How Chewy's makes in-house flour tortillas...

The owner of Chewy's, Mr. Jesus Chavez, invited me into the kitchen, as he wanted to show me how they the large flour tortillas, used for burritos, and as sides for many of their fine dishes. He was very proud of their operation, and asked if I'd take a few photos to show the web how they make their tortillas, and like the happy journalist that I am, I was only too happy to obliedge.

Photo: Chewy's makes their tortilla dough from scratch, in-house, as their motto is "Lots of Food. Always fresh." You can be sure the dough didn't roll off the truck, into the freezer two weeks ago, and was pulled out to defrost in the morning. The owner of the restaurant, Jesus Chavez invited me into the kitchen to witness, and photograph, how they make their giant flour tortillas. As mentioned previously, the dough is made from scratch, in-house, before he restaurant opens, and shaped into small, flat circles. The dough is stored in a refrigerator. Jesus holds a circle of dough in his hand, as he prepares to demonstrate the tortilla press.

Photo: Next, he places the dough onto the middle of the tortilla press, and presses down. The tortilla press does most of the work, but as Jesus demonstrates, it takes a bit of effort on the part of the operator. That large, square shape in the foreground is the electric griddle, which is co-located with the tortilla press.

Photo: After the dough is make into a tortilla on the tortilla press, it is placed on the always-hot griddle, located adjacent to the tortilla press. Note the griddle is just the right size to fit the tortilla. Jesus told me commercial griddles can be purchased in a variety of sizes, and he purchased his, to match the size of the tortillas he uses. The tortillas are used as the base for Chewy's delicious burritos, and as a side in other menu items, particularly as a tasty alternate to boring toast. Jesus's lead chef, Sammy, is in the background of the photo, and is quite interested in my photography.

Photo: A GIANT flour tortilla, about 14 inches in diameter, cooking on the griddle. The tortilla cooks for about 30 seconds, until bubbles appear, then, it's flipped over and cooked for another 30 seconds or so, until bubbles appear, and golden spots appear. The times are very approximate, but as a tortilla is cooking, it is prudent to keep a watchful eye on it, as the timing is not critical, nor precise, but in a matter of a few seconds, the tortilla could burn. Gee, I know these kind of things from my cooking adventures at home!

Photo: Jesus has flipped the tortilla, and bubbles and golden spots are beginning to appear, which means this tortilla is nearly ready to be removed from the griddle, and served to a customer. I thank Jesus for inviting me into his kitchen, inviting me to photograph his operation, and allowing me insight into the creation of his wonderful flour tortillas.

It's not every day that you're actually invited into the kitchen, to observe the operation of a fine restaurant, so it was an honor and a pleasure to be invited into the kitchen to watch Jesus make a delicious, giant, flour tortilla.

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