Husband and wife chefs will bring street tacos to Utah State's Logan campus

Street tacos will feature prominently on the menu at a reimagined Luke’s Family Café, which is set to reopen at Utah State University’s Logan campus in the coming weeks.

The new Luke’s is the final part of a redesign of four of the central campus cafés. Chefs Oscar and Rocio Silva – employees at The Marketplace in the Taggart Student Center and first-generation immigrants to the United States – said their menu will emphasize authentic Mexican flavor and freshness. 

“Freshness is most important. Fresh vegetables, meat, herbs, everything will be from scratch,” Oscar said. Fresh tortillas, horchata, and a salsa bar will also be featured at the location, along with a more unique ingredient – cactus.

“Cactus is one of the first things you have in Mexico,” Rocio said. “I learned to cook it from my parents, and they learned from their parents and so on.” 

While many customers may be trying cactus for the first time at Luke’s, plenty of people are excited for what the Silvas’ menu has to offer.

“I had never had it the way they make it. And the way they make it is really good,” said Marketplace executive chef Jeff Woolley, who also had a hand in re-designing the menu.

The redesign of Luke’s Family Café has been part of a bigger project for USU Dining Services, called the “Core 4” by executive director Alan Andersen. The project consists of Luke’s Family Café, Steeped, Shaw’s 88, and the Forum Café – all of which competed with each other prior to the redesign, according to Andersen. 

“There was a desire in-house to take the four cafes and reimage them in a way to give them each their own identity,” he said. For Luke’s, the vibrant flavors of Mexican cuisine will be what adds diversity to the Core 4.

Upon opening, Luke’s Family Café will be open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the first floor of the Agriculture and Applied Sciences building. Tacos will cost $2.50 each or three for $6 and can be accompanied with a traditional Mexican beverage and a scoop of Aggie Ice Cream.