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It’s no secret that the food industry has undergone a radical transformation over the last 25 years. People have more educated palates these days, thanks to television and social media, and they’re willing to try more non-traditional dishes and experiment with new ideas.
That’s been a good thing for Jim Urdiales, as his decidedly unique Mestizo Louisiana Mexican Cuisine was a bit ahead of its time when it opened its doors in 1999. In the early days, some of his customers were hesitant to accept his unique take on Mexican cuisine. “They didn’t understand that I was trying to tell a different story,” Urdiales says. “But people today are more educated about food and are willing to explore new options.”
AT A GLANCE
Top executives: Jim Urdiales, Owner
Phone: 225.387.2699
Address: 2323 S. Acadian Thruway, Baton Rouge, LA 70808
Website: mestizorestaurant.com
“My menu is not like anyone else’s,” he adds. “It’s a fun menu that tells the full story of Mexican cuisine. Most people just get the Tex-Mex side of the story, but we show them that it’s a beautiful, complex and gourmet experience.”
Urdiales gave the restaurant its name—Mestizo means “of mixed blood and two cultures”–in honor of his own Acadian French-Mexican heritage. His grandfather migrated from Mexico to open a restaurant in Lake Charles, then four of his children opened their own Mexican restaurants in the years that followed.
As for Urdiales, he wasn’t entirely sure that he wanted to follow the same path. After he graduated with a degree in marketing from LSU in 1993, he landed a job at the Hilton in New Orleans. But after two years of working in the kitchen there, he wasn’t convinced that the restaurant industry was for him.
“I told my dad that I wanted to cook for his restaurant in Baton Rouge to see if that’s what I was meant to do,” he says.
At first, it seemed it wasn’t. He was rejected twice by prominent restaurants in the area. “I remember that I was chopping onions when I got my second rejection letter,” Urdiales says. “It was at that moment that God came in my head and told me that I needed to open my own restaurant, and that later he would tell me why. It was a spiritual thing.”
Of course, it wasn’t always smooth sailing in the years that followed. There have been plenty of storms, both figurative and literal, that have befallen Urdiales’ Acadian Thruway restaurant. But each time—whether it be after a flood, hurricane or pandemic—he pivoted and came back stronger.
Difficulty and challenges, in fact, have become an integral part of the Mestizo story. It was a negative blog review that opened Urdiales’ eyes to a new movement that would eventually take Baton Rouge by storm. “In 2008, a vegetarian food blogger just ripped me to shreds,” he says. “I remember thinking how unfair that was. After all, we weren’t a vegetarian restaurant. But as I was editing the next menu, I decided to add a couple of vegetarian tapas to see how they did.”
Urdiales is indebted to the blogger, as it forced him to recognize a niche in the market that wasn’t being served. “Today, much of my menu is on the cleaner, healthier side,” he says.
Paying attention to what his customers want is critical, so Urdiales keeps the Mestizo menu fresh and relevant, most recently adding food bowls, vegetarian and Keto options.
He has also expanded the full-service catering side of the business, which has become an increasingly popular choice for corporate lunches or off-site events such as weddings and rehearsal dinners.
As he develops the new menus each year, he never shies away from experimentation.
“Being a smart business owner means not being afraid to try new things.”
