By Mary Jane Miller
At Tasty Tacos, “nada es impossible.” That’s their familiar tagline, but it also happens to be true.
For more than 60 years now, four generations of Mosqueda family women have built the business into one of the most popular restaurant chains in Central Iowa. I recently had the pleasure of meeting three of them — CEO Jennifer “Jenni” (Mosqueda) Gardner with her mother, Linda Mosqueda-Blair, and grandmother, Antonia Mosqueda — at the headquarters in Pleasant Hill. Until they built it four years ago, the company’s main office was tucked in Antonia’s home, where meetings took place around the kitchen table.
In 1961, Antonia and her husband, Richard, (pictured below) moved to Des Moines from northern Iowa and took out a $500 loan to open the first Tasty Tacos shop at Easton Boulevard and Searle Street. Everything on the menu came from family recipes, including the iconic puffy flour shells. At home, the Mosquedas filled them with seasoned beef, as well as scrambled eggs or fruit.
In the early days, Antonia managed the small takeout shop until Richard finished his shift as a barber and then came over to help. Soon enough, they opened a second location at East 18th Street and Hubbell Avenue, with tables for on-site dining. Today the family oversees six locations with indoor and patio seating, as well as an app for online orders and DoorDash.
Since Richard died in 2000, the Mosqueda women have run the show.
Linda has done literally every job in the business, from washing dishes and cleaning floors to handling paperwork in the office as the former CEO. She took over after her dad’s death and then retired as president in 2024. Jenni followed a similar path.
These days, even though they’re retired, Antonia and Linda still attend meetings to share their opinions and keep an eye on the business. They all listen to each other; after all, family comes first. “You have to do what’s best for the business but also remember that they are family, not people you can fire and never see again,” Jenni said. “Grandma is 95, the matriarch of our family. She is absolutely amazing, sharp as a tack and her advice is always helpful.”
The business currently employs 11 family members, including Jenni’s teenage daughter — generation No. 4. Antonia said she had “no doubts it will continue,” and Jenni agreed.
Richard often compared running the business to having a baby: It’s always on your mind. But there are limits. The family tried extending the hours to Sunday but decided against it, in deference to their Catholic faith. “Without God we wouldn’t be here today,” Jenni said.
Now that Tasty Tacos has six locations, including the newest spot in Clive, the team is focusing on retail, through Mosqueda Foods. Customers can find their hot sauces and taco seasonings in Fareway and Hy-Vee stores and online. The merch, known as Tasty Swag, is popular, too, and every year before Christmas the company ships hoodies, T-shirts and mugs all over the world. You can’t order an actual Tasty Taco outside of Central Iowa, but affection for the brand has spread far and wide.
Tasty Tacos “is one of Des Moines’ most iconic foods,” said local chef and restaurateur George Formaro, who knows a thing or two about food. “It’s the first stop whenever I’m away for an extended time.”
I agree. I lived in Minnesota for 25 years and Tasty Tacos was always on my list whenever I came back to visit. Jenni smiled when I told her that and totally understood: “I think it tastes like home.”
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