By: Joseph Rios
Despite being a Denver Northside native, Ervin Lucero’s New Mexico roots run deep.
His father was born and raised in Las Vegas, New Mexico while his mother’s grandparents and his father’s grandparents lived in northern New Mexico. But it was his grandmothers who taught him how to cook.
Lucero used to own and operate a catering company called Nana’s Kitchen before he moved to Albuquerque to take on a position with the United States Census Bureau. He ended up staying in Albuquerque for six years.
“Although that stint with the federal government was short, two years, I fell in love with Albuquerque. It was for a lot of reasons, including the food,” said Lucero. “The food was amazing.”
When he returned to Denver at the end of October 2021, it just so happened that his brother Gene Lucero had a kitchen opening up at the food hall Plaza 38. Gene approached Lucero and asked him if he was ready to cook again.
“When I prayed about it, I told him up, I’m ready — but I’m going to focus on New Mexican cuisine. That’s the whole (concept) behind Nana’s Cocina — it’s authentic New Mexican cuisine,” said Lucero.
In July, Lucero brought a piece of New Mexico to Denver when he opened up Nana’s Cocina Authentic New Mexican Cuisine at Plaza 38, located at 3550 W. 38th Ave. The concept of the restaurant’s menu is centered around food his grand- mother made while he was growing up.
“(People will) savor the flavor. And they’re going to experience cooking that was made like Nana’s — made with love,” said Lucero. “And they will taste the difference.”
Lucero said Nana’s Cocina Authentic New Mexican Cuisine serves green chili and red chili that is made from red chili pods from New Mexico. He said many of his customers tend to gravitate toward a New Mexican hamburger, the res- taurant’s grilled brisket tacos, Navajo tacos, and its frito pie. Nana’s Cocina Authentic New Mexican Cuisine serves cala- bacitas fresh every day and other dishes like the Los Ranchos Watermelon Salad, nachos, tostados, burritos and more.
If you have a sweet tooth and are in the mood for desert when you’re at Nana’s Cocina Authentic New Mexican Cuisine, Lucero recommends trying its biscochitos and sopaipillas.
Nana’s Cocina Authentic New Mexican Cuisine is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. On Fridays and Saturdays, the restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m.
“The key is we are located in the food hall at Plaza 38. We’re a little difficult to find because there is no outdoor signage as of yet,” said Lucero. “But we just want to encour- age folks to get inside our parking area. While we are not real obvious and easy to find, we are worth the persistence.”
