New Mexican Taco Shop Opens Under Long Valley Ownership

LONG VALLEY, NJ — A Long Valley resident took a risk and followed his heart, leaving his long-standing career as an investment banker to pursue his passion for sharing authentic Mexican cuisine.

Raul Santoyo was born in Mexico City but moved to the United States 16 years ago with his family. Shortly after arriving in New Jersey, Santoyo and his family settled in Morris County and have been members of the Long Valley community for the last year and a half.

Since leaving Mexico, Santoyo has known he wanted to bring some of those flavors and memories to New Jersey. Santoyo, along with his brother Alejandro and business partner Gabriel Galvan, decided to open Central Taqueria.

The grand opening of Central Taqueria is slated for 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17, and all members of the public are invited to try their authentic tacos.

Washington Township Mayor Matthew Murello shared his excitement for the new business sharing his plans to attend the grand opening on Facebook.

"I'll be making that trip for authentic Mexican tacos and if you're in the area of South St. in Morristown, support a Long Valley business owner," Murello said.

Located on the former site of Pascarella Bros. Sandwich Shoppe at 61 South Street in Morristown, Central Taqueria aims to capture the casual and familiar vibe of old-school Mexican taco counters.

"The whole idea has been on my mind for years, and maybe five or six years ago, after talking to another friend, we both combined our ideas and said, 'let's just start thinking about this in all seriousness and try to see if there's anything that we can do about this,'" Santoyo said.

Santoyo told Patch that leaving his 30-year career as an investment banker was the final push he needed to pursue this project.

"I said, 'you know what? I think now is a good time, this is my last shot in life to do what I really want to do.' So I convinced my wife, I quit my job, and then I said, 'I'll just focus on doing this project, and that's what I've been doing, a hundred percent of the time.'" Santoyo said.

Short countertops inside the storefront are intended to create an open environment in which customers can see their orders being prepared. To maintain the feel of a sit-down restaurant, servers will still be charged with bringing food to the tables.

"No matter what, we want to give that experience of having a server and having that close relationship with our clients and guests. We also have an out open kitchen concept. So whenever you are inside, you are seeing exactly what is happening inside the kitchen," Santoyo said.

The restaurant's featured dish will be "al pastor," which is pork marinated in spices for 12 hours before being roasted on a vertical spit. According to Santoyo, the pork will be the main attraction in a variety of dishes, including tacos de trompo and quesadillas.

"We are going back to the basics and making sure that we are making the recipes the way that they should be made," Santoyo said.

All salsas and tortillas will be made from scratch, ensuring freshness for each customer.

Although official store hours have yet to be announced, Santoyo said the taqueria will hopefully work well with the local bar crowd by staying open until 2:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

"When we get people coming out of the bars, we'll feed them tacos to help them deal with the alcohol, so they can return home. That's what I used to do when I was like 15 or 20 years old," Santoyo said.

For more information on Central Taqueria, visit www.centraltaqueria.com or call 973-722-7884.