Raised by a single mother in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Bocho learned at an early age that “if I didn’t cook, I wouldn’t eat.” As his mother worked and attended school, Bocho learned to make salads at the age of eight, and recalls his first experience cooking eggs on the stove at eleven years old. “I had to be supportive, I cooked and my mom took care of me,” said Bocho. His mother has been extremely supportive, in fact. So supportive, that when Bocho decided to open up his first restaurant at the age of sixteen, his mother and his grandmother bankrolled the endeavor.
After just two months on the job in Northbrook, Bocho was promoted to server. He loved it, “this got me closer to what I know, handling food.” He completed his high school diploma, and then felt compelled to open a restaurant called, El Tepache (Tepache originates from the Aztec language Náhuatl which means “drink made from corn”). However, after dealing with a high priced local, business associates with differing philosophies, and the urge to break away from exclusively making traditional Mexican dishes – Bocho closed El Tepache and spent some time thinking about his next venture. While he was figuring things out, he went back to the Northbrook restaurant; however, he had grown and being a server alone was not enough. This stint lasted three months, and soon after, Bocho started making arrangements to take over the struggling Café Catedral. He has renamed it La Catedral Cafe. The venue has a broader menu that Bocho considers a “hybrid version of the Tepache.” Food options include crepes with Mexican caramel, Paninis with skirt steak, and great tasting coffee. He’s going on three years, and has benefited a lot from social media. He said that, “I’ve gotten traffic into Catedral because of notoriety on Facebook,” for example. “I was amazed by the amount of likes I received after posting a picture of myself wearing a bow tie,” said Bocho. He then added, “I need to make this my look from now on,” and that he should. Please check out the pictures of our photo shoot and see how Bocho’s flare is still grounded on his comfort in the kitchen.