The Garza Family - The Siete Table: Nourishing Mexican-American Recipes from Our Kitchen

To our Grandma Alicia, who remains an inspiration for everything we createfrom a loving family to homemade tortillas, Siete Family Foods, and now this cookbook.

I dont use measurements, just a little bit of this and a little bit of that!

Lover of books, number one supporter of each grandchild, expert flour tortilla maker, and inventor of the infamous cheese sauce. Loved her family like no ones business, and therefore inspired family first, family second, business third. Officially approved Veronicas first almond flour tortilla and gave our family the only endorsement we needed to share our foods with others.

I always say that my moms secret ingredient to everything she made was love. When Im cooking, I always remember that the most important ingredient in every dish I make is love!

The heart of our Garza and Siete family, Aida never misses an opportunity to hand out hugs in the morning to all. Shes a true pioneer in the kitchen, taking after our Grandma Campos. She loves 90s rom-coms, but not as much as she loves family. Fun fact: She met our dad at the University of Texas at Austin on Speedway.

I always thought wed work together as a family, but I never imagined it would be making tortillas.

Loves yard work, exercise, and eating milanesa. Proud grandfather of ten. Eats every lunch with our beautiful mother, Aida. On Fridays after five, you might find him with a cold Bud Light in hand. Fun fact: He has eleven siblings.

I like to think that in the kitchen, I can always make something out of nothingjust like my grandma. The smells from my grandmas kitchen called everyones attention. This is why when Im cooking, one of the best compliments I can get is when someone walks into the kitchen and says, It smells delicious!

Oldest child and, outside of Siete, the boss of all the Garza siblings! Loves to cook, cycle, and create extravagant charcuterie boards for friends and family, and always keeps up with the latest news. Fun fact: Linda was the lead singer in the University of Texas mariachi band.

Creating things together is really natural for our family. We grew up doing almost everything together. We even opened a gym as a family prior to the start of Siete. Its not a conscious thing we doits just our way of life.

Rob is a researcher and pun creator extraordinaire, two qualities that are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his many talents, which include roller skating, doing handstand push-ups on rings, and an aptitude for singing in the rain. Rob is especially considerate of others and distributes handwritten letters to the whole Siete team around Christmas each year. Fun fact: Rob has double vision.

My mom carried my grandmas cooking refrain into her kitchenjust a little bit of this, and a little bit of that. Today, this is my approach to cooking and creating recipes as well. My grandmas cooking is definitely the gold standard, but Id like to think Ive gotten pretty close to re-creating many of her recipes!

Middle child, humble mastermind, and culinary problem-solver. Our sister Veronica created our first grain-free almond flour tortilla, the product that started it all! Outside of preparing great food and snacks, Vero has a knack for interior design and can make just about any room look effortlessly charming. Fun fact: She used to be the lead singer in a band.

Everyone who knows me can confirm that Christmas is my favorite time of year, hands down. The lights, the tree, the joy (and of course the nutcrackers!) make me so happy, but the best part is that I get to gather with my family.

Possibly the only thing bigger than her very impressive nutcracker collection is Beckys love of family and her caring heart. Anytime we watch a sentimental movie, Becky and Aida are the first to cry. (And we love that about them!) Becky couldnt hurt a fly, but dont underestimate her strengthshell out-lift just about anyone in the gym! Fun fact: She was valedictorian of her high school graduating class.

Besides the obvious reasons to love food, it also provides a great excuse to gather together, and thats what I love most about it.

Big little brother vibes. Mike loves to play pranksSiete Scares, as we call thembut few of us have successfully scared him back. He leads with passion, encouraging everyone the same way he encouraged Vero to share her delicious tortillas with others years ago. Fun fact: He cries at every episode of This Is Us.

A s a third-generation Mexican-American family from South Texas, we grew up celebrating moments, big and small, by enjoying delicious meals. So its safe to say that some of our favorite momentsand most moments in generalinvolve food. Our family of seven ate breakfast and dinner together just about every day. We have fond memories of assembling quesadillas on school nights just before Friends came on TV; going out to our favorite restaurants in Laredo to order pirata tacos, and chips and salsa; and inviting the neighborhood over for summertime carne asadas in the backyard.

But in 1999, our sister Veronica (Vero, as we call her), a teenager at the time, was diagnosed with several autoimmune conditions. After researching the effects that nutrition could have on these conditions, Roberto (Rob) suggested that she try removing grains from her diet. And because our family motto is Juntos es Mejor (together is better), the rest of our family decided to give the grain-free lifestyle a try. To all of our amazement, we felt better. Veros symptoms started to diminish, and we all had more energy, better digestion, and a general feeling of wellness. So, we started experimenting with swapping out other foods and ingredients that sometimes lead to undesired side effects for us, such as dairy. Sure enough, it changed our lives.

While this commitment to our health was gratifying, it wasnt always easy. It meant having to say no to foods that we grew up eating or had been a part of our heritage for generations. We substituted lettuce leaves for corn and flour tortillas to make tacos and avoided many other foods we love, like tortilla chips, enchiladas, and tostadas. Not only was it inconvenient and isolating, but we also felt disconnected from our heritage. So Vero began experimenting in the kitchen with alternative ingredients, trying to find a way for us to enjoy traditional foods without sacrificing any of the flavor or sentimentality.

One night, after many failed attempts to create a tortilla that tasted as good as those we grew up eating hot off the comal, Vero quietly placed her latest batch on the table without any indication that shed made them. As each of us helped ourselves to the stack, we were amazed by how good they wereperfectly soft and chewy. Then came the real test: Grandma Campos. Our mom, Aida, brought her a batch to try. When Grandma said that Veros almond flour tortillas tasted better than her own revered recipe for flour tortillas, we realized we had something special. In 2014, our company was born. And what better to call it than Siete Family Foods, after the seven of us.