About a decade ago, Jose Tovar Gamez suggested to his son, Jose Tovar Ibarra, that they open a restaurant together.
They opened J & J Mex-Taqueria on Georgia Avenue in Washington, D.C. eight years ago. Recently, they brought those same Mexican flavors to Commas, a food hall on the third floor of the Ellsworth Place mall in downtown Silver Spring.
While it is still early, it appears the family tradition will continue with Jose Tovar Quinteros, an 11-year-old sixth grader at Kingsview Middle School in Germantown. Tovar Quinteros said loves to help out, whether it is working the register or preparing the food.
Fixing tacos, quesadillas and burritos keeps the family’s three generations of chefs busy, but the owners also are striving to help those in need. When Tovar Ibarra saw so many homeless and jobless people around his restaurant in D.C., he partnered up with Breadcoin, a Baltimore-based organization that distributes coins that can be exchanged for food at local eateries by the needy. He began accepting the coins in lieu of payment for meals at his restaurant.
J & J Mex-Taqueria is Breadcoin’s first partner in Montgomery County. Now, all eight eateries at Commas accept these coins as payment for a meal.
Commas General Manager Yecenia Marroquin hopes that when all 12 restaurant stalls are filled, Breadcoins will be accepted throughout.
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