About Jose Madrid Salsa

In 1976, Mike Zakany and his brother started a restaurant in downtown Zanesville, Ohio. After months of planning and building, Zak’s Restaurant was a reality. The contemporary casual restaurant was a welcome addition to the small urban center and was quite successful from the beginning. It was clear that the emerging ethnic food market was a logical niche for the Zakany brothers as their own Mexican heritage had a huge influence in the family kitchen. Estelle Zakany, the family matriarch, helped her sons integrate more authentic Mexican cuisine into the menu and life of the restaurant. Mike continued to work on the salsa recipes based on his research and experimentation. The restaurant customers were the critics for the salsa formulas born from Mike’s hard work in the kitchen. Eventually, the “favorite” blend of spices, chili peppers and herbs were developed. These recipes came from the direct influence of his maternal grandfathers cooking culture. In 1987, José Madrid Salsa became a reality, named after the family icon and beloved grandfather from Clovis, New Mexico. Mike Zakany’s tribute to his grandfather celebrates his childhood memories of the larger than life man. He could ride a horse and shoot a gun better than anyone else in the unsettled New Mexico Territory of the early 1900’s. José was the reason the family rallied together for summer vacations and reunions in Clovis, and the perfect namesake for the unique New Mexico style of salsa.Read their story