Carlos Compan, above, recently opened his new Mexican restaurant, Jalapenos, on Main Street in downtown Winnebago.

The saying goes, ‘Do what you love, and the money will follow.’

Marco Carlos Antonio Compan, who prefers to go by Carlos, has taken that advice very much to heart.

Carlos has been in the restaurant business for a whopping 32 years.

“My whole life,” he says.

And, he still loves what he does.

Carlos has played many roles in the food preparation industry, serving delicious eats everywhere from nursing homes to hospitals to, of course, restaurants.

His latest venture in the restaurant business brought him to Winnebago, where he is the proud owner-operator of one of the town’s newest restaurants: Jalapenos.

It was family which led him to move from Fountain, Colorado to Winnebago six months ago.

Carlos’ sister, Elsa Wilson, has lived in Faribault County with her husband, Gene, for the past two years. However, the couple used to live in Fountain with Carlos.

“I came to visit my sister on vacation,” Carlos recalls. “I fell in love with this town. In the summer, it is beautiful, so green.”

Sensing his affinity for the area, Elsa encouraged Carlos to relocate.

At the time, Carlos owned a restaurant in Fountain: Salsas, the Original. When his lease was not renewed last year, he decided to take the plunge and move from Colorado to Minnesota.

“I saw this place (for) sale – I made the decision. I decided to take Elsa’s advice and move here,” Carlos summarizes.

The Winnebago building which is now home to Jalapenos is over 100 years old – Carlos says it was built in 1901. It used to be a drug store, and also housed a different Mexican restaurant before Carlos purchased it.

Carlos made significant renovations to the space before opening it to the public. He fixed the plumbing, painted the inside and installed new equipment in the kitchen. He also gave the entire space a thorough cleaning.

Jalapenos was spic-and-span, and ready for its opening day on April 18.

Carlos shares business has been going well so far.

“Some days it’s kind of busy,” he says.

He strives to serve fresh, quality food to his customers above all else.

His menu offers traditional Mexican food, with a twist, such as tacos, burritos, carne asada fries, enchiladas, nachos and chimichangas.

Carlos says ground beef tacos have been the most popular item on the menu so far. However, his personal favorite is the barbacoa tacos.

Meanwhile, his favorite part of the restaurant business itself is simple: cooking.

“I like to build food for customers,” Carlos says. He laughs, adding, “I like the compliments. I have a touch (with food).” 

He adds he is thankful for the community’s patience as he seeks more employees to join Jalapenos’ staff.

“We are looking for help,” Carlos notes.

Currently, apart from Carlos, it is primarily his family members who are helping him out as he gets Jalapenos established.

Gene, his brother-in-law, is the restaurant’s general manager. Meanwhile, Elsa often offers part-time help.

Nonetheless, the hard-working family is able to maintain fairly extensive hours. Jalapenos is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day, apart from Sunday.

You would think after all that cooking, Carlos and his family would want to spend their time anywhere but the kitchen once they clock out for the day.

However, Carlos says he and his family actually love to cook for themselves when they are not cooking for others.

Apart from the Wilsons, Carlos’ family includes his brother, Alejandro, and sister-in-law, Stacy, both of whom still live in Colorado.

For the time being, Carlos himself is invested in Faribault County.

He hopes some day he will be able to open a second restaurant in the area.

“I need to be patient,” he adds, though.

Right now, Jalapenos is his top priority, and he is excited to see where its future leads him.