Tag: Carlos Mortera

Poio’s chef-owner lets go of his popular KCK restaurant: ‘I’m still learning how to relax’

By Tommy Felts / May 11, 2023

Carlos Mortera struggled with the idea of not working all hours of the waking day, he shared, explaining that this subconscious guilt is sometimes known as “immigrant shame.”  “Being a first-generation [American], you see all the sacrifices your parents made to get you to this country. Because of their sacrifices, you feel like you should…

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KC restaurants await flyers at the new terminal; here’s what it took to get ready

By Tommy Felts / February 27, 2023

Editor’s note: The following story was originally published by KCUR, Kansas City’s NPR member station, and a fellow member of the KC Media Collective. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for KCUR’s email newsletter. When the new Kansas City International Airport terminal opens Tuesday, it’ll be a new chapter for more than 20 local businesses who…

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Baby back ribs from Marina 27

Taste 200 restaurants in 10 days? Why your stomach (and hungry neighbors) will thank you

By Tommy Felts / January 14, 2022

Curious Kansas City diners can step away from their kitchens for the next 10 days, teased Carlos Mortera, as chefs at 200 restaurants across the city plate their latest trending tastes during the metro’s most-anticipated culinary showcase. “It’s a big deal in Kansas City. Many of the restaurants feature items they don’t usually have on the…

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Carlos Mortera, Poio

Brands from Poio to Made in KC booked for new airport; $1.5B expected through the gate over 15 years

By Tommy Felts / October 9, 2021

Local and minority-owned vendors selected to operate shops in Kansas City’s new airport terminal are more than up to the task, said Carlos Mortera, emphasizing the power of adding flavor to the highly anticipated project. “Most airports aren’t filled with local businesses,” noted Mortera, founder of Poio Mexican Barbeque. “We in Kansas City, I feel…

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Father-son restaurant partners Carlos Mortera and Carlos Mortera, Poio

‘Not Mexican enough, not American enough’: How a KCK restaurateur found his identity through food, family

By Tommy Felts / May 22, 2021

Born in Mexico, Kansas-raised Carlos Mortera is defined by two, sometimes-conflicting cultures, he said — a contrast that led him to question his own identity, but ultimately answer with culinary creations that reflect a diverse Kansas City experience. “When I was younger, I struggled with feeling like I’m not from either place,” shared Mortera, who…

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