710 W . Wm . J Bryan Pkwy Bryan —————— ( 979 ) 485-2665 ——————
Hours : Tuesday to Friday : 7 a . m . to 7 p . m .
Saturday & Sunday : 7 a . m . to 5 p . m .
Closed Monday is originally from Reynosa Tamaulipas , Mexico , and she grew up in Mission , Texas , close to the Rio Grande Valley . “ I usually go there to visit family , and every time I come back , I bring back tortillas and fresh queso — queso fresco — and other items you can ’ t find here locally ,” she says . “ Every trip , I go , I wish there was a tortilleria in town — for years . And then I got busy , you know , with my kids , and work .” Now , her eldest is a graduate of Texas A & M University , her middle child has a degree from Texas State University , and her youngest is now 14 . “ I decided it was time ,” she says . Her husband was supportive of her dream . “ We were at the point where we want to accomplish it ,” she says .
“ Back in my hometown , we make a line to get fresh tortillas , and that ’ s what I see now that I opened — the people making the line to get the fresh tortillas for lunch or for dinner ,” she says . The shop ’ s rush hours are before customers go to work
at around 7:30 a . m ., at noon , and after work when they are on their way home , she says . “ People work nowadays a lot ,” she notes , and have less time to prepare meals at home . She says her customers stop by not only for the tortillas but for rice , beans , and stews , called guiso — short for guisado . “ We sell the food by the pound or by the plate , usually something we prepare for the day , fresh every day ,” she says .
The recipes are traditional from Mexico ; some are family recipes with Paez ’ s own twist . “ I wake up at 4 a . m ., and I start working with my team . We make fresh masa every day , fresh tortillas , and fresh everything ,” she says . “ I experiment with flavors . That ’ s what I do . I love doing that .”
The tortillas are made without preservatives or artificial colors , Paez says . “ I recommend to people who are not used to fresh tortillas to pull them apart from each other , unstick them , because when they are warm , they stick to each other ,” she explains . “ Then you put them in a plastic bag , put them in the fridge , and they can last up to four or five days .” The menu is ever-changing as they figure out what people enjoy . “ They don ’ t want to eat the same thing every day ,” she says . Customers can also pick out a variety of cheeses , such as asadero and queso fresco , and prepared red , green , chimichurri , and molcajete salsas from inside a refrigerated case . On Saturdays and Sundays , Tortilleria Mi Tierra offers barbacoa , carnitas , and menudo . Housemade tortilla chips are available for purchase , but Paez cautions that they go quickly .
“ It ’ s a small little place , and when we purchased the building , we didn ’ t think it was going to be this big of a success ,” Paez says . “ I think it ’ s a little small , now that I see all the people who are really interested in fresh tortillas !” IN
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