- About -
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Memo’s Mexican Kitchen started with a vision: to create a fresh, modern take on a Mexican restaurant.
Concept
The Day of the Dead holiday was the inspiration for the new logo of the Memo’s Mexican Kitchen. The skull represents rebirth - a new start. On the forehead of the skull is a heart surrounded by flourishes and curvilinear shapes. The heart and flourishes represent a milagro - a small object typically in the shape of a heart, eyes or other body parts that is left at the feet of a particular saint at a church in hopes that of miracle (milagro). The miracle here is Memo’s Mexican Kitchen.
The combination of the cool and warm colors is carried out throughout the restaurant from the fiery red banquette’s to the decals on the clean walls.
““The owners truly care about their customer, the food is always fresh and delicious and their cocktail menu is to die for! Best cocktails in all of MJ hands down! We love all the improvements the owners are making in the restaurant - it shows how much they want to make every customer’s experience amazing. 10/10 recommend them when you want some great Mexican cuisine and awesome drinks!””
MENU DEVELOPMENT
The menu is inspired by traditional family recipes and current culinary trends. Isabel, Memo’s mother is the inspiration for the food served at Memo’s Mexican Kitchen. Her spicy sauces and delicious dishes are the foundations of the Memo’s Mexican Kitchen.
-mEMO mURILLO-
Guillermo Murillo (Memo) was born Yurécuaro, a town located in the region of the Chapala cienega of the state of Michoacan, Mexico. Oldest of 6 children, Memo shouldered the financial responsibilities of his entire household from an early age. At the age of 9, Memo started working as a bolero (shoe shiner). He also collected aluminum cans to trade in for cash. As the oldest, he had to provide for his large family. Despite his difficult childhood, he found comfort in one thing: food.
Food inspired Memo from a very early age. He learned to cook from both of his grandmothers, Aurelia and Casimira, were fabulous cooks. Aurelia, his maternal grandmother, was from Degollado, Jalisco and Casimira, his paternal grandmother, was from Yurécuaro, Michoacan.
His grandfather Santiago was a farmer in Yurécuaro and he taught Memo how to plant beans and corn. Every vegetable and grain was grown on the land they owned. For Memo, it was as easy as picking a tomato and pepper from his Grandmother’s garden to turn into a zesty salsa or creamy base for a tasty soup. The tastes and aromas of traditional Mexican food inspired Memo’s dream to one day own his own restaurant.
At the age of 15, Memo immigrated to the United States in search of the American dream. It was his conviction that with hard work and a strong vision, he would be able to provide for his family and make his dream of owning a restaurant come true.
When he first arrived in the United States, Memo worked as a dishwasher at a new restaurant in Peoria, Illinois. Through hard work and perseverance, he worked his way up to work as a prep cook and learned the complexities of cooking in a Mexican restaurant. Once he was thoroughly trained with the kitchen, he was promoted and set to work at the front of the restaurant as a server. Although he worked long hours and was often lonely in the U.S. his desire to one day own a restaurant deepened.
In 2006, Memo moved to Tennessee and worked as a part-time server in the El Rey Azteca Mexican Restaurant. He also worked as a construction worker during the week. Despite the fact that he already had a job in construction, he could not see himself far from the kitchen. Once the Great Recession hit, he continued working at El Rey Azteca full time. In 2011, he along with four other investors bought El Rey Azteca. His role changed from server, to restaurant owner and manager of the entire restaurant. The investors took a back seat as silent partners.
In 2012, Memo met his wife Katie while working the front of the restaurant. After a whirlwind romance, he married Katie a year later. Quickly realized that Katie and Memo were a great team due to Katie’s experience in business finances and Memo’s experience in the food industry. In 2017, Memo was able to purchase El Rey Azteca with the intention of turning it into a fresh, new restaurant now known as, Memo’s Mexican Kitchen.
-Katie Murillo-
Katie is our Operating Manager and "Boss Babe Mexologist”. She’s in charge of all of our administrative tasks including payroll, hiring, vendor relations and more, so pretty much everything behind the scenes, Katie is the one to get it done. Her organization skills, high-energy and amazing hand-crafted cocktails keeps MMK running like a well-oiled machine and the restaurant wouldn’t be the same without her. Originally from Nashville, she takes pride in that she is a O.G. Tennesseean. Three of her greatest passions in life are animals food and cocktails so it’s no surprise that she spends her free time exploring new restaurants around town, creating new cocktails at MMK and loving on her three fur babies Diesel, Tita and Brownie.
