The interior of Hasta Manaña
Ever since it opened in San Diego’s popular Gaslamp Quarter on May 31, 2024, Hasta Mañana Cantina has been a destination for locals and tourists alike who visit for Executive Chef Kevin Templeton’s menu of Baja coastal cuisine. In the vibrant, colorful space just two blocks from Petco Park and the San Diego Convention Center, the former CHOPPED champion works with Chef Andres Lopez creating dishes including Carne Asada; the California Burrito stuffed with carne asada, french fries, pico de gallo, guacamole, mixed cheese, sour cream, rice and beans; Verde Cheese Enchiladas; Mushroom Al Pastor Street Tacos; and the house-favorite Crispy Carnitas Tacos with spicy avocado salsa.
el Restaurante reached out to Chef Templeton to discover how he is making his culinary mark in a city filled with myriad Mexican restaurants, many in the neighborhood near this Baja-inspired spot.
Chef Kevin Templeton
1 You've been on the team at several restaurants in the Gaslamp Quarter. What made you and your business partners decide to launch a Mexican restaurant when there already are several others in that category nearby?
My partners and I were born and raised in San Diego, so Mexican food is in our blood. I have always adored Mexican culture and food. From South America to Central America, Latin cuisine has been at the forefront of my style of cooking. There are plenty of awesome Mexican restaurants downtown. From taco shops to upper scale spots, downtown has it all. We wanted to make a place that is beautiful and welcoming yet affordable. A little bit of everything.
2 How are you differentiating Hasta Mañana from the other places in the area that offer similar menu items?
We are differentiating our menu from other places by putting a little twist on classic Mexican dishes. We wanted to make a menu that is familiar to locals and tourist alike. What separates us is that we make all of our sauces/salsas from scratch. From our Diablo sauce for our shrimp tacos to some amazing salsas, everything is made in house. My personal favorite is a salsa cruda that my chef created — so spicy and tasty. Another unique fact is that we use only high-quality skirt steak for our carne asada. It really makes the difference in the taste and texture of our tacos and burritos.
3 The restaurant business always presents challenges — but the industry is really struggling in the current economic climate with all of the uncertainty with immigration issues, tariffs, and the like. How is Hasta Mañana juggling everything to remain consistent and successful in spite of the challenges?
Our industry has really taken several hits over the years. It’s been tough for us all. As a group, we just have to adapt to every change that gets thrown at us. It can be very difficult to navigate at times, but we make the appropriate changes when needed. With prices going up on almost everything, we try our best not to put it on our guests. In doing that, we search for the best product at the best price and train our staff to be consistent. Staying positive and knowing that we will make it through all of these struggles is the best way to deal with everything.
4 You were a CHOPPED winner in 2019 and were featured on Beat Bobby Flay in 2016. How did you end up on those shows? And did those experiences impact how you develop menus, set up your kitchen, etc?
Beat Bobby Flay and CHOPPED were quite the experience for sure. We have an awesome PR company that helped me apply for multiple shows. The application process is tedious and very time-consuming, but we were persistent. After several submissions, we got lucky. Both of those shows were an absolute experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life. They took some years off of my life with the amount of stress, but I wouldn’t change it for the world — haha. [Being on those shows] didn’t really help in developing menus or setting up kitchens. If anything, they made me a lot faster when cooking. That being said, I took away a better outlook on how to motivate my team. Competing in those shows gave me a stronger perspective on how we can push ourselves harder. Competing motivated all of my crew to work harder and grow. I love to promote from within, so the ability to motivate and help my team grow in their career has been a highlight for me. For example, I have several of my teammates that started as dishwashers and now they are line cooks and lead line cooks.
5 What advice would you offer a chef/restaurateur who is considering opening a Mexican restaurant today considering there seems to be an abundance of places that serve that cuisine — quick-serve, taco-focused, family dining, fine dining, and everything in between?
I have three pieces of advice that I would offer to anyone wanting to open a Mexican restaurant right now:
- Find the right team that will help you express your ideas. Service is everything and obviously food is a close second. Hospitality is our industry, so we need to hold true to that.
- Use the best product. Don’t settle for the cheaper option. You can be smart in what you buy but don’t cut corners.
- Depending on your [customers’] demographic, don’t go too authentic. San Diego is a wonderful tourist and convention destination. If you go too authentic on your menu, it might confuse or intimidate some guests. Find a happy medium and throw some familiar dishes on and have some dishes that represent you and your style as well.