CHEFS OF THE

CHEFS OF THE KAWARTHAS - MARTIN CARBAJAL

By Karen Irvine Editor, ATOTK

Martin Carbajal is the owner of La Mesita Restaurant in the Café District in Peterborough. I know Martin fairly well, as he is one of the stops on our walking food tours. He is always very entertaining, making the guests laugh with his funny stories.

When he was 12, in Mexico City he was hanging with the wrong crowd, so his mother put him to work selling tacos. ‘I’m still grounded today because of that’, says Martin. When he was 18, the family had a taco stand. It went so well that they opened a restaurant. ‘We started out living at my Grandma’s because we couldn’t afford our own house. 25 years later, all of my family have their own houses’, says Martin.

His mother was a perfectionist. Martin says, ‘She had me make rice every single day. She would say it was too wet, too dry, too crunchy, didn’t have enough salt. There was always something. When I finally did it properly, I expected to get a pat on the back or good job or something. All she said was that it’s what you are supposed to do. It was hard, but it taught me that good actions are like a balloon and bad actions are like a needle and will break everything else. You are only as good as your last meal. (he laughs) If your last meal was good, you are perfect.’

Martin was 28 when left Mexico City. He came to Canada, found a Mexican restaurant and went to work. He says, ‘When I came to Canada the first time, I was only here for 2 months. The restaurant I worked at was inKensington Market called El Trompo.’ He went back to Mexico and got a job working on a cruise ship in Alaska. He says, ‘The visa process wasvery arduous. In Mexico there are a lot of businesses that scam you – asking for money but there is no job.’ So although it may have been a scam, he decided to try, in case it was legitimate. They told him he had to pay for his American visa and there would be an English exam and a physical. He passed all the criteria and flew to Alaska, where he was an assistant to the steward – the helper to the helper to the helper of the steward – and spent 4 years on the ship. By working hard, he had 4 promotions in his first nine months, a process that normally took 2-3 years. There were chefs from 35 nationalities and they would have cook offs after hours. This is where Martin gained experience with international food.

Torta with pulled pork and Mayan sauce

He has twin boys (9 years old now) from a previous marriage. He met his current wife, Kelly, in 2015. While dating, Martin was working long hours and Kelly would come help him so they could spend time together. She is very supportive. ‘I’m the cute factor, and she’s the brains’, he laughs.

Since opening the restaurant in 2017, ‘It’s been hard because it’s a new enterprise. People don’t really know real Mexican cuisine, so they come expecting burritos and nachos. I want people to know what real Mexican is. It’s not the TexMex that most people think of. That’s why I’m really passionate. I get tired, yes. I’m human. I love it and wouldn’t change a thing. It’s great when people come in skeptical and leave with a big smile. The food we serve is Mexican 101, the basics. If people don’t know the basics they won’t understand what fancy is. It’s very unpretentious. It’s about mixtures and freshness. That’s the key - everything needs to be fresh. It’s all cooked from scratch. Kelly is as passionate about it as I am. She believes that when people find us, they will like it. When we started dating, she said I was funny, but what won her over was the food.’ (he laughs)

Cochinita Pibil and Suadero with pico de Gallo salsa

Cochinita Pibil and Suadero with pico de Gallo salsa

Martin also caters. His forte is Mexican, but it’s not all that he cooks. He got a lot of training on the cruise ship with other cuisines. If you want Greek, Italian, Indian, Filipino and more, he can do it deliciously.

La Mesita won Immigrant Entrepreneur of the Year in 2018, and is a favourite stop at the Peterborough Regional Farmers Market.