The intersection of Alcee Fortier Boulevard and Chef Menteur Highway marks an abrupt change in the scenery of New Orleans East. An ordinary stretch of road lined with po’ boy shops and local businesses suddenly meets a busy Vietnamese marketplace in what is known as Village de L’Est. Men and women garbed in silk and pointed straw hats frequent stores with boldly lettered Vietnamese characters: Pho Bang Restaurant, Kim Thoa Beauty Salon.
Taqueria Mexico recently added its name to the signs lining Chef Menteur, replacing folded Vietnamese restaurant Bien Tinh. According to the Gambit Weekly, Bien Tinh’s owner fought and failed to keep the restaurant open after Katrina. She sold the space to Martin Osorio, who moved to New Orleans from Houston two months ago bringing employees and catering experience. Osorio took a risk in bringing flavors from a distant continent to a Vietnamese neighborhood, but business has been booming thanks to Latino workers thrilled for a taste of home.
In February, a study by the Louisiana Recovery Authority counted over 16,000 Latinos present in New Orleans post-Katrina. Many, like Baltazar Trejo and David Ventura, have found work renovating storm-damaged homes. Trejo and Ventura arrived in New Orleans from Mexico eight months ago following the promise of abundant work opportunities.
They have been living and working in Village L’Est ever since, eating mostly Vietnamese food and local Louisiana favorites. During the days after the storm, a select few Vietnamese restaurants and Red Cross facilities were open. Of the Vietnamese dishes available, Trejo and Ventura said they stuck to rice with shrimp. When they were able to get a hot meal from the Red Cross, it was a balanced combination of a starch, meat, and vegetable, and they welcomed it hungrily.
But after awhile, the Latinos grew sick of Vietnamese cuisine’s fishy flavors. Luckily, more restaurants were becoming available. Trejo, Ventura, and their coworkers ventured to the French Quarter whenever they had free time and branched out to dishes like jambalaya. A staple of Mexican food is rice, often flavored with spices and meat, so jambalaya wasn’t too much of a departure.
Trejo got adventurous when he decided to try alligator. “I see them all the time off Highway 90, crawling up near the road and looking me in the face like I’m lunch. I decided I would make one of those alligators my lunch,” he said. He described the experience as “chewy.” Not ready to trade in his country’s cooking for local flavors, Trejo was ecstatic when he heard Taqueria Mexico was coming to the neighborhood.
The Mexican restaurant has become part of Trejo and Ventura’s daily routine. They break for lunch every day at noon sharp and head for the restaurant to enjoy carne asada or a burrito. The pair agree that they practically live at the restaurant when they’re not working. Now that Taqueria Mexico has opened its doors, Trejo and Ventura are among the loyal niche community who will keep coming back for more.
