26/04/2024
And that is exactly what husband and wife Joel Adams and Morgen Britt did just a little over 20 years ago when they started Chile Mojo.
“When we came to Australia from Seattle, Mexico’s world class cuisine was severely under-represented. I have always had an interest in Mexican food. It is part of the fabric of American cooking.” Joel says.
In order to quench their burning desire for all things Mexican—from chillis, tacos, chile rellenos, fajitas, pozole, hot sauces, burritos—Joel and Morgen did something very unusual.
“We built a store, put it in a box and shipped it here from Seattle.”
“It wasn’t easy and there were many tricks and hurdles, but we made it work. And key to this is that we found a good location on The Parade to launch our store.”
In their endearing quirky manner, they named the shop after themselves—with
the 'Mo' in MoJo representing the first two letters of Morgen’s name—likewise the 'Jo' representing Joel’s name.
Their iconic and much-loved business moved to Magill Road in 2009, and has gone on to become an institution in our City. Chile Mojo was inducted into the Hall of Fame at this year’s Eastside Business Awards.
Chile Mojo isn’t an ordinary supermarket. It is a Mexican wonderland—bursting with colour and a collection of delights from Scorpion filled lollipops, sombreros, corn chips, chillies, to ingredients for the most discerning of chefs.
Joel, who has a background working in kitchens, boasts he has cooked 600,000 meals on the flame grill alone, and has swiped his knife 3.2 million times just making pico de gallo salsa!
However, his favourite part of his job is chatting to customers.
“We have a lot of people coming in who want to try cooking Mexican food for the first time, or they may want to eat the hottest chilli, and my advice for them is, don’t take the leap from Tabasco sauce straight to the deep end,” he says with a wry smile.
Speaking about the Hall of Fame Award, Joel says “I would like to offer my sincere thanks for the people who have voted for us and supported us over two decades, many of who have gone on to become friends, or even come around to our house to play the guitar!”
Pleasingly, the business which has three full time staff is growing and Joel and Morgen have plans to expand in the future.
Do yourself a favour and pop into Chile Mojo, you are bound to learn a few things
about Mexico and you will definitely leave with a smile.
Chile Mojo
395 Magill Road, St Morris
8333 1931
www.chilemojo.com.au
@chilemojo
/chile-mojo
