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ORAL HISTORY

Jesus Mendez

The Louis Bar & Unos Tacos

Jesus Mendez, born in Tabasco, Mexico, immigrated to Alabama as a child. He grew up in Shelby County and started working at the Margarita Grill in Pelham in 2010. He went on to train with the Stitt Group at Highlands Bar & Grill and Chez Fonfon. In 2018, Bayer Properties brought Mendez on staff to manage The Louis Bar at The Pizitz Food Hall. He eventually opened Unos Tacos, a family–run food stall at The Pizitz in March 2020. Despite opening at the beginning of the COVID–19 pandemic, the taco stall is currently thriving. Mendez enjoys serving the unique mix of customers drawn to The Pizitz Food Hall. The hall sits on the ground floor of what was once a family–run department store anchoring Birmingham’s Theater and Retail District throughout most of the twentieth century.