Behind every great snack, there is almost always a great woman

We are not invisible. Women in the culinary world are not invisible, just as the chefs who had to work twice as hard to be recognized are not, nor are the women who wake up at 5 A.M. to arrive with their pot at the corner. We are not, even though some want us to be. Look at them, look at us. Here we are, the journalists, the food photographers, the entrepreneurs. Women represent 56% in national kitchens, and, to top it off, one in three establishments has a female owner, according to data from INEGI.Have you ever thought about how much money gastronomic tourism represents? How much of it is related to street food and how many stalls are run by a housewife? In Mexico, there are millions of women who place our economic security and that of our families in the contents of a pot, a comal, a frying pan. It is a fact: feeding others feeds us. Feeding represents the sixth place in the Gross Domestic Product, and if the percentage of women working in the restaurant industry is higher than in other economic activities, it means that we are the backbone of a good part of this country. Have you seen us yet?We know that many of you, who read and visit kiwilimon.com, are looking for recipes to sell, to create an extra source of income, something that helps you achieve economic independence. I embrace each of your stories, every moment of boiling that you achieve with your dishes, every “It’s ready!” at your stall, in your shop. This International Women’s Day, I would like to make some faces and knowledges visible, women who have bet everything – literally – on their culinary talent and their business. Each of them is a cornerstone of their family both emotionally and financially, a miracle of survival. These women not only achieve accurate, novel, and brilliant combinations, but they also add love and perseverance – very deep characteristics of the feminine, not just of women – to their daily work. Informal commerce that has everything but informality. I hope these stories inspire everyone. Los Machetes Amparito: Marion Amparo Bernal MontoyaLike all good stories, Marion’s does not begin with her, but with her lineage, two generations ago. In 1964, her grandmother Emilia Castorena began making large-format quesadillas on Eje de Guerrero. If regular tortillas measure 18 centimeters, hers were 35 to 40. This is why that type of oval and folded tortilla is called “machetes.” With a desire to improve, Marion’s mother and Emilia’s daughter-in-law, Amparo Montoya, moved to Héroes street. To attract new customers, she enlarged the quesadillas to 55 centimeters. The third generation, led by Marion, currently prepares quesadillas of 70 centimeters: a true corn delight that, for $115 pesos, is filled with one of the fifteen stews on the menu.To have the food ready on time, Marion wakes up with the sun, at five in the morning, knowing that she won't return to bed until midnight. That changes if she is hired for events; there, breaks are almost non-existent. She is the mother of three school-going children and a business that demands time. However, that has not been an obstacle for her machetes to taste delicious and sell like hotcakes. Now they can even be found on food delivery apps.Marion tells me that food has given everything to her and her ancestors. Along the way, they overcame dozens of difficulties (such as balancing their business with household duties) because the level of social demand is the same whether you have a business or not. Still, each one was able to move forward, because there is no greater engine than the will and determination that children provide.“We must inspire other women that it is possible to move forward by working, having your own business, balancing household chores, and supporting other women to grow.”Marion. Jugos Ely: Elizabeth Linares Contreras At four years old, Elizabeth was diagnosed with poliomyelitis. Although this disease could have been an obstacle for her, it became a springboard for her to move forward. She has been a single mother. At one point, her father wanted to help her become independent and left her a wooden cart and a couple of wheels that Ely had to push. She didn’t mind. Through that stall, she could support herself and her two daughters. For more than twenty years, she has been getting up at 6 in the morning to wash, peel, and cut her fruits. From Neza, she takes the road to her stall located between Orizaba and Coahuila, in Roma. At Jugos Ely, she is happy selling juices with a twist: anti-flu, green, digestive, and all kinds of combinations that are good for the body. There are also aguas, smoothies, and chopped fruit. Ely claims that her recipes are inspired by creativity and what she finds on the Internet. She says it used to be more difficult for a woman to lead a street stall, but now with women’s rights, it is more bearable and there is less corruption.