DENVER — Sunday is National Sopapilla Day, and what better place to celebrate than the iconic Casa Bonita?
Denver7 got the opportunity to make some of the delicious fried pastries, alongside the restaurant's executive chef and culinary partner, Dana Rodriguez.
"We didn't change the recipe. The only thing we changed was we wanted people who are vegetarian and vegan to be able to eat it, so instead of lard we use shortening," Rodriguez said. "When we reopened this place we went to the bank and they told us that all of the money that comes from Casa Bonita is called 'honey money' because every single thing is sticky with honey."
On an average day, the restaurant will use 200 pounds of dough and whip up roughly 2,500 sopapillas.
Rodriguez said being a part of the reopening has been a dream come true for her.
"That was the first restaurant that I applied when I moved from Mexico. I didn't get the job because I didn't have experience. And when I got the call to come back and do this, it was literally like a movie going into my head," she said.
Following its reopening in May, the restaurant only offered dinner service.
Patrons were randomly selected from the waitlist and had to purchase tickets for select time slots.
Now, the restaurant is still only open to those with tickets. However, Rodriguez said they've been able to open for more days during the week and offer lunch service as well as dinner service.
If you'd like to join the restaurant's waitlist, you can do so by signing up for Casa Bonita's newsletter here.
