Nothing compares to the sensation of returning home, even if you have traveled across the oceans to pursue your goal.
For Puerto Rican businesswoman Brenda Torres Mu ez, who achieved success over 30 years ago with her Puerto Rican eatery Crioll simo in New Britain, that is the epitome of success.
With the goal of showcasing the benefits of Puerto Rican cuisine, the mother of Puerto Rican cuisine, as she is called in Connecticut’s Barrio Latino, has now opened her first restaurant on the island and her third altogether.
In the midst of daily living, the true essence of Puerto Rico has been forgotten. “I don’t think brunch is real,” Torres Mu oz stated. My goal in going back to the island is to restore to the locals the freshness and originality of Puerto Rican cuisine.
It’s been a long trip back to Puerto Rico.
Her parents, who maintained El Restaurante de Todos, a restaurant in Juana D. Az, for 28 years, inspired her love of cooking.
According to legend, Brenda’s parents’ restaurant invented mayoketchup, a dipping sauce produced by mixing mayonnaise with a puréed mixture of tomatoes, green peppers, onions, and vinegar.
According to Torres Mu ez, they prepared it for the first time and served it with tostones and a platter of chicken chicharr.
When Puerto Rico’s economy began to deteriorate in the 1980s, El Restaurante de Todos and other businesses were forced to close. After losing their source of income, her parents relocated to Connecticut in 1986 to work as cooks at a friend’s business.
Torres Mu ez moved to the United States to live with her parents the next year.
In an attempt to continue her education in Puerto Rico, Brenda postponed her arrival, but she claimed she eventually lacked the funds to remain.
She had no idea that her voyage would bring her back to Puerto Rico and earn her the title of “mother of Puerto Rican food” in Connecticut.
Initially, Crioll simo
Torres Mu ez had spent six months in Connecticut. She had an idea one day while strolling home down Arch Street in the Barrio Latino neighborhood of New Britain.
I thought there was a huge need for Puerto Rican cuisine. According to the business owner, some of the residents were Puerto Ricans who had moved there before to World War II and hadn’t had a traditional Puerto Rican meal in more than 30 years.
She thought it was ideal when she spotted a Polish bakery in a tiny area while out on a walk. She expressed her desire for the space to her father. Since they lacked the funds to establish a professional kitchen, they hired the premises and began selling only sandwiches.
To honor the authentic flavor of Puerto Rico, Brenda decided to call it Crioll simo. Inspired by the island roosters crowing at dawn, she included a Puerto Rican flag and a rooster in the design.
She gained recognition for her Puerto Rican sandwiches, which included tripleta, pernil, conch, sirloin, and lobster, as well as ham, cheese, and eggs. In order to sell more, she occasionally stayed open until three in the morning, waiting for neighboring bars to close.
At first, getting the products was challenging. She used bread from an Italian bakery that had been in the city for more than a century, and it was comparable to Puerto Rican sobao. She would go to New York to find the greatest seafood.
Roast pernil with rice on Arch Street
They purchased the building in 1988, two years later. In an area of roughly 200 square feet, they set up a kitchen and eating room, where Torres Mu ez offered more complex Puerto Rican cuisine.
According to Torres Mu ño, “people went crazy when I started making arroz con gandules and roast pernil because it was so well done.” Her best-selling dishes are still maduros (ripe plantains), roasted pernil (pork), and arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas).
Other favorites, though, include roast chicken, pig ribs, white rice and beans, carne frita, stuffed mofongo, and her favorite, stews.
Braised beef steak, beef stew, stewed chickpeas, veal stew, etc. That is a sacrosanct component of Puerto Rican food, in my opinion. According to Torres Mu oz, it makes me think of my granny.
Customers can dine in the 50-seat dining room or purchase takeaway at Crioll Simon. More than 70 people, including Latinos and Puerto Ricans, wait in line for up to 30 minutes each day to place their orders.
Some people tell me they can’t go home because they’ll feel like something’s missing if they don’t dine at Crioll Simi Restaurant in Connecticut. “Torres Mu oz”
Torres Mu erta was in charge of all the cooking when Crioll Simon first started. The restaurant has been using the same recipes for decades, based on what she learnt from her mother, even though she is no longer in the kitchen.
According to her, we would begin cooking at six in the morning back then. Throughout the day, I assisted her with dishes, and we would alternate. Even if we were only earning $100 a day, I begged my mother not to give up.
She insists that everything be prepared on the same day, and her current chef is Puerto Rican. Although she acknowledged that they use a combination of two adobos—one white and one dark—the ingredients are kept a secret.
She stopped selling sandwiches in 1992 and started concentrating only on main dishes.
A chance
Last year, a spot across from Crioll simo became available since customers missed Brenda’s renowned sandwiches and Puerto Rican coffee. Brenda took advantage of the chance. The Criollsimo Sandwich Shop was established in that location.
“Brendan, I haven’t had a sandwich like this, from apanadera, since I left the island 20 years ago,” is one of the responses she frequently gets.
She clarified that since many of the clients lack the funds to visit Puerto Rico, it reminds them of their early years.
Crioll simo Express, a fourth restaurant that will soon open on Arch Street, will serve alcapurrias, cheese empanadillas, meat pastelillos, and bacala tos.
The coming back
Torres Mu ez was on vacation in Cabo Rojo last March.She saw a vacant shop close to Buy Beach’s entrance.
What if we travel to Puerto Rico with a Crioll simo? She pondered.
The new location, Crioll simo Coffee Market, was rented, set up, and launched by Torres Mu oz a few months ago.
Criollsimo Coffee Market sells finger snacks that people can take to the beach and has a daily lunch special in addition to breakfast.
She remarked, “This space is small, but it’s huge to me.” It is a privilege for me to introduce a panader a de pueblo concept to the island.
For those who aspire to return, know that it is possible.
