{"id":5679,"date":"2021-10-14T16:44:56","date_gmt":"2021-10-14T16:44:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/?p=5679"},"modified":"2021-10-14T16:44:58","modified_gmt":"2021-10-14T16:44:58","slug":"a-taste-of-mexico-in-the-heights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/2021\/10\/a-taste-of-mexico-in-the-heights\/","title":{"rendered":"A Taste of Mexico in \u201cThe Heights\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The red awning that reads in huge letters, \u201cFORT WASHINGTON BAKERY AND DELI,\u201d is a sight I, and other residents of \u201cHudson Heights,\u201d know all too well. I take a deep breath and take in the scents of freshly baked Mexican pastries, Mexican sandwiches, traditional Mexican food and New York deli sandwiches, a scent I have known since before I could walk. Simultaneously, the sounds of bustling crowds yelling in both Spanish and English fills my ears. The bakery is a small getaway back to the familiarity of my parent\u2019s home country, Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This bakery to me is the heart of my community. While the neighborhood is called \u201cHudson Heights,\u201d I rarely use that phrase; in fact, I detest it. Hudson Heights spans from 173 Street to the top of Fort Tryon Park. However, Hudson Heights is a gravely gentrified neighborhood inside of Washington Heights, which spans from 155th Street to Dyckman Street. Realtors gave this section of the Heights a new name to attract non-Hispanic populations in order to separate them from the Heights\u2019 Hispanic population and reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s Washington Heights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 I am part of the 70% of Hispanics living in the Heights, but in Hudson Heights, I am part of the 43%. Yet at the Fort Washington Bakery and Deli, I am another Mexican in an establishment of all Mexican workers, and it feels like home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My parents have now lived in the United States for longer than they lived in Mexico. Hispanic cultures rely heavily on community relationships, and my father, Enrique Ch\u00e1vez, adores \u201ctalking to the family of bakers that make the bread and run the shop.\u201d Our neighborhood in general serves as a connection to Mexico. When my parents walk along bustling 181st Street as well as other busy thoroughfares such as Dyckman, my dad says they \u201cCannot but feel as if we are back in the hectic downtown of our native city of ciudad Ju\u00e1rez, in M\u00e9xico.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My mother, Sonia Ch\u00e1vez, feels similarly to my father: \u201cFor me, the Mexican food and baked goods make me feel at home, bring back memories of growing up in Mexico and it is very comforting. Also, it gave us the opportunity for you and your sister to have these foods and flavors in your life growing up.\u201d She went on to say: \u201cI think the bakery is a big part of the neighborhood because several cultures come together. Certainly a big part of the Dominican and Mexican population buys food there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The food is a key part of my life. I shout the order across the counter, \u201cUna torta de milanesa de pollo con todo, menos queso y cebolla por favor,\u201d weekly. Occasionally, I come home from school to see a crumpled brown paper bag sitting on the dining table. Immediately I know the contents are either a concha, a classic Mexican pastry of sweet bread with sugar on top, or what I call \u201clunitas\u201d, a cinnamon half-moon shaped cookie. The sweet scents of cinnamon and concha bread lingers, and my dining room is transformed into a bakery in the heart of Mexico. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silvia Serrano is one of the owners of the bakery and deli. There is a safe and welcoming atmosphere, probably because the business is entirely family run: \u201c\u00c9l es mi hijo, \u00e9l es mi esposo, y \u00e9l es mi sobrino\u201d she says as she points around the room. Delighted to answer any questions, she began by explaining the history of the establishment. Silvia\u2019s family first worked under the original owners: \u201cno somos panaderos de tradici\u00f3n, nosotros aprendimos aqu\u00ed.\u201d In September 2003, the Serrano family took over and \u201cTratamos de incluir un poco de nuestro toque personal con una receta de concha de familia, y tratamos de incluir unas cosas como las tortas, las cemitas, las quesadillas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silvia does not consider the store an all-around Mexican bakery and deli \u201cPero si incluimos algunas cosas.\u201d However, she believes that the Mexican aspects attract customers: \u201cMucha gente cuando se enteraron que vendimos algunas cosas Mexicanas, empezaron a venir, o sea que la gente preguntaba, \u2018D\u00f3nde es eso?