People of Troy

Interview with Yair de la Rosa, Owner of La Capital Tacos.

 What was a moment in your work that you felt, this is why I'm doing this?

“Because of my family— this is what we do. I continued that legacy, but it’s also something I really like. My background is as a chef, working in multiple cuisines and fine dining and things like that. Yes, I love to cook. That’s one of my things.

I think that’s why we have a good product— because we love what we do. You know, it’s a hard job, but when you love it, you don’t see it as hard. I think I’m good at it, and that’s why I’m doing it. But more than that, I feel happy doing it. I love what I do. Even though sometimes we struggle with a lot of things in the business—because it’s business— I’m still happy with what I’m doing. I’m not a miserable owner. I’m super happy. We have great staff, a great community, great customers, and I appreciate that every single day. Every morning, pretty much, I say thanks to God— for the customers, for the staff we have, and for everything in life. That’s why I’m doing it. I’m happy to do it. That’s it.”

Is there a place Downtown that holds a personal memory for you?

"The farmers market, six years ago— my first day when I started the whole thing. That’s my memory in Troy. For me, that made me love this country more. This place gave me all the opportunities— especially the Troy Farmers Market. That’s where everything began. So the market is special for me. And Troy as a whole— I love Troy. That’s why I stay here. I’m investing here, and I’m not moving from here. This is my main place. Across the street, we’re building our facility for all the locations we’re planning to have. And that’s why I want to do it in Troy. That’s going to be our commissary kitchen— where everything is. That’s where all the magic is going to happen: all the prep, everything, the distribution. That’s what we’re planning to build this year. So far, from my own experience, this is a very good place, and I love this place. I love Troy. Especially because I have a lot of extra love for the opportunity it gave me, all the diversity we have, and the great people.

Pretty much— great community, great people, and everything around here. To be honest, I’m not complaining about Troy. I always say, you will love it. You will like it. As soon as you touch Troy, it’s going to be hard to leave."