A National Recognition for Christian Irabién and Amparo Fondita

We’re incredibly proud to celebrate our friend, colleague, and LEN co-founder Christian Irabién, whose restaurant, Amparo Fondita, has been named by The New York Times to its list of The 41 Greatest Mexican Restaurants Across the United States.

This is no small accolade. The Times spent more than a year sending reporters, editors, and photographers across the country in search of the restaurants shaping Mexican cooking in America today. The resulting list is not a ranking, but a collection of 41 restaurants that reflect the extraordinary breadth of Mexican cuisine, from food trucks and neighborhood restaurants to tasting-menu destinations.

The Times describes a culinary renaissance that has expanded the American palate well beyond the familiar shorthand of Tex-Mex, tacos, and nachos. Mexican and Mexican American chefs are bringing the regionality and specificity of their cooking to communities across the country, telling a much bigger story about Mexican food in America.

Amparo Fondita is now part of that story.

"It is impossible to talk about the restaurant industry, or this country more broadly, without acknowledging the fundamental role immigrants play in making it all possible. Without immigrants, this country simply would not run, let alone our wonderful little restaurant in the heart of Washington, DC." Christian said. 

From the start of LEN, Christian has shared his inventive food at our private events, opened Amparo’s doors to our community, connected us with fellow restaurant owners and entrepreneurs, and shown his support of our growing network.

We’ve also had a front-row seat to what makes his work so distinctive. At Amparo, Christian brings the food and traditions of his native Chihuahua into a contemporary expression of Mexican cuisine, with a deep respect for ingredients, technique, and the stories behind them. His work challenges the often-narrow way Mexican food is understood in America, and gives diners a richer, more nuanced experience of Mexico’s vast culinary heritage.

That is what makes this recognition bigger than a restaurant award.

Christian is helping expand the narrative of what Latino excellence looks like. He is building something rooted in culture and heritage while pushing creative boundaries. And he is doing it here in DC, representing our community on one of the country’s biggest culinary stages.

At LEN, we believe leadership is not only about what you build for yourself. It is also about how you lift others along the way. Christian has done both.

We are so proud to see his work recognized on a national level, and even prouder to call him one of our own.

Congratulations, Christian, and the entire Amparo Fondita team. We’re raising a glass to this well-deserved recognition and to everything still ahead.