Sink your teeth into Cinco de Mayo

For many employees of Utah's 130-plus Mexican restaurants, Cinco de Mayo is just another day of cooking tacos, enchiladas, tamales, burritos and other south-of-the-border specialties for eager customers. (At least that's what some of them told us when we called.)

But one of the biggest local celebrations takes place at the Midvale City Park Saturday, where more than 55 booths will dispense Mexican food, drinks and crafts. The city's Cinco de Mayo Days was started about 14 years ago by Fausto Rivas, who owned El Sombrero Restaurant in Midvale at the time.

"Every year, he had a party at his restaurant, and it got bigger and bigger, and we had to move it out onto the street," said Rivas' daughter, Dolores Lopez, one of the event's committee members. "It got even bigger, and we had to move it to Midvale City Park."

Now there's a Miss Cinco de Mayo pageant on Friday night and a parade Saturday at 11 a.m., followed by festivities at the park.

"You'll find all kinds of excellent tacos, burritos, fresh fruit on a stick and fruit drinks; it's all one-hundred percent authentic," Lopez said. "We have entertainment going all day. It's fun and family-oriented."

Jose Soto, chef/kitchen manager of Cafe Pierpont, expects he'll be busy at work, although his wife will likely take their three children to the Midvale celebration.

He says Cinco de Mayo is actually bigger deal in the United States than in Mexico. When he was growing up in Taxco, Mexico, it was a civic celebration but a far cry from what Ed Valencia, Cafe Pierpont's general manager, remembers growing up in California.

"In California, it's a more festive holiday that St. Patrick's Day," he said. "We had parades and all the Mexican restaurants celebrated it."

Contrary to what some Americans think, Cinco de Mayo ("the Fifth of May") is not Mexican Independence Day — that's on Sept. 16. Instead, it commemorates the May 5, 1862, victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla. Napoleon III planned to take over Mexico and install his relative, Archduke Maximilian of Austria, as ruler. The well-armed French army invaded the Mexican coast but was stopped on its march to Mexico City by an outnumbered Mexican militia.

The victory, unfortunately, was short-lived. Napoleon III sent 30,000 more troops and took over Mexico a year later. Maximilian ruled for three years before Mexican forces again prevailed.