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Randy Rodriguez is trying to open Cabalito, an authentic El Salvadorian Restaurant in NYC that specializes in Pupusas, the traditional food of El Salvador. He was born in California and raised in Vermont with a strong El Salvadorian influence. He moved to New York City when he was 20 years old and has been working in the restaurant industry ever since. Currently, he is working toward his dream of opening an El Salvadorian restaurant to embrace my culture and inform the everyday New Yorker about eating affordable, authentic, and delicious pupusas. We asked him a few questions…
 
 

1. What is traditional Salvadorian food?

The pupusa is undeniably El Salvador’s claim to fame. A pupusa is a gluten-free corn masa tortilla traditionally stuffed with bean, cheese, and/or various meats, typically accompanied by a crunchy, savory side salad called curtido and a red salsa. Beside pupusas we have different traditional dishes such as Sopa de Res (beef soup), Panes con Pavo (turkey sandwich), and Plato Típico (breakfast plate).
 
 

2. How will your background and culture shape the restaurant?

My background is very different because my heritage, birthplace, childhood, and current city is all different. So I want to take a little bit of everything I learned in life into this restaurant. Without a doubt the decor will be very Salvadorian. I want to have traditional music playing and artwork from Latino artists. I also want to utilize all my knowledge from every restaurant I worked at in New York to shape the restaurant. I have worked in many different establishments that not only taught me a lot about the restaurant industry but also about business. I want to be a very smart operation but still be appealing to the customer. I think it’s important to have that balance. Being able to but yourself in both shoes is key. Working in a restaurant requires “wearing a lot of hats” and I feel that I have a closet full of them.
 

RELATED: Don’t Leave New York City Without Trying These Five Dishes.

3. What different special things will you find in a Salvadorian kitchen?

In the kitchen you will always find music. I hope that the culture from El Salvador will be carried on throughout the restaurant. I noticed that in El Salvador the cooks are always wearing handmade aprons. My friend who owns a pupusaria in Brooklyn always wears an apron from El Salvador which inspires me to keep that tradition.
 

4. What is the secret to a great Pupusa?

There are a few important keys to make a great pupusa. I think the most important is the masa. The masa has to be the right texture. Not too soft and not too firm. This was a huge challenge for me in my first batches of pupusas. Making the perfect curtido is very important because I’ve had many friends say that the side salad is what pulls the whole dish together. I believe in fermenting the curtido so is juicy and savory. I hate eat pupusas with dry curtido. I also really enjoy a pupusa when the cheese is leaking slightly outside the masa. That certainly adds an extra touch!
 

RELATED: Five New York City Restaurants Every Tourist Should Visit.

5. What ingredients will you use in the Cabalito kitchen?

Cabalito will without a doubt have fresh ingredient. The curtido will be made fresh daily. I want to also experiment will different ingredients to go inside the pupusa. There are fillings in El Salvador that are standard but I want to explore a little more. I want to keep traditional ingredients like chicharrón (pork), loroco (Salvadorian flower), and queso (cheese). I also want to see if we can use ingredients for the New York tongue. I am aware that people are conscience of what they put into there bodies. I would love to try tofu, veggie meat, and other vegetarian and vegan options. I also want to try pupusas will chorizo and chicken which are not typically eaten. I want the ingredients to be fresh and enjoyable for any customer.

Bianca Jaime

Bianca Jaime was born and raised in San Diego.  Thanks to her Mexican heritage and her passion for travel, she has acquired a love for foods of the world.  She loves traveling with people who are familiar with the area she is visiting so she wastes no time getting to know the city, it’s food and drink culture, and history.  As a self-proclaimed San Diego expert, she loves showing off her beautiful city to her clients at So Diego Tours; more so as a friend, than as a hired guide.
 
 

1. What foods is San Diego known for?

So Diego Tours

San Diego is mainly known for its delicious Mexican food, like the fish taco, but you can get a variety of food here since the city is a melting pot of cultures.  Recently, we have been put on the map for our pizza and many of our restaurants have a their twist on Mediterranean, Italian, American and Mexican cuisines using fresh, local produce.
 
 

2. What neighborhoods should foodies check out when they come to San Diego?

Hotel St. James

• The Gaslamp Quarter: This neighborhood has about 100 bars and restaurants, and since there is so much competition, they need to be competitive. From Afghan cuisine, to Mediterranean and fresh Seafood, you can find it all here in the Gaslamp Quarter.
• Mission Hills: You can find some quaint little neighborhood restaurants in this area. They have some great places such as The Wine Vault, Brooklyn Girl, and The Red Door. You will get a sense of local San Diego culture in each one of these stops.
• Little Italy: The name says a lot. You’ll find fresh pasta as well as craft cocktail bars, gelato, and American fare. The neighborhood is quaint, and competitive when it comes to cuisine and ambiance.

