[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4979]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING BUENO FOODS

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 21, 2016

  Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today 
to acknowledge the 65th anniversary of Bueno Foods, a local company 
that has become synonymous with our traditional and cherished New 
Mexican dishes.
  In 1946, several brothers from the Baca family returned from serving 
in World War II and they scraped together enough money to buy a small 
neighborhood grocery store called the Ace Food Store. The small 
business was successful, until the larger chain grocery stores moved 
into the area. The Baca brothers wanted to compete and knew they must 
find innovative ways to keep the business profitable.
  They added a carry-out component using their mother's delicious home 
cooked New Mexican food and began manufacturing corn and flour 
tortillas on a pie crust roller and making tamales and posole for sale. 
Then they had an idea. Everyone was getting a freezer and Birds Eye 
frozen vegetables were very popular. They decided to roast green chile 
over an open flame in the early fall and freeze it so that people could 
have chile year-round.
  There was no equipment to flame-roast green chile on a commercial 
scale, and the brothers had to design and build equipment, and 
implement the process for large scale production. Bueno Foods was 
founded in 1951.
  For over 65 years, Bueno Foods has grown from a small neighborhood 
grocery store into one of the Southwest's premier producers of New 
Mexican and Mexican foods, serving restaurants and retail customers 
throughout the United States. It is still owned and operated by the 
Baca family, with Jacqueline ``Jackie'' Baca serving as President since 
1986.
  Bueno Foods symbolizes the spirit and determination of true 
entrepreneurs who turned their idea into a thriving business that 
preserves and promotes our heritage. I would like to congratulate the 
Baca family and their employees for 65 years of supplying quality 
products, providing excellent customer service and creating 
opportunities to give back to the community.

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