Ofrendas are a key part of the Mexican Dia De Los Muertos celebration, they are altars — or quite literally “offerings” — that are used to invite the deceased to the altar, and are commonly filled with paintings, pictures, favorite foods of the deceased and religious imagery. In this case, however, Ofrenda is a food truck based out of Berwyn and run by brothers Ernesto and Fernando Torres.
NCClinked lifestyle editor Tom Miller was lucky enough to catch up with the brothers at Werk Force Brewing Co. in Plainfield and listen to their story as well as eat some great food.
Brothers Ernesto and Fernando Torres
The Torres brothers have always been surrounded by food; their parents have owned El Meson Express for over 30 years, first planting their roots in Cicero before moving to their current location on the corner of Grove Avenue and Ogden Avenue in Berwyn. Fernando attended Le Cordon Bleu and began his culinary career at Boka, a Michelin-starred American restaurant in Chicago’s Lincoln Park, while Ernesto stuck around his parents’ restaurant working the front-of-house and taking care of daily business operations.
The Torres brothers were offering a five-item menu at Werk Force Brewing Co. on Sunday.
Ofrenda has just celebrated its third year in operation and the culmination of the brothers’ experience in the restaurant industry is nothing short of outstanding. With an ever-changing menu, Ofrenda can usually be found all around the Chicago metro area six days a week, with the seventh day usually reserved for gathering ingredients and messing around with new recipes.
Ofrenda can be followed on Twitter and Facebook while business inquiries can be directed to their website.
Photos by Tom Miller.
