Philbrook Museum - Tulsa, OK

Friday, March 11, 2011

iDigTulsa Spotlight On Tulsa Originals Featuring: Elote' Cafe & Catering

There are countless reasons why I, or anyone else for that matter can say that they "dig" Tulsa. On the opposite side of this double edged sword we call opinion, there are those who search for reasons to say that Tulsa is not all that it had once been in its "glory days" of yesteryear. Regardless of the current quarrels between our elected officials, and the negative press that often rises to the top of daily headlines around the city, Tulsa has a collection of individuals and business who propel our city towards greatness. These unsung hero's of our city are more often then not only found within the city limits of Tulsa, making them a great reason to "dig" our city, and a true Tulsa Original.



Elote' Cafe & Catering has been a downtown staple since the summer of 2008, bringing the term Puffy Tacos into the vernacular of food eaters across the metro area along with it. Fast forward to 2011 and we find that it is no longer uncommon to witness a masked Luchador clad in spandex walking through the restaurant while enjoying your late evening meal. The opening of the Elote' Luchador Bar last year paved the way for live Luchador wrestling matches, which now take place within the walls of restaurant during scheduled events, and on the streets during the annual block party known as Luchapalooza in October. Besides filling our bellies with Puffy Tacos and entertaining the masses with Luchador wrestling, Jeremy and Libby Auld's restaurant Elote' is in many ways like a Transformer when it comes to their contribution to Tulsa, More Than Meets The Eye.

Their restaurant strives daily to decrease it's negative impact on the environment, doing so by adhering to numerous sustainable practices. All meats that are served on their menu are organically grain fed and raised just a few miles outside of Tulsa in Bixby, Oklahoma. All of the produce remnants and scraps from the restaurant are used for compost at the Newsome Community Farms located at 2620 E. 56th St. North in Tulsa, which works to empower low-income families with the ability to access ownership of their food system. All of their used fryer oil is recycled locally to created bio-diesel fuel. They also work with and support local farmers and vendors to purchase the items that create each dish on their menu. Finally, If you have ever sat down at the Luchador Bar then you were surrounded by recycled, up-cycled and reclaimed materials that were used in its creation. Not only are these practices sustainable, but they directly impact the local Tulsa metro economy by keeping each action taken as close to home as possible.

Not every community focused happening at Elote' is centered entirely around food. Recently Jeremy and Libby Auld  were discussing the idea of putting a run together with their friend Laura Hailey-Butler who works for the YMCA. "Jeramy and I both love the Y's mission and when we decided to put on a run we knew we wanted the proceeds to benefit the camp." said Libby when we were discussing how the idea for the upcoming Luchador Run came together. "Allowing kids to spend their summers outside is one of the greatest experiences you can give to a child and every child deserves that despite how much money their parents make." It is on this idea alone that the partnership between the YMCA Kids Camp Program and Elote' was forged for the Luchador Run on March 26th. The Luchador Run itself is also more than it seems on the surface, it is being promoted as a full fledged Luchador guided night-tour of downtown Tulsa complete with food, drinks and you guessed it, Luchador wrestling at the finish line. You can receive a discount on your entry fee if you personally wear a Luchador mask for the run.  All proceeds from the run will be donated to the YMCA Kids Camp Program in addition to $5.00 from the sale of each Luchador mask at Wild Blue, located at 2747 E. 15th Street. When asked about her goal for the run itself Libby said "Ultimately we want to send tons of kids to camp, but I hope to show off a little of downtown in the process."



It seems as if someone outside of our state has taken notice of this Tulsa original and it's desire to improve our community. Elote' Cafe & Catering has recently been awarded the 2011 Blue Ribbon Small Business Award by the United States Chamber Of Commerce, one of only 75 recipients in the entire country. As if this achievement wasn't enough, it automatically placed Elote' in the running for The 2011 Community Excellent Award which is chosen by "we the people" not "them, the Man". To place your vote for Elote' as a leader in community excellent in the city of Tulsa click here. We can all agree that it would be nice to see some positive headlines regarding Tulsa, especially on the national level.

Just two months shy of their 3 year anniversary, the owners and staff of Elote' have single handedly created a truly original Tulsa establishment. The residents of Tulsa have not only shown support for this Tulsa Original  but have also caused it to expand and grow. Their growth and success has proven to not only be beneficial for local growers and farmers but also beneficial for lovers of all things Puffy and Luchador (but not necessarily in that order).....and that's a great reason to say iDigTulsa.


Elote' Luchador Run: March 26th, 2011
Starts: YMCA @ 420 S. Main St.
Ends: Elote' @ 514 S. Boston Ave.
1 Mile Fun Run @ 6:00pm
5K Tour Of Downtown Tulsa @ 6:45pm

Want to take a luchador guided  night tour of Downtown Tulsa?  The race begins at the YMCA at 420 S Main and after the 1 Mile Fun Run at 6:00pm or the 5K at 6:45pm all roads lead to Elote for some after-run cool down activities. There will be Cerveza and Nachos for the runners and fun for all. Come dressed as a luchador and get a discount on your race registration fee. The luchadores will have a 5 minute head start and the goal will be to catch them.  All funds go to the YMCA kids to camp program. There will be Luchador fights after the races, music by Project Huckelberry and a street party. You are encouraged to dress up. You can purchase masks online or locally at the Wild Blue at 15th and Delaware, $5 from each mask sale will be donated to the Kids Camp program in addition to all proceeds from the race itself. 


For additional information about the Luchador Run, 
or to registered for the event online you can visit

To place your vote for the 2011 Community Excellence Award you can visit

 For a full list of upcoming events or for more information about the restaurant
 and its menu you can visit 








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