Neato Burrito

Most of us like to keep tabs on our teenage children and know where they’re eating and hanging out. But unlike most of us, this led to Shirley Spinetta deciding to open a restaurant:  in Newton Centre.

“All the kids were going to that [other taqueria] all the time,” recalls Spinetta, wisely not naming the competition in the next town over. “The kids would come in and out of my house, in and out, all day, going there. So I went and knew it was okay. But at this time I was ready to reinvent myself and do something else. And there it was.”

For over 20 years, Spinetta had run a successful electrolysis and laser hair removal business. She had no restaurant experience, was not a professional chef and – aside from being sure that Newton needed a good taqueria – admittedly didn’t know the first thing about owning a food-related business. But she had a vision and she knew just the right people to talk to about helping her see that vision become a reality. Enter chef Oscar Garcia and restaurateur Mario Boccabella.

Garcia had been cooking at for many years, and as a customer Spinetta had recognized his talents behind the scenes. She approached him with her taqueria concept, and asked him if he’d be comfortable running the back end (meaning figuring out the menu and doing the cooking, among other things) if she ran the front end. Garcia was in.

Spinetta then went to Boccabella, who has been at the helm of such successful restaurants as Cantina Abruzzi and the recently opened . He was more than happy to offer advice to his longtime friend. He helped her scout out the perfect location and put together a business plan for the bank and has proved an invaluable advisor from day one.

In July of 2005, after about two and a half years of planning, Spinetta opened Tango Mango. Her mission was to provide her customers and community with good, fresh Mexican food.

“We looked at other taqueria models,” she explains. “They would make their food in the morning and then pull it out throughout the day. We’re cooking all day long, everything. We’re always grilling our chicken, our steak, our vegetables. It just never sits.”

Then, in 2007, Quint Florists next door decided to close up shop and merge with its other location. Spinetta had a wonderful opportunity to expand her then-12-seat business to a full eat-in establishment, but it was a big risk. Again she turned to an expert for help and asked her accountant if this was a wise investment.

“He told me that I had to take the chance,” Spinetta says. “It just wouldn’t come up again. And if it didn’t work, well, I could always throw up the wall between the two spaces and just rent it. So, I took a chance.”

As Tango Mango approaches its sixth anniversary, it is clear that Spinetta’s risk has paid off well in many ways. Her daughter Sabrina, still a burrito fan, is an administrator at Mass General. Spinetta herself is proud of her role in the community and her ability to give back to the schools that helped her daughter get where she is today.

“I support the baseball teams, I give certificates for the fifth grade graduations,” states Spinetta, blushing. “We have a week where I give them 25% of everything that’s taken in, and it helps fund the eighth grade trip. But I get a little embarrassed about it sometimes.”

And if you’re wondering about the familiar-sounding name of the restaurant, Spinetta did in fact name as a twist on the name of one of her favorite beverages. But their slogan, “A taqueria like no other” and the spirit of giving back that it embodies is all Spinetta’s.