RoobiFood

My name is Celeste, and I certainly have a lot to say about food. I proudly graduated from The School of Culinary Arts at Kendall College, Evanston in 2003. I have been cooking for nearly 10 years now, and have had the pleasures and pains of being a female in this male and ego dominated business. I have worked in what feels like hundreds of restaurants from Chicago to San Diego, where I currently reside. I have worked every station in the kitchen, from grill to sushi. I am currently working for the Pastry Department at The Ivy hotel, under the direction of Chef Damon Gordon. I have worked under some the best and worst chefs, and still have much to learn about food. I adore Spanish and French Cuisine, and am always intrigued by Asian flavor profiles. My years on the line have opened my eyes as to what it takes to be a chef, and the kind of people and service that truly excel in this industry. I am excited to be part of this forum, and ready to voice my opinion on what really goes on behind the scenes!

I love Pupusas. I love eating them and I love saying it – it’s just a great word, and an even better food. Whenever I say it I am tempted to use a funny voice, I have no idea why, but is a lot of fun and drives my kids crazy (extra added benefit). Pupusas are the national food of El Salvador, a thick corn tortilla stuffed with meat, beans or cheese or a combination of all three. They are usually topped with a pickled cabbage mixture called curtido, a Central American version of kimchee and are, in my mind, a mini-frisbee of heaven.

I first had pupusas in El Salvador in 1989, I was there shooting footage for a documentary. In El Salvador, Pupuserias are as common as taco stands are here in Southern California. In San Diego, however they are difficult to find. Last month a Mexican restaurant near San Diego State University added a banner in the window – Now Serving Salvadoran and Mexican food – my heart skipped a beat. I called my friend David, my former work partner at the university and invited him to join me. David will pretty much eat anything (and everything including my leftovers) and he is always good company, so off we went.

I ordered a trio of pupusas – one bean, one cheese and one papas (potato). David, being a carnivore, went for the chicharrón (pork) and the pupusa revuelta (mixed ingredients of all three). In El Salvador, I have had pupusas that were the size of a tennis ball and served by the dozen. Near MacArthur Park in downtown Los Angeles, pupusas were as big as the plate they were served on. My 3 today were about 5 inches in diameter. The tortilla is softer and thicker than Mexican tortillas and has a chewier texture. These were delicious, the beans just creamy and salty enough, the cheese perfectly tangy, and the papas ( although a strange shade of orange) were good as only pototoes can be. Unfortunately the bowl of curtido we received was much to small for my taste, I like to pile it on. The restuarant was packed and the single waiter was working too hard to bother by asking for more, so I had to steal some from David instead. Since I was buying, he smilingly obliged.

David cleaned his plate and had room to taste my papas pupusa (could there be any food item with a better name??) but I sadly had to leave some on my plate. The combination of the beans, cheese, masa, and potatoes were just too filling. I do not know why pupusarias are not on every corner in every city – they are cheap, fast, hearty and delicious. I will be heading back to the restaurant soon. So, if you see a restuarant advertising Salvadoran food – run, don’t walk. Oh, and ask for exta curtido.