Ignacio Anaya
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Ignacio Anaya García (August 15, 1895 – November 9, 1975) was a Mexican maître d'hotel[1][2] who invented the popular Tex-Mex dish nachos at the Victory Club restaurant a couple miles from the border of Texas in Mexico in 1943.[1][3][4][2] After nachos grew in popularity, Anaya was promoted to chef, and he eventually started his own restaurant in the 1960s.[3]
His nickname was Nacho, derived from the Spanish Ignacio, the Spanish version of Ignatius.[5]
Life and career
Born in San Carlos, Manuel Benavides, Chihuahua, Mexico[3] on August 15 , 1895,[6] he worked at the Victory Club restaurant in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, a restaurant close to the US border and popular with Americans from a nearby base during World War II. Anaya created nachos while working there one day in 1943 [1][3] when a group of US Army wives entered and the chef was nowhere to be found.[4] As recounted by his son:
The dish became so popular, the owner of the Victory Club, Roberto de los Santos, put his creation on the menu as Nacho's Especiales.[3] When the Victory Club closed in 1961, Anaya opened his own restaurant, Nacho's Restaurant, in Piedras Negras.[3][7]
Anaya married Marie Antoinette Salinas, with whom he had 9 children.Template:Sfn
Death and legacy
Anaya died on November 9, 1975,[6] leaving a son, Ignacio Anaya Jr., who went into banking,Template:Sfn and 5 other surviving children.Template:Sfn Posthumously, he was honored with a bronze plaque in Piedras Negras.[8] To celebrate Anaya's invention, the city of Piedras Negras holds a three-day Nacho Fest every year around October 21, the International Day of the Nacho.[3]
Smithsonian Magazine ranked nachos as a sports stadium favorite in 1976, following the invention of a processed cheese sauce by Frank Liberto.[8] Howard Cosell added to the popularity of nachos during a September 4, 1978 NFL game by weaving "nachos" into his commentary.[9] Although the original nachos contained only three ingredients, nachos can now be found with a wide variety of toppings, reflecting the enduring popularity of Anaya's contribution.[10][11]
On August 15, 2019, Google honored Anaya with a Doodle celebrating what would have been his 124th birthday.[12][13]
References
Sources
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Further reading
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- Nickel, Sandra and Oliver Dominguez (2020). Nacho's Nachos: The Story Behind the World's Favorite Snack. New York: Lee and Low.
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