The Full Story
About Us
We are the Rosas Bailon Family. Mayte Bailon is the mom, the owner, the chef, and the businesswoman who brought the idea to life. Nate, Ezra, and Kevin are the sons, university students, and the workers who keep the business going. Juan Rosas is the dad, the financial wiz who helped get the business up and running. Ofe, Yair, and Andy, extended family, are also part of the team, helping with the day to day.
We immigrated from Queretaro, Mexico to Edmonton in the mid-2010s. It all started as a started as a small taco stand at the Edmonton City Farmers’ Market on 104 Street in the summer of 2017. Frida Urban Taqueria opened its doors in December 2020.
Frida Kahlo
The restaurant was named after renown artist Frida Kahlo, a painter and poet from Mexico City who gained world-wide popularity and fame during the 1930s-50s. Her art and poetry captivated audiences due to its raw portrayal of the human body and spirit. Frida championed for women, indigenous and queer rights during a time when it was dangerous to do so. Further, she refused to conform to societally constructed gender norms, which is why she sported her famous unibrow.
Frida suffered many tragedies during her life, including polio and a bus accident which left her paralyzed for a time. Her spirit of perseverence and freedom of expression is what inspired us to use her as the motif for the restaurant.
The Food
At Frida Urban Taqueria, we celebrate the richness and history of Mexican gastronomy. Modern Mexican cuisine is the principal child of the Old World and the New World. The Aztec and Mayan empires had immense gastronomies which fused with Spanish and Arabic gastronomies to create one of the most extensive and exquisite national cuisines in the world. Aztec salsa made its way aorund the work to Italian pasta and pizza, chocolate and vainilla traveled to France to flavor desserts, and zucchini, squash, spices and peppers traveled to India and East Asia to further liven their cuisines.
Here at Frida Urban Taqueria, we honor this legacy with recipes true to our native country. We make every tortilla by hand, and accompany our tacos with house-made salsas, chopped onion and cilantro, and lime,