About us
Cielo Rojo is a family owned fine-casual Mexican restaurant in the heart of Takoma Park, MD. David Perez & Carolina McCandless first met in 2012 at a well-known Mexican restaurant in San Francisco.
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They proceeded to fall in love over their shared passions for Mexican food, mezcal, movies, and the outdoors. The name Cielo Rojo (red sky) was born from one of their favorite mariachi songs but also stems from their love of sunsets. From Fort Funston, California to the beaches of Mexico & Chile, the sunset represents the moments of clarity & calm that have been shared with family & friends over the years. After the birth of their daughter, Shiloh, they moved back east to be closer to family, and when a restaurant space opened up in the heart of Takoma Park they felt it serendipitous. Carolina's parents own Amano, a clothing boutique that has been in Takoma Park for over 20 years. Knowing how special the community of Takoma Park is they felt it the perfect DC-area home for their California-inspired traditional Mexican cuisine. The community's progressive & family-focused environment aligns perfectly with the mission for their restaurant, a place where friends & family can come together to nourish themselves with the beauty of food, community & mezcal.
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Our Team
David Perez
Executive Chef (Owner)
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Chef David Perez, born in Mexico City, immigrated to the US when he was 17 years old. He has worked in kitchens ever since. His passion for Mexican cuisine is rooted in his mother's cooking & a childhood spent enjoying street food in Mexico City. He has a passion for authentic Mexican food that is reminiscent of childhood memories but also getting creative with dishes, while still paying homage to his roots. He loves to experiment with different regions of Mexican cuisine, while also sharing memories of his childhood through his food. Spending half his life in Mexico & the other half in California- you will see a Californian-influence in a lot of our dishes. Spending time managing a vegan kitchen at Gracias Madre in SF, you will also find a lot of vegan & vegetarian options to choose from.
Carolina McCandless
Ops & Creative Director (Owner)
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Carolina was born in Chile & raised in Cabin John, MD. She lived in San Francisco for 14 years while getting her B.S. in Dietetics from SFSU. During her studies, she worked in the restaurant industry in many roles from bartending in the Castro district at, cult favorite, Lime while also working BOH as a sauté cook for Chef Elizabeth Faulkner at Citizen Cake. Eventually moving into FOH management roles- this is where she crossed paths with her husband & business partner, David. They met working together at Gracias Madre, in the Mission district, of San Francisco. Prior to moving back east, she worked as Head of Operations for a corporate catering start up overseeing 3 markets in the bay area. She then decided to come back to her true passion, the restaurant industry. She is passionate about design, and you will see her choices throughout the space.
German Alvarado Torales,
Head Chef
Born in Quintana Roo Mexico. German has worked in the restaurant industry for over 15 years. He has gained most of his experience working in restaurants throughout Baltimore, MD. And while he has experience working with a variety of cuisines, Mexican cuisine is rooted in his heart because it reminds him of home. He is very passionate about learning new things in the kitchen and always seeking improvement. He is jovial and responsible, always bringing positive vibes to the workplace with his infectious smile.
Fun Fact: He is inspired by his family.
Militza Moreno,
FOH Manager & Events Coordinator
Sarah Jablonski,
General Manager
Sarah has worked in the restaurant industry for over 13 years. She started as a server and bartender to work her way through culinary school, specializing in French Pastry. Her passion for food stems from her appreciation of other cultures, and the sense of community it brings to people. She is an emotionally-driven Pisces that always says what's on her mind, and treats integrity as a non-negotiable amongst her team. She takes pride in her roots branching from NY/NJ and hopes her east coast personality brings some spark to Takoma Park.
Fun fact: She has over 65 tattoos!
Juan Bernardo Barojas,
Sous Chef
Militza was born in Acapulco, Guerrero, but grew up in Tijuana before moving to the United States. She's lived in various states from the West Coast to the East Coast & traveled extensively.She has decades of experience in the hospitality world, building a career defined by versatility, cultural pride & a deep-rooted passion for the culinary arts. Her journey has taken her through a wide array of global cuisines, allowing her to master the nuances of different flavors & service styles while staying firmly connected to her Mexican heritage. She briefly stepped away from the industry to explore the technical world of IT, but soon realized her true calling remained in the high-energy, people-centric environment of a professional kitchen & dining room. She chose to return due to the connection & creativity that only hospitality can provide. Today, she combines extensive operational experience with a renewed perspective, dedicated to delivering an exceptional dining experience.
Fun Fact: She walks everywhere including to work. On her days off you can catch her running or cycling over 10 miles in the DC area!
Marco Carranza,
Sous Chef
Chef Juan was born in Veracruz, Mexico. He immigrated to the US at age 21 and started working in the restaurant industry 17 years ago! He has worked with a variety of cuisines including Belgian, French & American. He is proud of his 100% Mexican roots and wanted to get into the cuisine of his country more, therefore joining our team. He is always motivated to start new challenges and create new dishes. In his free time, you will find him spending time with his friends & family. He has an excellent palate for Mexican cuisine and we are excited to see how he can contribute to our restaurant with his passion for Mexican culture & background in fine dining.
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Fun fact: He loves cooking with his family and is passionate about sports!
Eva,
Assistant General Manager
Chef Marco Carranza started working in catering at the age of 14 with close family friends. This progressed to both local & corporate restaurants. His passion for food & cooking can be found in the variety of recipes he's concocted for his family as he's always trying something new. His motto "improvise, adapt, overcome" helps him with the ebb & flow of the industry.
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In his free time you will find him spending time with his family, whether that be playing soccer with his son or singing & dancing in the kitchen with his daughter. He brings creativity & an open-mind to the kitchen here at Cielo Rojo, along with his stellar attitude!
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Fun fact: he has & continues to teach his kids all the tips & tricks of the industry, his daughter currently works as a host at Cielo Rojo!
Eva was born and raised in Takoma Park, before venturing abroad for close to 2 decades. She spent time in Costa Rica and Turkey, pursuing yoga studies, herbal medicine, and worked professionally as a vegan chef. Her passion for the restaurant industry lead her to open a health food cafe in Bodrum, Turkey. Eva's dynamic history in hospitality is reflected in her team player attitude on the restaurant floor.
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Her grounding force brings a calmness to our team that is a great balancing power for the fast paced restaurant world!
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Fun fact: Eva loves astrology, being in nature, and dancing.
Daniel,
Beverage Director
Daniel contracts with our restaurant to update our seasonal cocktail menu. He was the former Bar Manager of Destino in La Cosecha (Latin food hall). He has a wealth of experience in agave spirits from his experience bartending at Espita Mezcaleria & The Gibson. He was born in Oaxaca, Mexico & takes pride in making craft cocktails integrating agave spirits with his culture. You can currently find him bartending at Allegory cocktail bar - or come try his delicious cocktails here!
Ethos
Bienvenidos A Su Casa! We want people to feel at home in our restaurant, this means choosing quality ingredients that we would be comfortable serving to our own family. We believe that we can support both the planet & our bodies by sourcing carefully and consciously. Our tortillas are made from 100% organic non-GMO corn. Our meats are hormone-free & humanely raised. We believe in sourcing as much local & organic food as possible.