‘Taste of home’: New Latino- and Hispanic- owned restaurants serve up culture alongside cuisine

Cezar Flores sings karaoke to patrons successful Salsa Oaxaqueñ’s eating hall. (Young Kim)

During meal clip astatine Salsa Oaxaqueña successful Anchorage, patrons are often serenaded. In nan backmost area of nan mini Spenard edifice is simply a shape pinch a ample opinionated bluetooth speaker and a microphone. Cezar Flores often performs successful nan restaurant, belting retired corridos, rancheras, mariachis and different accepted euphony from Mexico and Latin America. 

“It’s beautiful, he said. “Other places person a radio, but present it’s for illustration existent people, existent singers, existent everything. Live music, particularly for Alaska, I emotion it.” 

Siblings Rosi and Abraham Martinez Marthel, on pinch his woman Selena Vázquez-Lopez, are part-owners of nan caller restaurant, which opened July 1. It was Abraham’s thought to connection karaoke.

“A family personnel came and started singing and group liked it,” Vasquez-Lopez said. “They thought it was thing different. But, anyone who likes to singing is invited to sing.”

The family moved to Alaska from Mexico successful nan past decade. They’re portion of a increasing Latino and Hispanic organization successful Anchorage. Inspired by a desire to stock cultures, create organization spaces and bring thing caller to nan Alaska edifice scene, Salsa Oaxaqueña is conscionable 1 of respective caller Hispanic and Latino-owned restaurants that person opened successful Anchorage this year. 

Rosi Martinez Marthel, 1 of Salsa Oaxaqueña ’s part-owners, clasp a tortilla successful their kitchen. (Young Kim)

And these caller businesses aren’t constricted to nan city. Lina Mariscal, proprietor of nan French Bakery and nan editor of Anchorage’s Spanish newspaper, Sol De Medianoche, said she’s noticed a fistful of caller Latino and Hispanic-owned eateries popping up crossed nan state. 

“It’s breathtaking to spot conscionable really overmuch caller business we have, really galore different ways of preparing thing location is,” she said.

Alaska’s Hispanic and Latino organization grows

In Kenai, wherever Mariscal first lived erstwhile she moved present pinch her family successful 1983, a caller Puerto Rican nutrient motortruck called Ay Que Rico besides opened up this month. Since she first arrived connected that sunny August time successful 1983, Alaska’s Hispanic and Latino organization has grown rapidly. 

“When we lived successful Kenai, nan only Spanish-speaking families were my grandma and us,” she said. “And each clip you heard Spanish somewhere, you were excited to perceive it, and it was conscionable thing that you know, you were not expecting.”

Salsa Oaxaqueña’s walls are adorned pinch some belief and taste decor. (Young Kim)

Between 2000 and 2010, nan organization of Hispanic group successful Alaska grew by astir 52% and includes galore group who travel to nan authorities for occupation opportunities, according to nan Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Today, astir 8% of Alaska’s population, and astir 9% of Anchorage’s population are Hispanic and Latino, according to nan U.S. Census Bureau – pinch roots successful Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Puerto Rico, Colombia and more.

“Now accelerated guardant to 2024 and there’s Spanish everywhere,” Mariscal said. “And it’s not conscionable from, you know, 1 state – from immoderate state successful Latin America aliases moreover Spain – that are present successful Alaska.”

‘A small portion of home’

La Michoacana’s interior is afloat of colour and showcases a mural which pays homage to nan metropolis of Michoacán, Mexico, which is nan hometown of owners Daniella and Jesús Villa. (Young Kim)

Daniella Villa, on pinch her hubby Jesús Villa, are besides portion of this increasing Hispanic and Latino organization successful Alaska. They person lived successful Anchorage for much than a decade, and are primitively from Acuitzio del Canje, a mini municipality successful Michoacán, Mexico. At their brightly colored Mexican crystal pick shop, La Michoacana, which opened earlier this summer, a bold mural depicts nan faces and buildings of their mini hometown and is simply a homage to their heritage. Daniella said they wanted to bring thing caller to Anchorage that reminded them of being successful Mexico.

“We envisioned a colorful place, a spot we could correspond our hometown backmost successful Mexico, and that’s wherever we sewage nan mural painted to correspond our hometown,” she said. “And we started moving connected fundamentally getting nan recipes down, going down to Mexico and uncovering retired really to make nan artisanal Mexican crystal pick and popsicles.”

A La Michoacana worker holds a refreshing paleta pinch strawberries. (Young Kim)

The shop’s paper is agelong and varied, pinch an accent connected freshness. They usage Alaska-grown products whenever possible. Customers tin take from dozens of different paletas, aliases popsicles, crystal creams, thoroughfare nutrient specialties for illustration tortas and ceviche, and cooling beverages and snacks for illustration agua frescas, horchatas and mangonadas.

“A batch of group travel successful and they’re like, ‘Oh goodness, we consciousness truthful overwhelmed pinch everything that’s connected your menu,’” she said. “But it’s bully to cognize that they moreover consciousness that it’s thing caller that we’re bringing into Anchorage. A batch of our items aren’t anyplace else, truthful it’s really bully to spot that enthusiasm that they’re having.”

While immoderate Anchorage residents are caller to nan shop’s offerings, others are flocking to La Michoacana for a sensation of home.

“We decidedly person heard that arsenic well, that erstwhile they travel in, they consciousness a small portion of home. We feel, I want to say, very proud of ourselves that we person created a spot for families to travel successful and for them to consciousness welcome, and not conscionable our Hispanic community, but immoderate organization that comes In conscionable to consciousness invited that this is simply a spot for their family.”

An assortment of paleta flavors are disposable astatine La Michoacana successful some dairy and non-dairy options. (Young Kim)

A La Michoacana worker prepares a mangonada, 1 of their signature items. (Young Kim)

Flavors of Oaxaca

Back astatine Salsa Oaxaqueña, Anchorage residents are besides excited astir uncovering nan foods of a location galore of them miss. All nan owners and chefs are from nan Triqui Indigenous group of Oaxaca, and nan restaurant’s paper is centered connected nan flavors from that area. Newspapers from Mexico person moreover interviewed nan family astir nan novelty of their caller business. 

“Everyone’s been supporting america from Oaxaca,” Vasquez-Lopez said. “Since it’s nan first Oaxacan edifice here, everyone was surprised.”

The room astatine Salsa Oaxaqueña is simply a family matter wherever each hands are connected deck. (Young Kim)

Mole, tamales, chile verde enchiladas, tlayudas and salsas made successful molcajetes are immoderate of nan specialties being served, pinch caller dishes coming. The owners are awaiting a shipment from Oaxaca afloat of location foods that will let nan edifice to grow its menu. One point that nan owners are excited to bring to Alaska is besides thing that galore customers person been requesting. Pulque, a cardinal Mexican beverage made from fermented maguey works sap, has been enjoyed by group successful nan area for much than a 1000 years. 

“People travel present and immoderate are surprised. It reminds them of nan nutrient from their parents, their grandparents. It feels for illustration they’re astatine home.” 

Everything astir Salsa Oaxaqueña is inspired by Ines Silva, nan Martinez-Marthel family matriarch, who had to enactment successful Mexico. Until they’re reunited, serving her favourite foods is helping nan owners – and immoderate residents of Anchorage’s Latino and Hispanic organization – enactment connected to nan family, civilization and traditions backmost home.

Editor’s note: This reporting is supported successful portion by a assistance from nan Alaska Humanities Forum and nan National Endowment for nan Humanities, a national agency. Any views, findings, conclusions aliases recommendations expressed successful this study do not needfully correspond those of nan National Endowment for nan Humanities.