Arturo Rivera Martínez
Arturo Rivera Martínez is a Mexico City taquero who spent about two decades at the grill of Taquería El Califa de León, the stand that in 2024 became the first taquería to receive a Michelin star.
Early life
Rivera Martínez was born in the Gustavo A. Madero borough of Mexico City and grew up in Ecatepec, State of Mexico, one of nine children in a family of modest means. He began working at age seven running errands in local markets, left school after primary level, and later worked as a taxi driver, cabinetmaker and butcher.
El Califa de León
A relative by marriage invited him to work at El Califa de León, the tiny counter in San Rafael founded in 1968 by Juan Hernández González and later run by his son Mario Hernández Alonso. There he learned to open and clean the stand and to run the plancha, and he stayed for roughly twenty years. He seared the beef, seasoned it, turned the tortillas and handed each taco across the counter. When the Michelin Guide's first Mexico edition gave the stand a star in May 2024, the Associated Press profiled him as the cook behind the starred taco, making him the public face of the honor.
Later career
According to Chilango, he later left El Califa de León after disagreements with the business and, after a period without work, joined Polo Inn, a taquería on Río Hondo in San Ángel, across from the ITAM university.
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See also
References
- "The first Mexican taco stand to get a Michelin star is a tiny business where the heat makes the meat". NBC Chicago (Associated Press). Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Tacos con estrella Michelin: ¿dónde está la taquería del chef Arturo Rivera en CDMX?". Chilango. Retrieved 2026-10-10.