Chef
Rocio Camacho
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- Bell Gardens, California, United States
i. Biography
The Climb
Mexican restaurant craft in Southern California often moves through service, menu language, and ownership before it settles into a fixed address. Early in her career, Rocio Camacho worked at La Casita Mexicana, became menu writer at Tamales y Antojitos La Tia (Moles La Tia), and continued shaping her voice at La Huasteca and Don Chente. In 2017, she stepped into ownership as founder / operator of Mezcal y Tacos in Bell, CA, USA. The current kitchen carries that accumulated trade work forward. Today, Rocio is chef / operator of Rocio's Mexican Kitchen, working from a Mexican repertoire defined by repetition, command, and personal authorship.
Today
The present role brings the restaurant work into one practice: business ownership, cooking, and the steady refinement of mole as both craft and signature. Mole is the center of the work, with Oaxacan mole at the core of that identity. The practice is technical without being separated from memory: pre-Hispanic ingredients, contemporary technique, and the individual decisions that make an artisanal mole identifiable to its maker.
Signature
Mole Verde is one of the named signatures attached to Rocio's work.
Recognition
Rocio Camacho has received James Beard Foundation Awards — California’s Best Chef semifinalist. Mole is the recognition most closely attached to Camacho's name. Restaurant achievement here is also the work behind the pass: founding, owning, revising, and returning to the stove. The mark is not separate from daily production; it is built into the kitchen itself.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Rocio
Where did Rocio Camacho work before?
Rocio Camacho's earlier career included La Casita Mexicana, Tamales y Antojitos La Tia (Moles La Tia), and La Huasteca.
What is Rocio Camacho known for?
Mole.
