Cafe Feature: Red Iguana

Owner Lucy Cardenas

What stands out about Red Iguana is more than fabulous food or kitschy ambiance; it's family. The small, brightly painted restaurant is filled with the photographs, bumper stickers and memorabilia of its owners, the Cardenases. Hanging from the orange wall are photos of Ramon Cardenas, Jr. -- Red Iguana's notoriously talented chef whose tragic death in 2004 from an aneurysm left many in the community reeling. On the green wall is a portrait of a smiling couple, Ramon and Marie Cardenas who came to Salt Lake from San Francisco in 1965 to open the Casa Grande restaurant, and then, 20 years later, the Red Iguana. There is a photo of Lucy Cardenas, now the owner of Red Iguana, smiling with her father and brother.

This is the core of RI's great Mexican cooking. When you enjoy a bite of mole negro with chicken, you are enjoying a taste of family history. Recipes passed down from generations of talented chefs. Essentially, Red Iguana is a living history of the Cardenas family.

Speaking with Lucy, one knows immediately why her family is unforgettable. Exuding an irresistible energy that lingers like spicy habanero chiles in the mole Amarillo -- she leaves a lasting impression. Ramon Jr. had the same charisma, and as Lucy explains, he had a lot to do with the success of the restaurant. "What he did was get the name out there. He made it cool to eat here -- a place to be." Some of his 'friends' even left their signatures on the wall-Carlos Santana, Los Lobos, The Paladins. Ramon's personality was only matched by his talent in the kitchen. Experimenting with flavors and ingredients, he created many of the recipes that are said to be "better than you'll find in Mexico." Taught by his father and mother, Ramon's trade secrets are now in the talented hands of chef Esteban Ramirez, who has been with Red Iguana for 10 years. The rest have been left with Lucy, who has run and managed restaurants in California and Portland all of her adult life. Lucy returned to Utah to make sure her family's legacy is kept alive. "I am honoring my family, especially my mother and brother who gave their lives to the business," she says.

Twenty years after its opening, the rich and unique food is still the major draw of Red Iguana. Visitors to Salt Lake often make a special stop on the way in from the airport, just to taste the sumptuous pollo a la moreliana or Ramon Sr.'s spectacular chile verde. "We've never been afraid of spices." Lucy explains, "My mother, father and brother were sensational cooks. With the three of them, I could just stay out of the kitchen and take care of the front of the house. Now, if I have to, I'll go back into the kitchen, but I certainly never plan on showing them up!" And neither will other local Mexican places. Red Iguana is consistently one of the top-rated in the state. "It's the kind of place that embraces everyone. The mayor, truck drivers, grandmothers. I'm really proud of the fact that this is a place where everybody comes. And our menu is diverse enough that everyone can find something good to eat."

-Mandy Jeppsen