![\"Cocina](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/newtimes-chiwas-024-jtd23321.webp.jpeg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNadia Holguin and Armando Hernandez’s restaurant empire began with Tacos Chiwas.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNadia Holguin and Armando Hernandez’s restaurant empire began with Tacos Chiwas.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Jacob Tyler Dunn<\/p>\n
The first time Guy Fieri pulled up to Tacos Chiwas<\/a>, co-owner Armando Hernandez didn\u2019t know what to expect. It wasn\u2019t even the first Food Network show whose producers had approached Hernandez and his wife Nadia Holguin for a segment. In fact, they were on a video call with another Food Network crew when Fieri\u2019s team reached out.<\/p>\n Their first appearance on \u201cDiners, Drive-Ins and Dives\u201d aired in 2018. Tacos Chiwas, the couple\u2019s ode to their shared Chihuahuan heritage, was less than a year old and operating out of an old Dairy Queen on McDowell Road when the crew came to film. The day after that episode aired \u201cwas fucking bananas,\u201d Hernandez recalls.<\/p>\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t really even understand what that show was really about. I didn\u2019t grow up with cable at the house,\u201d he says. \u201cIt legitimately doubled our business the next day.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Now, the Mayor of Flavortown has returned to catch up with Hernandez and Holguin as part of his show, \u201cTriple D Nation.\u201d On the spinoff series, the celebrity chef revisits restaurants to check in on them, typically years later. The episode, titled \u201cMex-Italian and Meatless,\u201d will air at 10 p.m. Friday on Food Network.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tThis year, make your gift count \u2013<\/strong><\/strong> \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOur work is funded by readers like you who make voluntary gifts because they value our work and want to see it continue. Make a contribution today to help us reach our $30,000 goal!\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n The episode description highlights Tacos Chiwas\u2019 \u201clights-out lengua and beefed-up gorditas,\u201d and will follow up with what\u2019s happened to the owners since Fieri\u2019s visit. (Tacos Chiwas was also featured in a pandemic episode, \u201cTakeout: Comin\u2019 From All Over the Map,\u201d which aired in 2021).<\/p>\n A lot has changed for the taqueria owners. They moved their original Phoenix taqueria to a larger, more modern space on Indian School Road just west of 12th Street, opened a location in downtown Mesa and one at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n The couple also branched out from their Tacos Chiwas brand to open other restaurants, including the upscale Mexican eatery Cocina Chiwas in Tempe<\/a> and its neighboring Aruma Cafe<\/a>. They have also partnered with chefs on other projects, including Rene Andrade\u2019s acclaimed Phoenix restaurant, Bacanora<\/a>, and Roberto Centeno on the excellent Mesa eateries, Main Burgers<\/a> and Espiritu<\/a>.<\/p>\n The \u201cTriple D Nation\u201d episode was taped about a year and a half ago, Hernandez says, so at this point, he doesn\u2019t quite remember all they discussed. The sentiment for the owners is one of gratitude for the show and the notoriety it brought.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a good experience just to have a conversation and, obviously, from our end, thank them and the show,\u201d Hernandez says. \u201cIt was one of those pivotal things that happened in our life that really helped us just thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n Tacos Chiwas is one of several Valley restaurants to get another visit from the celebrity chef and Food Network star for \u201cTriple D Nation.\u201d In a March episode, Fieri stopped into Paradise Valley Burger Co.<\/a> Last year, he visited a slew of spots, including the casual Italian eatery Giuseppe\u2019s On 28th<\/a>, the Scottsdale barbecue joint The Thumb<\/a>, Sal\u2019s Gilbert Pizza<\/a>, Tortas Chano<\/a> in Anthem, Perk Eatery<\/a> in Scottsdale, Curry Corner<\/a> in Tempe, and Republica Empanada<\/a> and Aloha Kitchen<\/a> in Mesa.<\/p>\n As the Chiwas owners approach their taqueria\u2019s 10-year anniversary, Hernandez says they\u2019re not done.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a continued evolution of us trying to bring as much love to Phoenix,\u201d Hernandez says. \u201cWe\u2019re not fully done yet, you know. We have a lot to express.\u201d<\/p>\n Tacos Chiwas<\/p>\n 1028 E. Indian School Road
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Armando Hernandez and Nadia Holguin pose with their daughters at the grand opening of their new airport restaurant.<\/p>\n
127 W. Main St., Mesa<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nadia Holguin and Armando Hernandez’s restaurant empire began with Tacos Chiwas. Jacob Tyler Dunn The first time Guy…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":428401,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5131],"tags":[5229,5643,1587,27144,1589,13963,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-428400","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-phoenix","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-arizona","10":"tag-az","11":"tag-chefs","12":"tag-phoenix","13":"tag-tacos","14":"tag-united-states","15":"tag-united-states-of-america","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","18":"tag-us","19":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115671702409902024","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=428400"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428400\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/428401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=428400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=428400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=428400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}