When Raphael Carreon was hired on as a dishwasher at El Chico’s in 1960, little did he know he was taking the first step up on a ladder of success. He soon rose through the ranks at the restaurant, becoming a waiter before being promoted to manager.

It didn’t, of course, stop there. He knew that by combining what he’d learned about the restaurant business at the venerable El Chico with the basics of what he calls “San Antonio-type” cooking (the Carreon family lived there before moving to Dallas when Raphael was 7) – a style he’d learned from his mother that involves using plenty fresh garlic, cilantro and spices – he could open an establishment of his own.

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In 1975, he opened the first of two restaurants, Raphael’s on McKinney. It was what Carreon refers to as a Dallas “institution” until it closed in 1998 when he decided he’d like more free time. But he remains in the business because, in 1994, he opened the “little brother” of Raphael’s, Rafa’s Cafe Mexicano.