\u2019\u201d For example, Three Kings Day attracts many Hispanic customers because of the traditional cake of the rosca de reyes: \u201cLas roscas nunca las hab\u00edan hecho aqu\u00ed.\u201d Word spread as neighbors told each other, \u201cPues all\u00e1 en el bakery hacen las roscas.\u201d Silvia says because of this they now make the traditional treat every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is important for the family to share their culture in this predominantly white section of the Heights. There is a clear pride of their culture in the store: \u201cPara nosotros es orgullo,\u201d she says, especially when introducing the neighborhood to lesser known Mexican delights: \u201cpero las roscas del rey, se las ponemos aqu\u00ed y las de otras culturas que no son Hispanos o no son Mexicanos vienen ac\u00e1 y preguntan, \u2018y qu\u00e9 es eso?\u2019 Y les tengo que explicar que eso se celebra en M\u00e9xico.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bakery and deli is a place not only to embrace new cultures, but also to learn about them authentically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second to the importance of sharing her culture, Silvia says that customer relationships are \u201cimportante por supuesto\u201d as the customers become part of her and her part of the customers. Unlike a large business where \u201cno saben quien es la manager, aqu\u00ed todos platicamos.\u201d She adds how customers look out for her: \u201cNo te ven un d\u00eda y te preguntan, \u2018porque no viniste ayer?\u2019\u201d Our conversation ended with Silvia pointing out how I am one of the longest returning customers, \u201ct\u00fa has venido desde que eras una beb\u00e9,\u201d she said, smiling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My neighbor, Isabel Fernandez, is a half-Spanish longtime lover of the Fort Washington Bakery and Deli. Like Silvia, Isabel cherishes the welcomingess of the staff: \u201cThey\u2019re actually friends with people in the neighborhood and know people’s orders; I think that\u2019s a really special trait about our neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She described her first memory of the bakery: \u201cI went with my mom and she is very into speaking Spanish; she\u2019s not Spanish or Hispanic, but she speaks it very well.\u201d Isabel remembered \u201cthat at no point did anyone ever give her a look. I think it was appreciated.\u201d That day, after eating her first torta, she decided they were her \u201cfavorite thing in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Hudson Heights becomes more gentrified original businesses like this one are important, especially to Isabel: \u201cIn a place like Washington Heights but more specifically Hudson Heights where it can feel a little isolated and a little bit, to be fair, gentrified, I think having a neighborhood like that it\u2019s nice to have those little spots that make it feel more authentic.\u201d She commented that our specific area is a \u201cvery nice part of Washington Heights\u201d but is not accurate: \u201c181st Street, down there, is very, very Hispanic; it\u2019s the definition of Hispanic. I think it\u2019s a good way to integrate those different cultures.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The community\u2019s love of this bakery and deli showed throughout the ongoing pandemic that closed so many small businesses; I sighed in relief when conchas and other pastries sold out during the past year and a half, despite my disappointment because it meant business was still alive. I grin everyday at the sight of people packed inside the shop getting breakfast. All my life I have repeated the same joke to my parents: \u201cThe bakery cannot ever close; I won\u2019t survive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of my mother: \u201cThis is Mexico away from Mexico.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The red awning that reads in huge letters, \u201cFORT WASHINGTON BAKERY AND DELI,\u201d is a sight I, and other residents of \u201cHudson Heights,\u201d know all too well. I take a deep breath and take in the scents of freshly baked Mexican pastries, Mexican sandwiches, traditional Mexican food and New York deli sandwiches, a scent I have known since before I could walk. Simultaneously, the sounds of bustling crowds yelling in both Spanish and English fills<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":295,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[318],"tags":[],"coauthors":[418],"class_list":["post-5679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/295"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5679"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5679\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5681,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5679\/revisions\/5681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5679"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=5679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}