Roberto Cardenas, chef and co-owner of the new Mi Cantina Grill, is well-known throughout Central Oregon for his creative Mexican dishes.

Five years ago, he opened the popular Islas Rio Mexican Restaurant in Sisters and, until 2014, when he sold it, the Rio Distinctive Mexican Cuisine Restaurant in Madras.

But to understand why Cardenas is so well known, you have to go back a few years, before opening his own restaurants, when he was the chef at the La Rosa Mexican Restaurant in Bend. His unique seafood dishes were noticed, not only by locals, but by the Tourist/RSN Network in Florida. In 2008 Roberto appeared several times on their “Celebrity Chef Show” series.

“To be chosen to appear on television cooking my food was quite an honor for me,” Cardenas recalled.

The accolades didn’t stop there.

In 2017, as part of their “Chefs on Tour” series, the Central Oregon Builders Association awarded Cardenas their “Best Chef” award for Islas Rio.

Cardenas is not a chef who brings a “cookie cutter” formula to each new location. While Islas Rio specializes in distinctive Mexican-style seafood dishes, the Mi Cantina Grill cuisine adheres more to Cardenas’ family recipes which he describes as more southern Mexican.

“I always try to do something different in my places. At Islas Rio, for example, the food is different than at Mi Cantina. I do a lot of cream sauces, seafood with fruit, mostly my family’s recipes,” Cardenas said.

A stickler for quality, Cardenas is very careful to only use quality produce and ingredients in his recipes.

“My whole menu is 100 percent gluten-free. I don’t use wheat or flour for any of my salsas. We really take pride in our produce. As an example, we buy only the best quality meat, remove all the fat to ensure the best taste and quality,” he said.

Cardenas also takes pride is hiring and training local people for both kitchen and floor positions.

“I have all women working in the kitchen,” he said. “I’ve found out, through the years, they are very careful, they put that ‘mom touch’ on the plates that we need. And I like to support the community by hiring and training people who live in the community.”

Family-friendly is important to Cardenas. He uses the term often regarding his vision for Mi Cantina.

“A cantina is a place in Mexico that you go with your family, sit down, have a drink and food. We chose the name because the Hispanic population knows and appreciates local cantinas,” Cardenas said.

“This is really a family fun concept. We have karaoke everyday. The family has dinner, then they can play pool, play the jukebox, or just grab the mic and start singing,” he added.

Mi Cantina has a unique selection of infused tequila but Cardenas makes it very clear that his restaurant is family-oriented.

“I have infused tequilas with fresh watermelon, mango, mint, pepper, lavender and hibiscus. But I want to send the message that this is not a bar, this is a family place,” he said.

In an effort to introduce families to the restaurant, Mi Cantina is offering specials throughout December.

“Kids under 8 will eat for free and we’re also offering a two for one special. Monday through Friday — if two meals and two drinks are purchased, one of the meals is free,” Cardenas said.

Cardenas always wanted to combine food and music and now, on Saturday nights, his dream is being realized.

“Of course food is a passion of mine, but I’ve always wanted to combine it with Mexican/Latin live music. Now, every Saturday night we bring bands from all over the northwest to play live. We’re averaging 130-150 people for dancing.”

Mi Cantina shares a building with Busy Chef Commercial Kitchen, which uses its kitchen until 2 p.m. daily. The building’s owner, Dick Robertson, plans to build an area for food trucks, with games and a shelter for eating and restrooms near the Busy Chef building.

Roberto Cardenas lives by two overriding principles with his restaurants.

“I’m not a guy who works for the tourists, I work for the locals, I always have. And two, we strive to make a friend before a customer.”