Meet Eddie Hernandez: Executive Chef at Taqueria Del Sol
Presenting his native Mexican food inspired by traditional Southern ingredients
Eddie Hernandez Oral History Highlights by Southern Foodways AllianceSouthern Foodways Alliance
The Southern Foodways Alliance oral history program documents life stories from the American South. Collecting these stories, we honor the people whose labor defines the region. Meet Eddie Hernadez, Taqueria del Sol’s founding chef.
Eddie Hernandez Taqueria del Sol by Southern Foodways AllianceSouthern Foodways Alliance
Taqueria del Sol’s founding chef, Eddie Hernandez, juxtaposes the food traditions of his native Monterrey, Mexico, alongside the culinary traditions of the American South.
Eddie Hernandez Taqueria del Sol by Southern Foodways AllianceSouthern Foodways Alliance
As a child, Eddie learned to cook from his grandmother in her restaurant kitchens in Mexico.
Eddie Hernandez Taqueria del Sol by Southern Foodways AllianceSouthern Foodways Alliance
After a several-year stint playing drums in a rock band in Texas, Eddie tired of the rock star lifestyle and moved to Georgia at the suggestion of a friend.
Eddie Hernandez Taqueria del Sol by Southern Foodways AllianceSouthern Foodways Alliance
Quickly finding work at a Mexican restaurant south of Atlanta, Eddie made his mark in the kitchen, laying the groundwork for his business partnership with Taqueria del Sol CEO Mike Klank.
Eddie Hernandez Taqueria del Sol by Southern Foodways AllianceSouthern Foodways Alliance
Eddie Hernandez Taqueria del Sol by Southern Foodways AllianceSouthern Foodways Alliance
They opened the first Taqueria del Sol on Atlanta’s Westside in 2000, creating a menu inspired by Hernandez’s native Mexico and Klank’s experiences in the American Southwest.
Eddie Hernandez Taqueria del Sol by Southern Foodways AllianceSouthern Foodways Alliance
"I don’t think about trying to do things like [the Old South], but to do them the way I think I will eat them. If I was given turnip greens in Mexico, I will eat them the way we serve them today. You ask me to make a gravy, a Low Country gravy, I’ll make it the way I will make it in Mexico."
Eddie Hernandez Taqueria del Sol by Southern Foodways AllianceSouthern Foodways Alliance
"Now you put smoked pork and barbecue sauce and if you can wrap it up in a wonton and people are going to buy it. So by putting it in a floured tortilla, it was like having a Memphis sandwich. People would understand what I was trying to do."
Eddie Hernandez Taqueria del Sol by Southern Foodways AllianceSouthern Foodways Alliance
Along the way, Hernandez was introduced to traditional Southern ingredients.
Eddie Hernandez Taqueria del Sol by Southern Foodways AllianceSouthern Foodways Alliance
Today, Eddie’s spicy turnip greens, Memphis pork barbecue tacos, and blue plate special of the day draw crowds stretching to the sidewalks at three locations in Atlanta and their newest venue in Athens.
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