Omar Apollo is his mom’s hype person first and a GRAMMY nominated artist and upcoming actor in Luca Guadagnino’s Queer second. That’s the first thing that became apparent to us when we interviewed him alongside his mom Enriqueta to talk about everything from their family’s legacy to her iconic sauce.
Being a first-generation Mexican-American, Omar’s parents immigrated from Guadalajara to the U.S. While following their own dreams and hoping to give their kids a better life, they then opened a restaurant called El Super Taco. There his mom made Disha Hot, a recipe passed down for generations within their family, into the house sauce. And even though they had to close the restaurant when Omar was born, it was a favorite of the household and something that he’s wanted to bring to the world ever since his music blew up in 2022.
Disha Hot is currently available to purchase on their official website here. The ingredients include tomato, tomatillo, white vinegar, red onion, lime juice, habanero, toasted chile de árbol, jalapeño, cilantro, garlic, salt, and chia seed. Also, according to the official website, the sauce also includes “MUCHO AMOR.” But if you don’t want to order a whole bottle, now for a limited time you can try Disha Hot Hot Sauce packets at Taco Bell with sayings from Omar on them that range from “Hotter in person.” to “My mom made this – Omar” and “Who’s Omar Apollo?”
For Omar, he’s unapologetic about his mom’s hot sauce being the best in the world. “I’ve been traveling around the world, and I’ve tried most of the hot sauces. And I’ve always thought my mom’s was the best.” And growing up, everytime they sat at a table to have a family meal, hot sauce was part of that. Omar shared that, “There was always hot sauce in the fridge in a sour cream can. We would constantly have chiles and grow them in the backyard. And make fresh chiles from our garden. It was such an important part of family to me, was the chile that tethered us all together.”
So when Taco Bell hit him up with an opportunity to take something he grew up with and put it in their restaurants nationwide, he got super excited. Not only because his dream of developing something that honored his mom was taking shape, but also because his mom would be getting her own flowers for her hard work. And for Enriqueta, it’s about making sure her family’s traditions are kept alive. When we spoke to her in Spanish she said, “More than anything, it’s about my traditions, my families traditions. I don’t want them to die. I want them to continue. And that’s something really important to me to keep my families traditions alive.”
For the Latine community, family and tradition is a guiding touchstone for us. It’s how we honor the ones who came before us and how we keep them alive in the now. And when talking to both Omar and Enriqueta, it truly feels like a son who is immensely proud of him mom and wants to share that with the world. When we asked Enriqueta about how it feels to know that her son thinks her hot sauce is the best in the world and that he helped bring her families legacy to a wider audience she said, “In truth, it’s something incredible.”
Enriqueta went on to share that, “I feel very proud of my son and the fact that he wanted the world to know. It’s something marvellous, emotional, and something that fills me with animo, enthusiasm, joy. It’s something special and it’s difficult to find the words that I truly feel in my heart to express how I feel about this. It’s something I never thought would happen or be accepted by people in this manner.”
While Omar is helping his family’s legacy reach new heights, we also wanted to ask him about his own legacy and what he wants people to remember him by. His answer was unexpected but grounded in a way few celebrities are, especially as his career is reaching new heights with his first movie starring alongside Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey. He said, “There’s a legacy that is left behind after you leave that everyone is aware of. But I just try to live in the moment. I try not to think too far ahead. I think living in the present has brought me a lot of relief and peace to my every day life. Just being present.”
If you haven’t picked up on it yet at this point in the interview, Omar Apollo is extremely proud of his mom. And yes, he might be an international star and we’re really excited about his upcoming movie, possibly doing a whole Spanish project when it comes to his music, and everything he’s got going for him. But when interviewing him, he created space for his mom to tell her own story and be proud of her own achievements. And we had to follow that respect and love and ask Enriqueta what kind of legacy she wanted to leave behind or be remembered by besides Disha.
Her answer reminded all of us on that interview call that no matter where we go, we bring pieces of home, of our culture, or our community with us. “More than anything, I want people to remember our music, our traditions, our customs. And in my community I’m really active. […] I help and support Hispanics, helping my people so that they don’t lose their roots and traditions,” Enriqueta said, “I want people to remember that Enriqueta brought one little piece of Mexico to the U.S.”
In 2024, especially for those who live in the U.S., remembering who we are and keeping our legacy and traditions alive through our achievements or that of our families, is now more important than ever.
Watch Omar Apollo and his mom Enriqueta be incredibly wholesome as they create the iconic Disha Hot Sauce below.
