Haute, Hot Headliners

TV personalities and restaurateurs the Too Hot Tamales will heat up the Headliner stage at CSES

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TALKING ALMOST IN TANDEM, finishing each others’ sentences, and peppering their words with laughter is just the way of life for the Too Hot Tamales, also known as chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, currently of the wildly successful Border Grill (Los Angeles, Santa Monica, LA airports, Las Vegas) restaurant. If their moniker, Too Hot Tamales, sounds familiar, perhaps it’s because you’ve seen one of the almost 300 episodes they’ve starred in on the Food Network show of the same name, or in their subsequent Tamales’ World Tour. If not, maybe you’ve picked up one of their cookbooks, including Cooking With Too Hot Tamales; Cantina; Mesa Mexicana; or City Cuisine (and yes, they will be signing books at CSES, too).

Whatever the case, this spicy, sassy duo is not to be missed as they cook up a high-energy and creative session to close the show on Wednesday, March 16.

But—do they cater? Never fear, CSES attendees! In the midst of restaurant work and television appearances, catering began to garner their attention. “When we first opened the City Café and CITY in Los Angeles,” says Chef Susan Feniger, “the venues were on the smaller side and the focus was more on the diner’s experience.”

“But we didn’t shy away from catering,” adds Chef Mary Sue Milliken. “When opportunities came along, we took them!” Those early opportunities helped create a format for them to work within and sparked their expansion of services into catering. “We were always interested in doing offsite events to expose our brands,” says Feniger. “We started to get more requests and really began to see the potential of having a catering department.”

“And then we had an employee who was really interested and involved in growing this side of our business,” says Milliken. “So we promoted her to Special Events Manager and she took off with it.” That was 1992.

Today, the duo offers both on- and off-premises options including event and wedding catering, quick catering (aka corporate catering), and truck catering. Food trucks, that is. Read on…

Food trucks on the forefront

In 2008, as the economy began to tank, both chefs agreed they wanted to stretch a bit and reach a larger audience. Long before food trucks became the juggernaut they are today, these two were at the forefront, with two Border Grill food trucks in LA, allowing them to drive to private parties and food festivals, and offer general street food sales. “Our clients love ordering up our food truck for the holidays,” says Feniger. “A catered event with no mess in their home, but delicious food on the spot.”

“It also adds a ‘cool factor’,” says Milliken, “and celebrities around the LA area really like to call us up for their private parties.”

Food trucks are also a great way to test new recipes before release into their restaurants.

“Catering is a great way to push your brand and gain exposure. Every guest is a potential new customer,” says Milliken. “If you are only doing restaurant work, you are missing a real opportunity.”

“There are many sources to assist with your catering expansion,” adds Feniger. “Catersource is one of them. Network, find a mentor company to get assistance, ask for information.”

For three decades and still going strong, these two risk-taking women have been cooking up the most tasty and eclectic ethnic recipes this side of the Mexican border, expanding their empire even further now into LAX and Tom Bradley International Terminal. You won’t want to miss them on the Catersource and Event Solutions Tradeshow floor on Wednesday afternoon.