Alejandro Gamarra has been in the restaurant industry since 1993. His culinary journey started in a taco truck, Tacos Acapulco, on the corner of Royal and West A Street. His first brick and mortar, Metro Taquero, opened in 2004 and has become a neighborhood staple; he now operates four locations with a fifth in the works.

In 2007 he took the next step and opened a full-service restaurant, The Mexican Restaurant and Bar — a local favorite that also serves as the commissary kitchen for every Metro Taquero.

Casa del Toro is his introduction to elevated dining. With Executive Chef Serafín Cruz alongside him, he believes he has the ideal team to put this town in the conversation of great dining destinations.

Alejandro believes it all starts with the very best ingredients and a commitment to consistency in execution. And he never forgets that all his success is owed to beans, rice and a lot of tacos.

Chef Serafín Cruz came from humble beginnings. Born and raised in a small town in Oaxaca, Mexico, he grew up in his grandmother's kitchen learning how to cook, and helped his father cultivate vegetables on the family farm after school.

He was seventeen when he began his culinary career in hotels, working for Joie de Vivre Hospitality on the remake of Miss Pearl's Jam House, then Benchmark Hotels & Resorts and Lake Chalet. He trained under well-known chefs in French, contemporary seafood-centric and elevated Southern cuisine.

His fondest childhood memories go back to carrying freshly picked corn, tomatoes and squash to his mother, and cooking simple, wholesome meals together. His creations today are bright, bold and ingredient-driven — an expression of the Latin American narrative.