Paul Müller’s favourite taco is vegan and goes by the name of “Crunchy Aguacate”. It was created by combining three basic ingredients of Mexican cuisine: hibiscus, cactus and avocado. “I was sitting on the sofa,” says the owner of Tacoriño, “and I asked myself: can you actually fry avocado until it’ s crunchy?”

Back at the restaurant, Müller tried it out, and: it worked. He presented this idea of a vegan taco with avocado to the chef and his team. The crew members contributed their own ideas, experimented with different methods of preparing the ingredients, until “Crunchy Aguacate” – five months later – was finally on the menu.

Tacoriño: Authentic Mexican Taste Experience

Tacoriño: Authentic experiences of Mexican taste

The concept of Tacoriño is to offer authentic Mexican cuisine. And working as sustainably as possible. This is why Paul Müller and his staff use as many by-products of the preparation process as they can. For the “Crunchy Aguacate” taco, for example, hibiscus flowers are boiled and then deep-fried. Boiling produces hibiscus water, from which the kitchen team makes syrup. This hibiscus syrup, in turn, is an ingredient in an Aperol cocktail called “Floral Spritz” – according to Müller, a big hit in the Tacoriño.

The joy of experimenting

He had long cherished the dream of independence. After tenth grade, he left school to do an apprenticeship. He learned to be a butcher, and from his master he learned to experiment. At that time, he was already making sausage specialities with such unusual ingredients as chocolate chips. Müller, however, wanted to develop himself further and did a second apprenticeship – as a mechatronics engineer. He worked in this profession for several years. Through relatives in the south of the USA, he got in touch with TexMex cuisine. Along with his desire to have something of his own, this contact resulted in the concept of Tacoriño.

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Paul miller
Owner Tacoriño

A fresh start with heart and soul

Paul Müller’s motto in life is: If you love what you do, you can do anything. This also carried him through the difficulties brought on by the Corona lockdowns and the subsequent reset. Now, he has to deal with three problems in particular: the acute shortage of staff, price increases for energy and food, and supply bottlenecks. The approach of using the by-products of the processed food helps in the current situation. As does the chef’s pleasure in preparing as much as possible by himself. For example, Paul Müller cooks the salsas himself and usually takes on as the bartender of the restaurant.

And his favourite cocktail? “The Classic Margarita,” he says after a moment’s thought. This cocktail, too, he mixes with the most authentic ingredients possible: agave tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice and an original Mexican addition that he doesn’t want to reveal. “There has to be a bit of company secret, too,” he says and smiles.

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