“I believe that we must always move forward. I put in a lot of effort, and I ask you to put in a lot of effort too.”Elizabeth.Esquina del chilaquil: Perla Cristina Flores GuzmánFor more than seventy years, the intersection of Alfonso Reyes and Tamaulipas, in Condesa, has smelled of food. The stall was started by Perla’s great-grandmother. Of course, back then, they didn’t sell the famous chilaquiles tortas that currently come with shredded chicken, chicken milanesa, or the vegetarian option. The story began like this: her mother sold tamales, but realized that the competition in the area was very high. She switched to offering chilaquiles, and when she saw that secretaries complained about being scolded by their bosses for the smell of food, she put the chilaquiles inside a bolillo.Perla’s inspiration is her mother. She passed away two years ago, but the legacy she left to the owner of “La esquina del chilaquil” goes beyond the cooking secrets learned at the age of nine. Perla understood that she needed to be her own source of income, that cooking tastes better with love, and that she should not profit from what she does. She tells me that she has a fifteen-year-old daughter and that she has no partner because some men have asked her to choose between her work and them. She seems happy, fulfilled, beautiful; she has a vibrant energy that is contagious. She says she could have branches and sell tortas wholesale, however, her interest is to pamper her clientele with a creation that comes from both her hands and her heart.“Sell yourself as a person for your charisma, for your quality, and for the love. I learned that from my mother and not to see this as profiting, but as something you give to your customers. It’s about giving love and feeling satisfied as a person, as a woman.”Perla. Tacos de Canasta: Francisco Maven, Lady Tacos de CanastaMaven rides her bike loaded with tacos de canasta. She wears false eyelashes, a traditional dress, and long braids. In her lyrical shout, which is poetry for the hungry, it is confirmed that shyness is not her thing. She, a muxe woman from the state of Oaxaca, is known as Lady Tacos de Canasta. In 2020, an episode of Crónicas del Taco brought her into the spotlight. How much? The episode won a James Beard, an American award that honors the best in gastronomy.The so-called Lady Tacos de Canasta says that fame has changed everything, however, she still gets up between 6 and 6:30 in the morning to beautify herself and go sell her tacos from her bike. What she does, as she says, is to be on the move, breaking the inertia of routine. The story of the tacos begins with her grandmother, who made tortillas from harvesting the corn in the field, and with her parents who taught her the trade. Her tacos de canasta have been as famous as she is. People ordered potato, bean, and chicharrón tacos before her character went viral on the Internet. Currently, the bike is no longer enough to satisfy the customers who crowd to meet her, so the family business has diversified. Today they also have a location, kitchen production, and even exclusive staff for events. Maven’s charisma precedes her, but the quality of the tacos de canasta has allowed her and her family to discover a life where stability is possible. “It’s not that I say, get to work in the kitchen because you will become rich, but I can tell you that the kitchen brings many satisfactions. Women: if you are going to start a business of any kind – it doesn’t have to be in cooking – the secret is to persevere, to chip away at it.”Maven. Taquería “Las Muñecas”: Teresa Pérez Hernández In 1985, Teresa’s mother, a housewife in need, began selling gorditas, sopes, tostadas, and quesadillas from her front door. She had children to feed, and through her cooking, she saw the possibility of building a life. Fifteen years passed, her business grew, and in 2000, a customer suggested that she sell something else. Teresa’s mother came up with the idea of selling tacos on weekends. Now it is the main specialty of “Las Muñecas.” Teresa tells me that her mother supported housewives from the start because she saw herself in them and in their needs. No wonder “Las Muñecas” is one of those rare taquerías run by women in Mexico City. Teresa doesn’t mind that night owls and party-goers come to her shop. A dose of green salsa with chunks of avocado can bring them back to normal. Her tacos de bistec, suadero, chuleta, pastor, longaniza, or XXL alambre cure the hunger and excess partying of anyone.Like her mother, empathy precedes her. She knows the needs of her employees, who are also mothers, housewives, and women who need flexible hours. That’s why she has implemented various shifts ranging from full to half, as the service runs from 6 P.M. to 6 A.M. Teresa claims that her employees know their tasks perfectly and that they all work like a clock in perfect sync. They are proof that being taqueras requires strength and resilience, but nourishing customers requires creativity, precision, and love.“Do things, but with love. That was always my mother’s phrase. But it also depends on how you prepare, on having quality ingredients, on giving an extra flavor, on making something taste different.”Teresa.