Ernesto Alvarez
Born in Atengo, in the State of Jalisco, Mexico, Ernesto was raised on a ranch where he and his eight siblings worked alongside their parents. On the ranch, Ernesto watched his mother and sisters cook all the traditional dishes, including, chile verde, pozole, carnitas, lamb, nopales and many others.
Ernesto's oldest brother Trini opened the first Casa Alvarez in the United States in Rowland Heights, California, where, Ernesto learned the restaurant business. His older brothers, David and Javier, opened their own Casa Alvarez restaurants in Dodge and Liberal, Kansas. Ernesto worked at all the Casa Alvarez Restaurants and then decided to open his own.
In 1994, with a long time friend and partner he opened Casa Alvarez in Boulder. With a warm welcome, Boulder embraced Ernesto's cuisine. The well-traveled population of Boulder understands and recognizes the flavors of Mexico, as well as the Mexican population. The cuisine was well received and the menu has expanded and explored a breadth of ingredients since its inception, including the prickly pork (cactus and pork) chile, chamorros (slow cooked pork shank in chorizo mole), shrimp jalisco (ginger and garlic in a spicy red sauce), lamb en su jugo (slow cooked leg of lamb in a savory mole sauce).
For 15 years Ernesto has traveled to Mexico and brought back ideas and ingredients to create new dishes for his “friends” at Casa Alvarez. Don't be surprised if he comes to your table and offers you a taste of his latest creation! Ernesto lives in Boulder and enjoys runs by Boulder Creek and an occasional soccer game, especially if the Chivas are playing.
To learn about more about Boulder's 'New Pioneers', check out our previous Award Winners page.
