It’s a typical Wednesday night at El Toro Mexican Bar and Grill in Cape Coral. The restaurant buzzes with servers hustling between tables, steaming hot dishes passing by, and the sounds of a four-piece mariachi band filling the air. But beyond the usual dinner rush, hints of an upcoming celebration catch the eye. Above the bustling booths, a large black-and-white portrait of a skeletal woman—known as "La Catrina"—keeps a watchful gaze over the diners. Halloween? Not quite. It’s Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. Restaurant manager Gabriella Rosales shares their plans for honoring both the living and the departed:
"We have different decorations outside our restaurant, in all our windows, but we also have our catrinas, and we have a special food, we have special drinks, the entire crew is going to be like a 'Coco' movie."
In the kitchen, they’re preparing a dish that could wake the dead—or at least the taste buds.
“We have a homemade molcajete del toro. We put grilled chicken, grilled steak. We also put some shrimp and chorizo, which is the Mexican sausage, a little bit spicy, and with on top, we put some queso blanco, which is the white cheese sauce that the name that we have, and we're putting on top of that with the banana pepper and cactus, which is, you know, traditional Mexican plate, and comes with the rice beans and a little salad on the side."
The dish serves as a tribute, showing how some family recipes refuse to stay buried. Rosales elaborates on the significance of the holiday.
“Dia de los Muertos is more focused on grandma, that they are behind the kitchen. no matter if she's not there physically.”
Outside the restaurant, the band Mariachi Guadalupano Southwest Florida takes a break between sets. Band member Cathia Matos shares how they celebrate the holiday.
“Working! Playing, we play in different events. Our job is to give entertainment and happiness to all of the audience who hire our services," Matos says with a smile.
As the band prepares for their next set, families across Southwest Florida ready themselves for November 1 and 2, days when loved ones live on through shared stories and cherished traditions.
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