We’re thrilled to bring owners John + Julie Cuevas of Madre Boutique Taqueria to the table for our continued Member Spotlight series. As we celebrate Cinco de Mayo today, what better time to share a bit more about the story of how Madre came to be. With roots in luxury 5-star dining and a passion for casual taqueria classics, Madre solidified its place as a favorite across the Treasure Valley upon opening in 2018. While the challenges from this past year have been staggering, John and Julie are embracing the return of a community once again gathering and connecting over some really great food.

TSG: When Madre first opened its doors in Boise 3 years ago, the move came with years of restaurant and service experience (not to mention a James Beard nomination). Tell us a bit more about your path to Madre.

Madre/Julie: John had been cooking for 20+ years at some of the most prestigious restaurants on the West Coast, including the original Mary Elaine’s at the Phoenician and the Montage flagship at Laguna Beach. He continued with the Montage organization as executive chef, chef de cuisine, and eventually consulting for their team across the country. I also had been coming up in the ranks at The Montage, and after close to 15 years of service became the Director of Food & Beverage. If it isn’t obvious yet, this is where John and I met. We both shared a passion for 5-star fine dining, but it honestly wasn’t the way we ate outside of work. We both love to eat casually, our favorite place was this awesome little fish taco spot that had incredibly fresh ingredients and amazing chips, salsa and guacamole. We were inspired by how we loved to eat and dreamed of creating something of our own someday, but the idea of doing that in California felt impossible. It was actually on my maternity leave with our first born that I would casually browse different out of state locations and leasing opportunities. I kept coming back to this area as I had family in Idaho, and my grandmother was raised in Boise so there was certainly a connection with extended family roots. I remember rocking Ash and coming upon this tiny little dive that needed so much love, but I just felt so drawn to the space and the location. I picked up the phone, started having conversations with the landlord, and somehow every turn felt serendipitous. At each stage of making this massive decision – to pick up our lives in California and move to Idaho to open a restaurant – somehow it never felt forced. Each door opened at the exact moment we needed it to and we never looked back.

TSG: Madre has such a strong brand identity, from the food to the atmosphere. When conceptualizing your restaurant, what was your vision for the Madre customer experience?

Madre/Julie: We are very passionate about exceptional service, despite the fast casual experience when ordering at Madre. Once our customers are seated, I never want them to get up again unless it’s to use the restroom. Watching for refills, ordering another taco, whatever it might be I want them to genuinely feel cared for. The saying “luxury is the absence of discomfort” is something I’ve held onto from very early in my career. That’s a huge part of the experience we hope everyone feels when they choose to dine with us, and of course just serving damn good in your face food!

TSG: This past year has thrown more challenges against the restaurant industry than ever before (an understatement at that). You’ve continued to pivot at every turn, what do you think was the biggest lesson learned while navigating this pandemic?

Madre/Julie: I will say I am so incredibly proud of how we handled each of the curveballs thrown at us. The shutdown happened, and the next day we moved to offering family style meals and curbside pickup. Social media and that platform for communication saved us as far as keeping our staff employed and Madre food available to our customers. I will say, we knew early on it wasn’t going to be just a couple months of dealing with this pandemic. We have dear friends that own a restaurant in Italy, and seeing first hand the challenges and the severity of the situation there felt like a glimpse of what was coming our way.

Through spring and summer we continued to just pivot at every turn and managed to get through it thanks to the incredible support of this community. However going into the winter months was incredibly daunting. We had so much in place for our third year of operating Madre. Anyone in the restaurant industry knows that the first two years are notoriously brutal. Seeing our catering bookings and prospects completely halted during summer and early fall set us up for a very challenging winter. November was the lowest our revenues had ever been, but we knew if we could get through January we could get out on the other side of this. We’re still facing challenges while hoping to return to our normal operating hours, but we just keep pushing through. Someone asked me once if we were ready to give up, and to be completely honest that was never an option. Without question, this has been the hardest thing we’ve ever been through, but we weren’t ever going to give up on Madre.

TSG: We’ve heard you talk about the incredible community support that Madre felt throughout 2020. How does owning and operating a restaurant in Boise compare to other markets you’ve worked in?

Madre/Julie: People here absolutely reflect the values that John and I hold closest to our hearts, which is family and community and caring for others. During this time I have felt a strong sense of focusing on what really matters, which really allowed what doesn’t to fall by the wayside. This community has rallied around us in such an amazing way, and really helped lift us up during our darkest days.

TSG: Today marks Cinco de Mayo, and hopefully a celebratory time for better days ahead. What are your hopes for Madre over the next few months as life slowly returns to a bit of normalcy?

Madre/Julie: We’re so ready for the experience of a communal table to return. We just recently had the opportunity to put together an event for an incredibly supportive group of healthcare professionals that we used to cater for on a regular basis. Many were fully vaccinated and all safety measures were taken, but seeing them gather again – smiling and connecting and enjoying our food – it truly brought us so much joy. The spirit of people coming together over a family table is what Madre represents. That communal experience was taken away over the past year, and to watch it slowly return really has brought the magic back to our space.

TSG: Speaking of Cinco de Mayo, we know Madre is the place to be for both in-person dining or perfectly packaged take-out. Any specials that can’t be missed today?

Yes! It’s looking like beautiful weather, so we’ll have the restaurant and patio ready to go with cold drinks and a few specials. We’re serving all the classics, along with a spin on Carne Asada fries – what we’re calling Carne Asada Tachos (tater-tot nachos), as well as a loaded Carne Asada Burrito.

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To see the full Madre menu, be sure to visit their WEBSITE – and to keep an eye on rotating specials, give them a follow over at @madreboutiquetaqueria!

– Jaclyn Reiss | TSG Boise Associate Editor