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Cemas was hand carried with love from Puebla where
owner, Alberta Sanchez Arce, cooked for a family that ultimately moved abroad and
she was out of a job.
If you’re a good cook, you can always find work, but
Alberta decided to take a risk and open a restaurant near her new house on
Salida a Queretaro. San Miguel de Allende presents many opportunities for new
arrivals and this was Alberta’s. She finds comfort in cooking simple dishes
that remind her of home.
A family affair, son Eduardo works alongside his
parents, Alberta and Gerardo . Eduardo and his sister, Natalie, who does most
of the marketing from Puebla, both grew up in Los Angeles and speak perfect
English. What attracted me to her menu in the first place was the Cemitas; the
signature sandwich of Puebla.
I first went to Puebla back in September of 2013 when I
moved to Mexico. The reason most people go to
Puebla in the first place is to eat. With its unique combination of
Indigenous, Spanish and Arab influences, Puebla has created one of Mexico's
most vibrant cuisines. In fact, many gourmets and food writers consider the Turkey in Mole Poblano, which contains chocolate, to
symbolize the culmination of Mexican cooking tradition. On the weekends,
Alberta offers Mole Poblano and Enmoladas; two
famous dishes from Puebla on the weekends
at Cemas.
For me, the signature dish
of Puebla is the Cemita. I love this sandwich and did not realize the
complexity of building it until I watched the staff at Cemitas Las Polentas in the Mercado del Carmen in Puebla. It
was one of those well-oiled machines and the biggest challenge was just getting
your mouth around one.
You use to be able to buy a Cemita at Milpa, the
farm to table restaurant in Doce-18 owned by Daniel Estebaranz of Bui. The chef, none other than Marco Cruz, one of SMA’s most
famous chefs, made the Cemita with beef instead of pork or chicken but when
Milpa closed, you couldn’t find a cemita
in SMA until now.
Alberta Sanchez Arce makes
her Cemita with a chicken milanesa, panela cheese, quesello cheese, avocado,
tomato, onion, mayonnaise, refried beans and uses a special Papalo herb. Her
buns are baked locally especially for her; a specialty item in Mexico made of egg, much like a brioche and topped
with sesame seeds. Over the years, the only place I’ve found them was at Panaderia El Maple at Salida a Celaya #53. She also
makes Tamales with Salsa Rojo or Verde and a dessert one made from fresh
strawberries.
The shop is tiny but there is room for four people to
sit under an enormous, Mexican flag and sip Café de Ollo; a specialty of the
house that I am totally addicted to.
Go for a
Cemita and you’ll find so much more. We love this family so much. They represent the value of small businesses in San
Miguel de Allende and what they add to the economy, community, and culture not
to mention what they’ve added to our own life.
Photos: Pepe Martinez