What makes their Mexican food special is where the recipes come from, Lorena Zepeda said.

Those recipes have been amassed over the years by her mother and grandmother and shared at the small eatery she’s run with her parents, Juan and Mary Zepeda, for the past 17 years in Elgin.

They are now taking those family recipes – and more – to El Molino in Carpentersville. They purchased the Mexican restaurant – a staple in the village for 40 years – in the spring. After a six-month remodel of the space at 2112 Elgin Road, just over the border from Algonquin, the restaurant reopened in late November.

Although the interior and some of the menu have changed, what it means to the community shouldn’t, Lorena Zepeda said.

“It is special for many people, it has history for many people. They had many beautiful experiences in this place,” celebrating their life events, she said.

When Gustavo Soto opened the restaurant at a former hot dog spot, it was likely one of the first Mexican restaurants in the village. He wanted to ensure that whoever bought it would remember that connection it has to the community, Lorena said.

“He was so in touch with this place and he wanted to sell to somebody that would keep that history. He was also a good friend of my dad’s for a long time,” she said.

She’s been managing the family’s Taqueria Chapala on Liberty Street in Elgin for the past 17 years. They branched out once before, but that store was an hour’s drive away and too much to take on.

Now, the two restaurants are 17 miles apart, and both are on Route 25.

“Now I live three minutes away. It is a perfect location,” she said.

The renovations did take longer than expected. They started with plans to paint and update the dining room, but found themselves redoing the kitchen, adding a bar to the back dining room and making other changes outside.

“It was impossible not to remodel the kitchen after 40 years,” she said.

Juan Zepeda thanked Carpentersville officials for the support and help they gave during the renovations, which ended up keeping the restaurant closed for the entire summer season.

The remodel also left the red, green and yellow colors behind for a more muted shade of white and cream, but still with the wood beams in place.

“This is another style of Mexican,” Lorena Zepeda said of the new look. “We don’t want to lose that touch of Mexico,” but show that there are other styles across the large country.

Juan and Mary Zepeda came from the Puebla, Mexico, region – as do their recipes. That is where their flavors come from, too.

“Mole is sweet and spicy at the same time. There is so much flavor together, that is the secret – you lose the flavor if you have too much of either,” Lorena said.

The secret of a good taco isn’t the meat, she said, but the salsa.

“There are tacos everywhere, but if it doesn’t have good salsa it is not a good taco,” she said.

After Jan. 1, they also plan to open for breakfast at the new location, offering traditional chilaquiles and other Mexican staples. The back dining room – now with its own bar – is also available for small gatherings.

The original cook is still in the kitchen, training younger cooks to take over. Some of the drink menu has changed too, but the staples will remain.

“The salsas and things, I wanted to keep,” Lorena said. “There were no reasons to change some things.”