On this week’s episode of The Sauce Podcast, host Lauren Healey sits down with Jason Tilford, chef/owner behind Session Taco and the newly opened Lapez Mod Mex in the Central West End.

Jason walks through nearly two decades of building chef-driven concepts in St. Louis, starting with a tiny, made-from-scratch Tortilleria in the CWE, to opening Mission Taco Joint in 2012, and now evolving the brand back to its roots while launching Lapez as a more elevated, sit-down experience.

In this episode:

• How Jason and his brother Adam got started with Tortilleria, handmade tortillas and scratch cooking before it was common in STL
• Opening Barristers, St. Louis’ first soccer pub, and building a chef-driven bar food concept
• Milagro in Webster Groves, early acclaim, and how it helped spark what became Mission Taco Joint
• Why scaling the “taco joint” model didn’t work everywhere, and what they’re doing to course-correct
• What sets Lapez Mod Mex apart, Spanish-forward drinks, curated wines, seafood-driven dishes, and knife-and-fork plates
• A real conversation about the current restaurant climate, closures, and what the industry is facing right now

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📅 New episodes drop every Tuesday.

✨ Presented by SWADE Dispensary, with 11 locations across Missouri. Learn more about their new Passport Membership program at swadecannabis.com.