About the chef
Chef
Fernanda
MARGARITA
Reyes
Chef Fernanda Margarita Reyes cooks with curiosity, purpose, and joy. Her food carries the rhythm of Mexico while constantly reaching forward, asking questions, and inviting discovery. She came to Kansas City not only to share Mexican cuisine, but to learn alongside it, evolve with it, and inspire others through it.
Her mission is simple and powerful: honor tradition, ignite curiosity, and create food that teaches through feeling.
A New Chapter in Kansas City
Chef Fernanda helped bring modern Mexican cuisine to Kansas City by creating something that both excites and educates. With TACO NACO KC, she isn’t just serving tacos, she’s sharing stories, techniques, and traditions in every bite.
Her food invites guests to taste something new, rediscover something familiar, and leave a little more curious than when they arrived. It’s joyful, intentional, and deeply human — a reflection of how she believes food should be experienced.
Through TACO NACO KC, she brings love, flavor, laughter, and pride to Kansas City and Overland Park — one taco at a time.
Inspiring Community & Creativity
At her core, Chef Fernanda is a teacher. Whether mentoring her team, collaborating with creatives, or cooking for her community, she leads by example, encouraging curiosity, pride, and growth.
Her work celebrates:
Mexican cuisine as a living, evolving art
Learning as a lifelong passion
Creativity built on respect and discipline
Food as a joyful way to inspire, teach, and connect
Little Beginnings
Fernanda’s culinary journey began at ten years old in her family’s restaurant in Santiago Papasquiaro, Durango, Mexico. In that kitchen, learning happened by watching, tasting, and doing. Every recipe was a lesson. Every mistake was part of the process.
Those early years taught her that cooking is a lifelong classroom, one where curiosity matters just as much as skill. She learned to ask why flavors work, how techniques shape emotion, and how food becomes memory.
Learning the Craft,
Honoring the Roots
Driven by a hunger to grow, Chef Fernanda pursued formal training at the Instituto Culinario de México, Campus Monterrey, where she graduated in Gastronomic Studies, and later in a Master’s in Business Administration and Nutrition of Foods and Beverages, strengthening her belief that great food requires both heart and understanding.
For her, education is not a destination, it is a mindset. One that keeps a chef humble, focused, and endlessly inspired.
Carrying Mexico
Across the World
With more than 20 years of experience sharing Mexican flavors across the globe, Chef Fernanda has treated every kitchen as a classroom. Competing internationally, she earned a Bronze Medal at the 2008 IKA Culinary Olympics in Germany and a Silver Medal at the 2010 Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg, achievements that affirmed her craft while reminding her there is always more to learn.
Her time in Dublin, Ireland, working within French, Italian, and Spanish cuisines, deepened her respect for technique, balance, and restraint. Each culture left its mark, expanding her perspective while strengthening her Mexican foundation.
Always Cooking,
Always Becoming
Today, Chef Fernanda Margarita Reyes continues to cook, learn, and lead with warmth and conviction. She remains curious, hands-on, and deeply connected to her roots, always open to new ideas, new flavors, and new ways to inspire others.
Her journey is far from finished. It lives in the energy of the kitchen, the confidence of her team, and the smiles of guests discovering something beautiful in a single bite.
Because for Chef Fernanda, food isn’t just about feeding people, it’s about inspiring through joy.
