La Salvi serves Salvadoran and Mexican food in Rochester NY

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Ashley Henriquez, a 21-year-old college senior at St. John Fisher University, has a tendency to be impulsive.

An example: Chantz Miles, Ashley's professor in the business school at St. John Fisher University, alerted her to a path she and her mom could take to launch the entrepreneurial venture of their dreams. "If you don't do it now, you're never going to do it," he advised.

"I canceled all my plans that day," Ashley said. On Nov. 1, 2023, she made a beeline toward the Monroe County office building and got her DBA.

The name of the business: La Salvi, an affectionate nickname a friend had given Ashley. It's short for "Salvadoran," as Henriquez is the first-generation child of immigrants from El Salvador.

La Salvi had its first service on April 8, 2024 ― a date that's coincided with the Great North American Eclipse ― in The Commissary, a food business incubator housed in Sibley Square downtown.

"The whole reason was for my mom," Ashley said.

The food at La Salvi La Salvi serves Salvadoran and Mexican food prepared by Maria Henriquez, Ashley's mother, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays.

Its best seller is pupusas, cornmeal-based griddle cakes that are the national dish of El Salvador. They contain a choice of fillings: mozzarella cheese; cheese and loroco (a green vegetable); beans and cheese; or beans, cheese and pork. They are served with a fermented cabbage slaw and drizzled with a warm tomato salsa.

It also serves authentic Mexican tacos, filled with chicken or steak, garnished with cilantro and onions and served with a homemade mild tomatillo salsa. Other menu options are burritos, quesadillas and rice and beans.

Maria also cooks up a daily special that's often Mexican, like birria or carnitas, occasionally Salvadorian, like bean soup, and sometimes her own creation, like chipotle and citrus glazed ribs.

"We definitely want to expand the menu to more Salvadorian dishes," Ashley said. "I feel like there is a need for more Central American food in Rochester." But doing so within their three-hour service feels risky.

Those will have to wait for their restaurant that offers Salvadoran dishes. There may be tamales wrappe in banana leaf, the family's traditional Christmas dish. Or hearty shredded chicken sandwiches called pan con pollo, which is what the family makes on Thanksgiving. Maybe soups or papas locas (crazy fries).

"We have a purpose," Ashley said. " We have a meaning. It's kind of driving us."

The story behind El Salvi Maria and her husband, Santos, immigrated to Rochester from El Salvador 22 years ago. For the past 21, she's bussed tables at a restaurant for minimum wage ― sometimes more, if the tips are good. Santos works at a local meat distribution company.

"They both work very hard," Ashley said. "My mom works seven days a week, including here. She works every single day."

Maria has always loved to cook and try new recipes; Ashley fondly remembers coming home from school in the West Irondequoit school district to dishes that Maria had prepared.

Maria's friends and family encouraged her to sell her food, and come last fall, Ashley and Maria were looking for a place to lease for a restaurant. "It was extremely expensive," Ashley said. "It was very much out of our line." It would take years to accumulate the cash they'd need.

Her professor suggested The Commissary, which offers low-cost shared commercial kitchen space and business assistance. There was still an up-front cost, but it was achievable.

They initially served at The Commissary three days a week, but with Ashley being in school ― she'll graduate in 3 1/2 years in December ― and both parents working other jobs, it wasn't sustainable.

They scaled down to serving once a week, but over the summer, they served two Saturdays a month at the Rochester Public Market. They would set up at 8 a.m. and cook pupusas on a Blackstone Griddle until they ran out, usually by 2 p.m.

They had help from Ashley's 15-year-old brother and Ashley's significant other, but "it was still hectic," Ashley said. "It was like people hovering over us."

The enthusiastic response from other Salvadorians and Central Americans kept them motivated, Ashley said. The setup worked well in the warm weather, but windy or chilly weather meant it took too long for the pupusas to cook. As a result, their Public Market services are done for the season.

But their Public Market customers seem to have found their way downtown, and sales in September increased more than usual.

"If we're busy here, we can't even imagine being in our own spot ― even during dinnertimes too," Ashley said. There are a lot of steps to make a brick-and-mortar restaurant happen; in the meantime, everything they earn through La Salvi is being funneled back into the business.

"It's a lot of work. It's hard," Maria said, but it has advantages over working for someone else. "It's my little business with my daughter," she said with a smile.

Ashley has other dreams for herself, but for now, her priority is helping her parents.

"For me, it's always been important to give my parents that financial freedom that they've always desired," she said. "I feel like coming to this country, everyone has the dream of eventually finding stability to take care of themselves without depending on a job that they're going to have to work the rest of their lives."

If you go La Salvi serves from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays at The Commissary, in Sibley Square at 250 E. Main St. downtown. Its service window is through a set of double doors just past the restaurants in the Mercantile on Main food hall. It does not order delivery services or online ordering. It offers catering.

Paid parking is available on Main or Elm Streets, or in parking garages.The space is wheelchair accessible.

Tracy Schuhmacher covers Rochester's food and drink scene. Notice something open or close in your neighborhood? Send tips to tracys@gannett.com.

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La Salvi serves Salvadoran and Mexican food in Rochester NY

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