Ivan Soto was 20 years old and working as a server in Highlands when he made himself a promise: by 30, he would own a restaurant. Before that dream took shape, Ivan spent five years (2016–2021) at Wolfgang’s Restaurant & Wine Bistro, learning under Highlands’ much‑revered chef Wolfgang Green — an experience that sharpened his skills and deepened his respect for the craft.
He kept it to the day. When he and his business partner, Rigoberto “Rigo” Zendejas, were handed the keys to their first location, Soto’s 30th birthday was the next morning.
That restaurant – Los Vaqueros – opened in Highlands on August 15, 2021, in a remodeled space that had previously housed another Mexican concept. The timing raised eyebrows. The pandemic had only just begun to loosen its grip, and most advice pointed in the opposite direction.
Soto ignored it. He had already decided he would make it work.
The first weeks tested that conviction. The restaurant filled immediately, far beyond what they had planned for, and Soto and Zendejas – working with a skeleton crew – found themselves prepping until 1:00 A.M. night after night just to keep up.
Their partnership reaches back much further. The two met as teenagers washing dishes at a Franklin restaurant after immigrating from Mexico – Soto from Hidalgo, south of Mexico City, and Zendejas from Guanajuato. They became friends, then roommates.
One day off, Soto suggested they open a restaurant together someday. Zendejas was skeptical; the money alone seemed out of reach. Soto told him to stick with it. They built a shared vocabulary in kitchens across the region, and when the time came, Zendejas stepped in as chef while Soto runs operations, the two continuing to shape menus together.
Los Vaqueros sits comfortably between traditions, shaped by the years Soto and Zendejas spent working in restaurants across the country, particularly in California and Texas.
The menu reflects that range – authentic Mexican alongside Tex-Mex staples – without forcing a distinction. There are tacos al pastor, carnitas, and house-made chorizo prepared from family recipes and seasoned with spices brought from Mexico; beef tongue tacos; and a silky, house-made flan, also passed down through family.
Alongside that: burritos, chimichangas, and arroz con pollo. The Pancho Special, grilled chicken and shrimp finished with queso, rice, and beans, remains a consistent favorite, as do the fish tacos, ceviche, and steak-and-chorizo tacos served simply with onion and cilantro.
Rigoberto Zendejas prepares homemade pork carnitas.
Expansion came quickly. Six months after opening, a Lake Toxaway businessman called to say he’d heard about the restaurant and had just purchased a building he thought would suit a second location. Soto hesitated – it felt too soon. The businessman came to dinner that same night with his family and kept coming back until Soto said “yes.”
Los Vaqueros Toxaway opened on June 18, 2022, with a view of Toxaway Falls. A third restaurant followed in Sapphire in 2024 under the name Casa Amigos, seating 200 compared to Toxaway’s 90 seats and the original Highlands room’s 60. All three locations operate year-round, seven days a week.
Even the Highlands dining room carries traces of Soto’s earlier life. Years before opening the restaurant, he worked in landscaping and demolition and salvaged wood and corrugated metal from a 1960s barn, holding onto it with no immediate use. Those materials now line the walls.
And then there is the logo – a longhorn skull – and the way they found it. For months, Soto and Zendejas searched for a physical version to match the image they had in mind.
Nothing turned up. Then, on a last-minute stop at a closing flea market in Dillard, a vendor pointed them toward a man who had just walked out with exactly what they were looking for. He was still in the parking lot. He opened his car. There it was.
“This restaurant was meant to be,” Soto told his partner.
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