Tacos a La Leña — Mexican Restaurant in Stockton, CA

Our story began in 2022, when I met my now-wife while studying at Sacramento State University. At the time, she was working on a taco truck in Stockton — and we were both working hard to build a better future for ourselves.

During my last semester, our first child was born. That moment changed everything. I felt a deep responsibility to provide for my family, and I knew that surviving on minimum wage would never get us there. My wife had always dreamed of owning her own food business — serving people with food made from the heart. She was already working two food jobs: one making barbecue chicken and ribs, and another in a taco truck right here in Stockton.

Together, we decided to take a leap of faith and build something of our own.

We started with savings, determination, and no experience in the restaurant business. We only knew one thing: if others could do it, so could we.

We opened our first location and worked four days a week while I finished school and took care of our baby. The beginning was not easy. We made mistakes, changed locations, and tried to figure out what worked. Our first concept — chicken and ribs — did not pan out. But every challenge taught us something valuable.

Eventually, we opened a taco business with family partners, and that is when we began to see real growth. Even after we went our separate ways, the experience showed me that our food had genuine potential. I knew our seasoning, salsas, meats, and handmade tortillas were something special. I kept pushing.

Around this time, I was also working as a software engineer trying to support my family the best I could. Then our daughter was born — and that same week, our business grew faster than ever. Sales doubled, then kept rising week after week.

I reached a point where I could no longer do both jobs. I had to make a hard decision. I chose tacos — not because it was easier, but because it gave me the chance to build something real, meet amazing people, and serve my community every single day.

I was born in Afghanistan. My wife is from Mexico. Tacos a La Leña is more than a restaurant — it is the result of two cultures, two dreams, and one shared mission. My wife had the idea, and I turned it into reality. My brother also helped along the way with marketing and food quality advice, and I am truly grateful for that support.

What you taste when you eat our tacos is the product of years of sacrifice, learning, and love. Our seasoning, our salsas, our handmade tortillas — everything is made with intention. Wood-fired cooking is not a gimmick for us. It is how we believe meat should be cooked: over real fire, with real flavor.

After years of hard work, mistakes, learning, and growth, we are proud to be doing this full-time as a family. My wife helps part-time, I work full-time, and together with our team of 10 employees, we have built something we are genuinely proud of here in Stockton.

This journey has taken sweat, sacrifice, and faith. And it is still just the beginning.