Beginning November 1, they will open a small taco shop at the back of the store, making homemade food for takeout. His wife, Placida make the burritos and tamales, and Santa Cruz makes the tacos. He will also stock cotijo cheese, chorizo, queso fresco, and beginning in November, he'll also have produce. Right now, he carries a selection of dried chile--the widest this side of the Rio Grande, including chile costano, chile morita, chile d'arbo, chile ancho.
Open for three weeks, the store is doing well, catering to a growing crowd of transplants hungry for a taste of home. He points out the cooler of soda, all in glass bottles. "Nobody can find this anywhere," he says proudly. One customer came in and said he hasn't seen the glass bottles in 40 years, he says. "In Mexico, they never change anything like this. They don't change anything. I think it's for tradition," Santa Cruz says. "Any party you go in, they have the glass bottles. Any birthday party, any occasion."
He points to the shelf of cookies, including Marias and Arcoiris, and says he remembers eating them when he was four-years old. As we talk, one customer comes in and selects a soda--all are sold in glass bottles, just like in Mexico, Santa Cruz says proudly. As he walks to the register, his eyes fall on a package of cookies. "Marias!" he exclaims, as though greeting a long-lost friend. He grabs a package and sets it on the counter with the soda.
"I just tried to open it because there's not a store like this around," Santa Cruz says. He points out that there are a number of international markets in the area, including Indian and Asian, but none from Mexico. "I just tried to bring something to everyone," he says.
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