A father’s flan recipe
This article has been modified from its original publication on The Daily Texan on November 13, 2023.
Feature photo from dymnyno.
It started at a tailgate; two friends, buzzed under the Texan heat dome, and a conversation about starting a business together.
It would take almost a decade for the aromas of their Napoletano flan and pork-fat tortillas to imbue local markets with the familiar-to-many scent of home cooked food, their business realized.
Courtesy of Mesocano Foods. Jesse Mondrago and Robert Silva completed the McCombs’ Masters of Science in Technology Commercialization program (MSTC) in 2020, enabling the start of their Mexican food company, Mesocano, along with co-founder Michael Mondrago.
Following their dad’s flan recipe, the two brothers and their friend saw an opportunity to expand on the traditional custard on the market.
“It was always the flan,” Jesse Mongrago said. “It stood out to us, my brother and I. It is our first product of many that we're planning on releasing, but we really wanted to focus on (it) because it was that one thing that we grew up with.”
A Mexican flan is a three-ingredient dessert shaped like a round pillow. Unlike its Spanish predecessor with a jelly-like consistency, the Napolitano flan at Mesocano is creamy and has no added sugar — its sweetness comes from a caramel base.
“Other versions of the flan can be the kind of jelly, which is the one that a lot of people know. But ours is more custardy, which is what people love about (it),” Jesse said.
With three degrees in bilingual education, policy, and technology commercialization, Jesse came up with the idea during his time at UT. The one-year Masters's program that he landed during the pandemic inspired him to build a business from the ground up.
“The program really motivates you to want to pursue something and start something,” Jesse said. “I had always wanted to open up a business, which (is) why Robert and I connected. But for me, I always wanted to have a restaurant with my dad because he is a really, really, good chef. He can make anything. He's been cooking all his life.”
Michael, Jesse’s younger brother, is a UT entertainment technologies graduate. He handles the visual elements of the business and created Mesocano’s logo – a gold and blue jaguar resembling Aztec motifs and Lake Texcoco over which Mexico City was built.
“I fell in love with the idea of being able to create, design, and just bring the visions people had — the logos, graphics, brand identities — to life,” Michael said. “I fell in love with the process of being in a small company, a small environment, and working together with a small team. That's what started my journey with Mesocano.”
Civil Engineering alumni Robert Silva first enrolled in the MSTC program after working offshores on boats and rigs doing product management. He oversees Mesocano’s finances such as payroll and forecasting, but all of the team’s responsibilities overlap in the kitchen.
“We do a little bit of everything,” Silva said. “Everybody works in the kitchen: Michael might take more initiative in the actual cooking process in the oven side (and) I do a lot of prep work like mixing the ingredients together.”
Jesse’s and Michael’s dad and niece work in the kitchen too, and the three founders engage outside the business with the community. They mentor UT students who are considering starting a business and give speeches for entrepreneurship courses at least once a semester.
“The last three years (have been) just learning everyday,” Jesse said. “It's a learning experience.”
In addition to the Mueller Farmers Market, their vanilla flan is sold at Whole Foods, Central Market and other grocery stores inside and outside of Austin. Mesocano is a rediscovered memory of one’s childhood, and it is made sweeter due to opportunity.
“We’re Mexican American, our parents are from Mexico, and I feel like a lot of times we undersell ourselves,” Jesse said. “There's a lot of stuff that we have to offer as a culture that a lot of people would enjoy.”
