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El Paso Food VoicesAuthor: Meredith E. Abarca
El Paso Food Voices is a collection of food stories gathered from home cooks, professional chefs, restaurant owners, community educators, and others from across El Paso, Texas. Language: en Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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25: Licon Diary: A Family Affair
Episode 25
Tuesday, 19 August, 2025
In this episode of EPFV, Meredith Abarca speaks with Sandra Licon, from San Elizario, Texas Licon Dairy. Sandra, who married into the Licon family, shares not only the journey of how Licon Dairy has become a much beloved establishments in El Paso Texas’ lower valley, but the matriarchal lineage of asadero cheese makers. The production of asadero cheese begun in California, and in the 1940s continued in Ysleta, Texas. Eugenio Linco, bought it from his father-in-law in 1963 and moved the operation to its current location in San Elizario, Texas. Sandra, beyond sharing the on-going history of cheese making and the expansion of the dairy, she also offers the story of how this dairy became a zoo which at one point included a camel. The Licon Dairy continues to grow as new generations add their own sazón to the kinds of cheeses, butter, and cream produce at the dairy. The Licon’s family commitment to the San Elizario community is evident in the partnerships they established with other locally own food entities in the area—like tortilla makers.
