New Food, Yeah!
By John Swartz
You’ think anytime during the last year is the worst time to start a business. Mike Santelices and Mauricio Melendez don’t think so. Saturday they had a soft opening for El Toro Smokehouse.
“I think it just encouraged me because it was the right environment to do something like this. We have a focus, we have a drive and everything just set in the right way to come in and do something like this. And, it’s something that was needed,” said Melendez.
“You can tell when there’s a niche, where there’s a demand,” said Santelices.
Their Orillia location at 247B West Street North (across from where ODCVI once stood) is the second for the pair. They are only 6 months out from the opening of their first location on Highway 11 at Oro-Medonte Line 7 (northbound side). Their experience with the first store showed they were on the right track.
“I’m not going to lie, people hesitated to come out, especially the first few weeks, but people started coming out,” said Melendez. “The people kept us alive. They’re the ones who kept coming.”
What’s on the menu? It’s focused, BBQ pork and chicken, something they call the Big Tex Burger, and the house specialty, brisket. Everything is smoked and Melendez said his brisket smokes for 13 hours over night, every day.
“Real wood, I use ash and maple just because it’s the earth we have here,” he said. Here is significant. As a native Texan, he learned to BBQ in Austin, so his food is going to be as close as you can get Texas BBQ in Orillia.
“My interpretation,” Melendez said. “We’re not using hickory, we’re not using mesquite wood, but I am smoking really deep. It’s nothing like anything else out there.” He still BBQs with wood, “Real wood, I use ash and maple just because it’s the earth we have here.”
They also have the Jarritos brand of Mexican fruit sodas, which makes for a colourful pop cooler display. Santelices said they don’t have a printed menu because they think that locks them into needing to have everything available all the time, which doesn’t fit with their decision to only use fresh ingredients.
“We’re doing real food. I think that’s the main thing; real potatoes, real ribs, real brisket. None of that fake stuff, nothing added, everything’s fresh. My meat is Angus certified beef,” said Melendez.
Meanwhile, Nextdoor
Dessert is not far away next door at 247A. There you’ll find Coco’s Cookies. It too is new. It’s owned by Nicole Hepinstall. Tyson Renshaw is the right hand man/manager. You might say the pandemic was the reason for opening, Nicole wasn’t always a professional baker. In fact, many people will know her from Sharp Image Salon and Spa.
“During the first lockdown they were closed and she just decided to start baking from home. She was kind of doing it as a hobby for friends and stuff, went back to work and decided she didn’t want to work anymore, she wanted to open her own business,” said Renshaw.
The store is brightly decorated, featuring vintage baking equipment as display items, and cookies, and squares, buns, biscuits, donuts and muffins.
“We come in at three in the morning and Nicole starts baking. She has about 40 to 60 different cookies she makes and there’s a constant rotation of cookies,” said Renshaw.
But, opening at this time? It must be tough, right?
“November 10th she opened up. Her plan was to work here by herself for the first couple years, maybe build it up so I could quit my job and come work here. Her second day being open I quit my job, she was so busy I had to quit,” he said.
So he put away his carpentry tools, and now, apparently doesn’t have to work too strenuously to sell the day’s product.
“We work roughly 80 to 100 hours a week. Sunday is our one day off. We sell out every day,” Renshaw said. He has a theory why they’ve done so well.
“Marijuana is legal now so people area stoned and eating lots of cookies” he laughed. On a serious note, he had a different explanation.
“A lot of our customers are older ladies and they love it because everything is made fresh daily.” Renshaw also said they buy everything, ingredients and supplies from other local businesses.
(Photos by Swartz – SUNonline/Orillia) Main: Mauricio Melendez keeps the menu on a chalkboard so it can be changed as needed.