San Antonio's diverse culinary scene is getting a taste of the Caribbean with the expansion of Cuban Grocery Co. and the offerings at Las Americas Latin Market. The Cuban Grocery Co., co-owned by Jose Alejandro Madrigal and Alain Fernandez, is dishing out comfort to the local Cuban community with a new store that recently opened on Babcock Road, the third location in San Antonio.
Madrigal and Fernandez, both natives of Cienfuegos, Cuba, who came to Texas eight years ago, have rapidly grown their business to cater to a burgeoning Cuban population in Texas. They've managed to touch a nerve among the grocery-going crowd yearning for a flavor of their homeland. A sentiment echoed by Fernandez, who, in an interview with San Antonio Report, described providing the Cuban community with their homeland's food as "emotional."
Indeed, the Cuban population is now tied with the Dominican Republic as the fourth largest of Hispanic origin in the U.S., with a significant concentration in Texas, particularly in Bexar County where 72% of foreign-born residents hail from Latin America. Recognizing this demographic shift, the Cuban Grocery Co. has not only expanded its storefronts but also introduced Q’Bolá, a restaurant serving Cuban cuisine with a chef at the helm who whips up specialties like Cuban pizza and cafe con espumita.
Complementing the spread of Cuban flavors, Las Americas Latin Market is ensuring that the craved ingredients from different parts of Latin America, including Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, find a shelf in San Antonio. Those homesick for dishes like arroz con gandules can now easily procure hard-to-find ingredients like dried pigeon peas and ají dulce chili peppers, previously a frustrating endeavor, as recounted by the Express News.
Customers of Cuban Grocery Co. reportedly experience a nostalgic trip when they spot brands on the shelves that, due to trade embargoes, are sourced from companies producing "the same" products with similar formulas out of Florida. Meanwhile, at Las Americas, shoppers like Clara Martinez can now enjoy the comfort of home-grown flavors, stocking up on favorites such as El Latino yogurt and Malta India, a sentiment shared by many others who find themselves miles away from their homeland yet able to connect through the power of cuisine. As the co-owners of Cuban Grocery Co. eye to grow their franchise further, and Las Americas Latin Market continues to be an essential resource for Latin American groceries, San Antonio's grocers are proving pivotal in keeping communities connected to their cultural roots.