RELATED: Behind the scenes at the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival.

3. What can people expect on your food tours?

History, fun guides, dinner times, and bites of Mediterranean lamb sliders, an authentic shepherd’s pie, craft beer and cocktails, fish taco, New York style pizza with a California twist, and home made cupcakes.

4. Which San Diego chefs should we be watching?

• Joe Magnanelli is the Chef at Cucina Urbana. He creates wonderful Italian dishes that are both unique and delicious at affordable prices. He uses seasonal, locally grown produce to create his delicious flavors that keep the restaurant packed every day of the week.
• Richard Blais is a recent Top Chef winner. He came to San Diego to open Juniper and Ivy, a beautiful new restaurant in San Diego’s North Little Italy. watch him and his team in action at the restaurant, which boasts a large open kitchen.
• Jason McLeod is a nationally renowned chef, and Michelin Star winner, who heads the food at San Diego’s restaurant group Consortium Holdings, which represents a new era of cuisine and drink to the city. Their innovative tastes on old classics are a big draw for the locals.

RELATED: Everything You Need to Know about Food Tours.

5. Tell us a bit of trivia about the San Diego food scene that people might now know.

So Diego Tours

• Did you know that between the 1930s and 1970s, San Diego was known as the tuna capitol of the world?  Starkist and Bumblebee Tuna Companies had major canneries on the coast of the San Diego Bay.  Overfishing and international imports were the main reasons for the decline in the tuna industry.
• The Fish Taco (Baja style) was brought to the US by Ralph Rubio in 1983 when he opened his first taco stand; Rubio’s.  He was just another San Diego State University business major who loved to surf.  He and his buddies would go surf down in San Felipe, Mexico on the coast of the Sea of Cortez, and when he asked his favorite taco stand owner to bring his recipe to San Diego, the owner refused to move out of Mexico leaving no option for Ralph other than bring his recipe himself.  Now he owns a multi-million dollar chain of fish taco restaurants.
• Did you know that San Diego is the avocado capitol of the U.S.?  San Diego farmers produce over 40% of all avocados grown in California.
• San Diego is the world’s leader in microbreweries with over 88 in the entire county, and the main type of beer is the hoppy IPA.  It’s strong, bitter, and smells like a load of hops!

Kelley Kassa

Dear Babcia’s Girl:
 
You’ve asked the right person!  My Polish grandmother taught me how to make a lot of traditional Polish dishes for Easter.  And that ubiquitous “Polish sausage” in the grocery store never graces my table.

You don’t say in your question where you are located, so I’ll offer some sources for authentic Polish kielbasa – both smoked and fresh – in a few different locations.

Greater Boston

 
I’ve tried kielbasa from all of these purveyors.  They are all excellent.
 

Oven roasted kielbasa. Photo by Kelley Lynn Kassa

Polonus European Deli & Ice Cream in Salem, Massachusetts.  This deli is also fully stocked with Polish products.  It’s in the heart of Salem, easy to get too and just steps from the main parking garage in the city.

Karl’s Sausage Kitchen & European Market (Twitter: @KarlsSausage; visit their Facebook page) in Peabody, Massachusetts.  Karl’s, which recently moved from Saugus to Peabody, is really a German deli and café.  All of their meats are homemade, as are many of their German delicacies.  That said, they have both smoked and fresh kielbasa, and their fresh is some of the best I’ve ever tried.

Pekarski Sausage in South Deerfield, Massachusetts.  This is just a deli, with a small amount of non-meat products.  That said, they have an excellent selection of kielbasa and other smoked and cured meats.

New Jersey

 
Piast Meats & Provisions has several stores in New Jersey: two stores in Garfield and one store in Maplewood (Twitter: @PiastMeats; here’s their Facebook page). Unlike many of these delis, Piast Meats offers shipping throughout the U.S. (including Hawaii and Alaska).

Adam’s Food Market in Wallington, New Jersey is superb.  I bought my Easter kielbasa there one year and my mother and I were the only ones in line not speaking Polish – even the nuns behind us were Polish.  Adam’s has a smoke house behind the store; step out of your car and you’ll smell that wonderful smoky aroma wafting through the area.

Long Island

 
Riverhead, NY, in Long Island, bills itself as “Polish Town, USA.”  There are many authentic Polish delis here, including: Euro Deli, Wisla Delicacy Deli and Polish Town Deli & Seafood.

Michigan

 
Hamtramck, Michigan, near Detroit, is another town with a large population of Polish and Polish-Americans. Like Riverhead, there are many Polish delis, such as: Polish Market, Bozek’s Meat and Groceries and Srodek’s Campau Quality Sausage (visit their Facebook page).

Enjoy your kielbasa!