Brad Pho and Claudia Fimbres left Mexico with suitcases full of food prior to opening their new business in Mount Pearl, Mamacita Mexican Cuisine & Latin Market The couple moved to Newfoundland and Labrador from Saskatchewan last summer. — Andrew Robinson/The TelegramST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Last year, Claudia Fimbres and Brad Pho filled suitcases with food supplies in anticipation of a business move they're now in the midst of realizing.
The business is a bit of a family affair. The woman in the logo for the business is Fimbres' mother, Cecelia, using a picture taken when she was 19. Cecelia is currently in St. John's metro and makes the homemade tortillas for Mamacita Mexican Cuisine. "What we wanted is to offer traditional Mexican food, just like basically home cooking, whatever you used to eat back home, very family oriented," Fimbres explained."But in order to offer that, because there was no ingredients in here, it just makes sense to bring them. But it's so expensive to bring them that it makes sense to bring more items and offer to more communities, because in South America, we have a lot of similar ingredients, but different food.
You can find dried peppers and a lot of corn-based products at Mamacita Mexican Cuisine & Latin Market that are otherwise hard to come by in Newfoundland and Labrador. — Andrew Robinson/The Telegram"A lot of people, I think that they have the idea that Mexican food is very heavy or very unhealthy, but a lot of Mexican food, it has a lot of fresh ingredients," said Fimbres."That's what we're trying to do, work with when it's local.