Nashauna Drummond, Lifestyle Coordinator

In the mood for Mexican? Try a rice and bean burrito and jerk chicken taco with chips and roasted salsa.

They have tweaked an old saying with a new twist: 'the family that cooks together, stays together'. This is the team harmony that exists at the 'Jamexican' restaurant, Chilitos at 64 Hope Road.

Nadia, Loraine and Julio Carby have brought their dual heritage to Chilitos. With a Mexican mother and a Jamaican father, they grew up loving their mother's cooking and learning all they could from her.

"Mom was a great cook," says Julio, the eldest, who has been given the responsibility of head cook. "I'm horrible with money and customer service is notreally my thing," he explains to Food as he moves casually around the kitchen preparing a fish taco and the prep work for the very famous Mexican dessert, Flan. Lorane takes care of customer service and Nadia is in charge of the finances.

Julio fries bits of fish for his taco.- photos by Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer

Instant gratification

But why would someone with a business degree don an apron instead of a jacket and tie? Instant gratification. "I love pleasing people and food is a quick form of satisfaction. In just a few minutes I can satisfy a customer," he said. The Metropolitan State College of Denver graduate explained that in business, it takes months, even years to get any form of satisfaction from business investments.

In the meantime, he invests in making delicious quesadilla, burrito and taco dishes with a variety of fillings and wraps with freshly made salsa to satisfy a variety of taste buds.

At the end of the year, Julio intends to galvanise his skill of preparing Mexican cuisine by doing some cooking classes in, where else? Mexico. But, until then, his little sister Nadia is his number-one guinea pig. She gives him the thumbs-up or down on his 'experimenting'.

Tortilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup lard

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup water

Method

Stir together flour with salt in a bowl, then cut in lard with a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture resembles meal. Drizzle vegetable oil over and stir in water with a fork until a dough forms. Knead on a lightly floured surface for about four minutes until smooth and elastic, dusting hands occasionally with flour if dough is sticky.

Form dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for an hour. Heat a dry well-seasoned cast-iron comal, regular griddle, or skillet over moderately low heat until hot. Cut dough into 12 equal pieces and form into balls.

Roll out balls one at a time with dowel or rolling pin using just enough flour to prevent dough from sticking.

Keep remaining dough covered with plastic wrap. Roll out each ball into a seven-inch round, maintaining an even thinness as you roll. Cook one tortilla on grill as you roll the next.

Tortilla will bubble and puff, and bottom will be browned in spots in 45 seconds. Turn it over and cook second side in same way, moving tortilla around to compensate for any hot spots on grill if necessary.

Transfer to a kitchen towel. Stack and cover tortillas as cooked. They can be frozen (cool thoroughly first). Rewarm thawed tortillas on grill before using with filling of your choice.

Nadia Carby rolls a rice and bean burrito.