Adriana Zapata, owner of Cocina Adamex, learned Thursday that Vice President Kamala Harris would be one of her customers the next day.
Harris and her Democratic running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, visited the restaurant after their packed rally at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, continuing a long tradition of politicians visiting Arizona enjoying Mexican cuisine.
The event was Harris and Walz’s first joint appearance in Arizona and part of their first swing-state tour.
“I don’t know what can top this,” Zapata said shortly after Harris and Walz picked up their takeout order. “Since we’re preparing food for such influential people, I don’t even know how to put it into words.”
Although the two did not stay at the restaurant long, Zapata said she did not expect to have such a meaningful conversation with Harris.
“Both she and the governor were excited,” she said. “The governor didn’t want very spicy food. (Harris) joked that even pepper was spicy to him.”
Harris and Walz ordered tamales with green and red chilies.
Cocina Adamex, 416 N. Seventh Ave. in Phoenix, opened two years ago and is known for its XL concha and coffee combination.
Zapata’s children and nieces also had the opportunity to speak with Harris and Walz.
Her niece, Arlette Adame, who begins her freshman year of college in the fall, said Harris advised her on what courses to take.
“She told me to do well in college,” she said. “It felt so unreal. She is extremely kind and a very calm person.”
The guests who were in the restaurant when Harris and Walz entered did not know that the Democrats would soon arrive.
Even later that evening, the visit was still a topic of conversation in the restaurant.
Davida Cisneros, 58, of Phoenix had hoped to find Harris and Walz at a restaurant on Friday, but she was wrong and waited more than four hours, she said.
She said the new Harris-Walz ticket gave her new energy for the election.
“(Walz) is the teacher, the veteran, the coach,” Cisneros said. “We haven’t seen him in politics for a long time.”
Another customer at the restaurant, Shelley Hubbard, 59, of Phoenix, had been to the Harris-Walz rally in Glendale. She said it was a great introduction to Walz as a vice presidential candidate.
“We believe Donald Trump is unfit for office, and that’s why we’re becoming a little more politically engaged than before,” she said.
Zapata said she is considering adding a vice presidential-themed dish to the menu.
“They take their job very seriously and are great people,” she said. “You get the impression that they are intimidating, but they are really nice.”
