Gab Ruiz: Building a Little Piece of Mexico in Glenorchy
Mexico was already in Glenorchy. Now it’s official.
For the past few years, Gab Ruiz, co-owner Gaby De la Rosa and the team at Casa Jaguar have been building a little piece of Mexico in Glenorchy. The food, the recipes, the hospitality, the language, the culture. The whole experience of walking through the door.
At the end of August, Mexico came to have a look.
The Ambassador of Mexico in New Zealand drove out to Glenorchy to present Casa Jaguar with a Sello M, a recognition of authentic Mexican gastronomy awarded through the Mexican authorities and the Academia Mexicana de Gastronomía.
Casa Jaguar’s Sello M recognition brought together co-owners Gaby De la Rosa and Gab Ruiz with Mexican Ambassador to New Zealand Alfredo Perez Bravo and his wife, Julieta Perez, in Glenorchy.
A Rare Recognition.
There are just two Sello M recognised restaurants in New Zealand. Casa Jaguar is the only one in the South Island.
That is a remarkable thing to have achieved from in a little destination town at the the top of Lake Whakatipu.
But the formal presentation was not really about a certificate on a wall. It was about having the people who helped build Casa Jaguar there to see it happen.
John Glover, Mayor of the Queenstown Lakes District, attended with Toni Glover, who has long been part of Glenorchy’s hospitality community. Ali Meredith, our GM, represented Startup Queenstown Lakes, while Glenorchy locals, Queenstown friends, suppliers and supporters came together to celebrate. Many of those there have played a part in helping Gab get the restaurant to where it is today.
There were Mexican snacks, drinks and plenty of stories. For a couple of hours, the Ambassador of Mexico and the Mayor of the district were sitting inside a small restaurant at the top of the lake, alongside the community.
Casa Jaguar’s recognition also gives the region something useful. A clear reference point for authentic Mexican food in this part of New Zealand. And that reference point is in Glenorchy.
Gab with Ali Meredith, General Manager - Start Up Queenstown Lakes.
Our own part in the story is small. Gab came through Startup Booster in 2024 and later received one of our microgrants. She has kept turning up since. In early August, she joined us for our Beginners AI Hackathon, another example of her continuing involvement in the local business community.
A few weeks later, she was welcoming the Mexican Ambassador to Glenorchy.
But the restaurant, the food and the recognition belong to the whole team. Gab has grown Casa Jaguar alongside a small but essential team of three hardworking LGBTQ women who help make this restaurant what it is. Together, they have created something culturally authentic in a small, remote place, while building strong connections with the community around them.
Mexico came all the way to Glenorchy to say: yes, this is the real thing.
That is a pretty special story.
Heading to Glenorchy and want to check it out for yourself? Visit www.tacosjaguar.com for more info.
Got an idea? Find out how Startup Queenstown Lakes can help you get started here.
