UPDATE, 4 p.m.: As several reader-sleuths have pointed out, Michelle Hill, CEO of the parent corporation behind the planned Tres Chiles Picosos Mexican Restaurant, recently took ownership of the Cicada Cantina in Redding.

“This is a new enterprise for Hill and her family,” the Record Searchlight reports, “one they hope to grow into 15 locations across California over the next five years, Hill said.”

Hill also appears to be the owner of Casa Ramos, a chain of 14 restaurants founded by her late partner Marco Ramos. Its locations are scattered around Sacramento and extend north up the I-5 corridor to Yreka. 

Has anyone tried a Casa Ramos? Let us know in the comments.

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¿El Calendario de María?

How many Mexican-food restaurants can a city of less than 30,000 (mostly white) people support? We don’t know either, but Eureka seems to be going for some kind of record.

We count at least 17, though we’re probably missing a few. And today comes news that we’re about to get even more. In a press release from Folsom-based PR firm Brandmetta we learn that something called “the M.A.S. 15 restaurant and hospitality group” is launching Tres Chiles Picosos Mexican Restaurant in the fountain-fronted building where, until last Friday, Marie Callender’s has been.

Look, despite our general cynicism, we at the Outpost tend toward irrational optimism when it comes to restaurants. We’re always excited to try something new, and despite our glut of burrito-and-enchilada joints we’ll almost certainly belly up to the booths at Tres Chiles Picosos sooner or later. But we gotta say, this press release doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. It sounds like a cyborg wrote it without doing any homework.

Eureka, the release says, is “a place known for its historical richness in government, trade and tourism.” 

Oh kaaay.

Michelle Hill, a Yreka resident and the chief executive officer of M.A.S. 15, elaborates: “It is very fitting for us to launch the first Tres Chiles Picosos Mexican Restaurant in Eureka because it’s a hub for so many activities.”

We do have activities. Too many to name, really.

Did you notice Hill said “the first” Tres Chiles? The accompanying email from Brandmetta says, “Our client’s restaurant and hospitality group, M.A.S. 15, will open the first of the Tres Chiles Picosos Mexican Restaurant in Eureka with 2-3 more planned in the same community.”

¡Ay, Dios mío! That’ll make, like, Doce Chiles!

A message left for Hill was not immediately returned. Here’s the press release:

M.A.S. 15, LLC, a modern Mexican hospitality and restaurant company, announces the launch of the first Tres Chiles Picosos Restaurant. Tres Chiles Picosos is a modern twist to the delicious flavors of traditional Mexican culinary staples. As Americans continue to grow their love affair with Mexican food, the M.A.S. 15 restaurant and hospitality group continues to experiment and evolve traditional plates with unique, healthier and flavorful ingredients.

The first Tres Chiles Picosos will be headquartered in Eureka, California, a place known for its historical richness in government, trade and tourism. “It is very fitting for us to launch the first Tres Chiles Picosos Mexican Restaurant in Eureka because it’s a hub for so many activities,” says Michelle Hill, Chief Executive Officer of M.A.S. 15, LLC. “So when we thought about the regions where we want to invest, create jobs and give the community something exciting to experience, our ‘Eureka!’ moment came, and we decided this is the place to settle and expand from.”

Tres Chiles Picosos Mexican Restaurant will be nestled in the heart of Humboldt County within the same center as the Best Western Plus Bayshore Inn, off of 3502 Broadway Road in Eureka, California. This new restaurant will replace the former Marie Callender’s Restaurant & Bakery.

“Tres Chiles Picosos will offer our friends in the community a place to experience great Mexican food, with a modern twist, and a contemporary locale for the community and visitors to create moments with their friends and families,” says Hill. “Authenticity in the culinary dishes and sourcing as much as we can from local farms to create delicious flavors, coupled with an ambiance of a swanky modern- is what we’re going for. At the same time- create job opportunities for people in the community.”

Tres Chiles Picosos will open October 2017 at 3502 Broadway Road, in Eureka, California, the former location of Marie Callender. Tres Chiles Picosos will offer fresh, flavorful dishes and drinks for residents and visitors of Eureka. For further information, please contact stories@treschiliespicosos.com. We look forward to seeing our friends and making new friends at Tres Chiles Picosos!

About M.A.S. 15, LLC

M.A.S. 15, LLC is a culinary hospitality restaurant group with a focus on modern Mexican experiences. The company’s CEO and managing partner, Michelle Hill, is an experienced restauranteur with over twenty years of Mexican restaurant operating experience in California. Hill is joined by Alexis Marcki Ramos and Spencer Marcki- hence the trio aptly named “Tres Picosos” for their love affair with Mexican cuisine and their fiery personas.