A Family's Journey
Three generations of authentic Mexican cooking — from a grandmother's kitchen in Plano to the mountains of Ruidoso.
Where It All Began
Every great food story starts in someone's kitchen, and this one began in a grandmother's kitchen, where masa was shaped by hand and every tortilla was made with love. Her recipes were never written down — they were passed from heart to heart, generation to generation, the way real family traditions are meant to travel.
Juan and Martina Build a Dallas-Area Favorite
In 1986, that spirit came to life when the Aparicio family opened the doors of a small tortilla shop in Downtown Plano, Texas. Juan Aparicio and his wife Martina poured themselves into the business, growing it from a modest take-out counter into a full sit-down restaurant that could seat up to 75 guests. Their dedication to authentic, homemade Mexican food — tortillas, tamales, barbacoa, and more, made fresh in-house every day — earned Plano Tortilla Factory a spot among D Magazine's top Mexican restaurants in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and a "Best Business Power Lunch" honor. The family's success even led them to open a second location, Aparicio's Restaurant and Sports Bar, in downtown McKinney, where they shared their food and hospitality with a new community for nearly a decade.
Chris Aparicio Carries the Torch
The next generation stepped up when Juan and Martina's son, Chris Aparicio, took the reins of the growing business. Under his leadership, the family expanded again in 2004, opening a second full-service restaurant and bar in Plano. Chris later made the thoughtful decision to refocus the business on what the family did best — handcrafted tortillas and tamales — the heart and soul of the original dream.
Jessica Leads the Fourth Generation in Plano
Today in Plano, Jessica Aparicio-Johnson proudly carries the family tradition forward. On July 4, 2023, she and her husband Mark Johnson took ownership of Plano Tortilla Factory, keeping it lovingly family-run. Jessica has invested in the business's future with renovations, longer hours, and new offerings, all while committing to stay rooted in the same historic downtown Plano building the family has called home for decades. Her children are already learning the craft, ensuring the recipes — and the love behind them — keep passing down through the family.
Bret and Chris Bring the Legacy to Ruidoso
The Aparicio family's passion for authentic New Mexican and Mexican comfort food didn't stop in Texas. Bret and Chris — who helped run the family's beloved restaurants for years — brought that same tradition west to Ruidoso, New Mexico, where they opened New MexiGO Market Grill. Now serving the Ruidoso community favorites like tacos, empanadas, quesadillas, and their signature frozen horchata, New MexiGO continues the family's decades-long commitment to fresh, homemade food made with heart.
From a grandmother's kitchen to Downtown Plano, McKinney, and now Ruidoso, this is a story of family, tradition, and the kind of cooking that only gets better with each generation that carries it forward.