Eating Mamaroneck: John Tucker of Salsa Fresca
Eating Rye is an occasional feature to meet the chefs and other professionals in the restaurant kitchens across Rye and nearby communities. When you dine-in, pick up, or call for delivery, these are the folks working hard for you, your friends & family and your taste buds.
Do you have a suggestion for who we should profile for Eating Rye? Tell us.
Today we meet John Tucker of Salsa Fresca.
Your Name: John Tucker
Your Role: Co-founder
Restaurant Name: Salsa Fresca (354 Mamaroneck Avenue, Mamaroneck)
Describe yourself in one word: Optimistic
MyRye: How long have you been an owner of Salsa Fresca?
Tucker: Since its inception in 2008.
Where did you work previously?
Tucker: I owned a commercial sign business, but my whole life I’ve also worked in numerous restaurants.
What and when was your first paid job?
Tucker: I was 13 and I worked at the Ardsley Swim Club.
Describe your path to founding a restaurant.
Tucker: I spent six years living in San Diego in the 90s. Growing up in New York, I did not know anything about Mexican food except for the Taco Bell on Central Avenue. The first time I went to San Diego, I started eating these burritos, and I fell in love with the Mexican food and the people and the culture. I would constantly travel across the border into Mexico from San Diego and try out the different cuisines up and down the Baja Peninsula coast. When I was moving back to New York with my wife, I told her I want to open up a taqueria, and I did! I knew that I needed to make money to do it first, and I’ve always been a sign artist, so I started a sign business to help get the money to open up Salsa Fresca.
What are three attributes that make someone a good restaurant owner?
Tucker:
- Kindness to the people that work for you. Pay them what they deserve.
- Cleanliness, cleanliness, cleanliness.
- Serve the best food that you can possibly imagine.
Describe the atmosphere of your restaurant.
Tucker: We’re like a big family. We share 20% of all our profits with everyone who works in all of our restaurants, which no restaurant does. But we do it. We do it because we’re in the people business, and we want the people who work in our restaurants to feel like they’re part of something and make more money. If our business is going to succeed, then they’re going to succeed.
Describe your restaurant’s clientele.
Tucker: 5 years old to 75, but the core are 12 to 30.
What is your favorite dish on the menu and why?
Tucker: It’s evolved. My favorite dish for many years was the pulled pork quesadilla with cheese, red onion, and sweet chipotle salsa. Very simple, not a lot of ingredients, but it comes out piping hot.
What’s the most underrated day of week and time of day to enjoy your restaurant?
Tucker: Monday at 3pm.
Thank you, John!
