvarez found that Ramos-Lozano and Mario Treviño were managers and/or supervisors in the drug trafficking organization six and eight-year terms of supervised release while Mario Trevino and Ramos-Lozano will be in supervised release for five years the sentence handed down by Judge Alvarez included the forfeiture of a residence located on the 1000 block of Paisano Street in Roma indictment charging more than 20 men with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana as well as substantive counts of drug trafficking and money laundering A superceding indictment was returned in July 2012 which added conspiracy to import marijuana as well as substantive counts of importation of marijuana by Jesus Eden Landa-Gomez The superseding indictment also charged two new defendants with drug trafficking federal agents began investigating the drug trafficking organization which revealed that large loads of marijuana were being importing from Miguel Aleman Once the marijuana was in the United States the organization stored it in various stash houses in Roma Mission and Edinburg before transporting it to Houston agents seized 11 loads of marijuana weighing approximately 4,700 kilograms (five tons) and seized approximately $120,000 in drug proceeds The investigation revealed that Mario Trevino and Ramos-Lozano headed a transportation cell responsible for receiving the marijuana from Mexico stashing it in Roma and transporting it to Hidalgo County Once the marijuana loads got to Hidalgo County Vega took custody and stored the marijuana until it was ready to be transported to Houston Francisco Trevino and Salinas were involved in finding drivers willing to transport the marijuana to Houston They have all been in custody since their arrest where they will remain pending transfer to a U.S Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future Eight others have also been convicted and sentenced to prison a legal permanent resident alien residing in Roma each pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to distribute approximately 818 kilograms of marijuana Moya and Dominguez-Gonzalez were each sentenced to 120 months in prison while Treviño received a 65-month term of imprisonment a legal permanent resident residing in Roma both pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute approximately 285 kilograms of marijuana and were 52 and 37 months a legal permanent resident alien residing in Escobares pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute approximately 305 kilograms of marijuana and was later sentenced to 37 months in prison was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and was sentenced to 46 months in prison was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana and was sentenced to 135 months in prison previously pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing They are presumed innocent unless and until convicted through due process of law a Mexican citizen last known to reside in Houston are fugitives and a warrant remains outstanding for their arrests Anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to contact Drug Enforcement Administration at 956-992-8400 The Organized Crime Drug Task Force Investigation dubbed Operation Dirty Dozen was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration Homeland Security Investigations and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Assistant United States Attorney Anibal J Mary Jane Mendoza/NewsflashThe girl’s mother was the one who noticed the glass of her daughter’s coffin fogging up three-year-old Camila Roxana Martinez Mendoza was rushed to Salinas de Hidalgo Basic Community Hospital in Mexico after experiencing stomach pains Staff at the hospital believed that she was simply dehydrated so they prescribed her medications and told her mother to give her fruits and water But as the New York Post reported the young girl’s condition continued to worsen throughout the day took her back to the hospital later that night for more treatment “They wanted to give her [intravenous therapy] They took a long time to put oxygen on her,” she remembered “They didn’t put it on her because they couldn’t find her little veins and her mother was escorted away to let Camila rest “She still was hugging me,” Mary Jane recalled ‘You have to let her rest in peace.'” It was the last time Mary Jane saw her alive — Camila was later declared dead from dehydration Mary Jane noticed fog forming on the glass window of her coffin Other attendees convinced her she must have been hallucinating when Camila’s grandmother took a closer look at the girl’s body she saw that the child’s eyes were moving Camila was rushed back to Salinas hospital but doctors’ efforts to save her proved futile this time of cerebral edema — or brain swelling Camila’s family had been planning to send her to her first day of kindergarten that very same week