Why we love her:
Jo Lerma-Lopez has always embodied the entrepreneurial spirit. In the late eighties and early nineties, the Bay Area native and her husband John Lopez owned the recording studio Upstairs Records in downtown San Jose. Fast-forward to now; the two set their sights on the food arena for their next venture. Jo jumped in full-force attending culinary school and focusing her studies on natural foods. She learned in-depth about the healing properties of quality and clean ingredients, and it became the foundation of their first restaurant’s menu.
In 2017, the couple opened their restaurant Luna Mexican Kitchen with the namesake having two meanings, LUNA means moon in Spanish and is also the acronym for Local Unrefined Natural Authentic. Jo paid attention to so many details from the ambiance of the restaurant to the development of the menu. She wanted to source ingredients from local purveyors who use sustainable practices. The dishes use Rancho Gordo’s beans, Mary’s free-range chicken, and locally farmed non-GMO organic corn. Prepared in-house daily, the corn tortillas and chips are made using the centuries-old method of nixtamal.
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Jo is known to give back to her community and treat her staff like family. The community has embraced Luna Mexican Kitchen, quickly making it one of San Jose’s top dining destinations. Restaurant critics have also taken notice, and in 2019 Luna Mexican Kitchen received the coveted Michelin Bib Gourmand award.
Here she is, alongside Chef Julio Juarez, demonstrating how to prepare their favorite sustainable seafood recipe at the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Fiesta del Mar event.
What she’s up to:
In October 2019, Jo and her husband opened the second Luna Mexican Kitchen location in the Pruneyard, Campbell. In this beautifully renovated space, you will be able to experience clean, authentic Mexican cuisine that the restaurant is known for and enjoy one of their many yummy handcrafted drinks. Check out the website at www.lunamexicankitchen.com to view their menu selection.
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