How to celebrate hispanic heritage month in the salem region

The fourth annual Xichafest at Xicha Brewing’s North Salem location on September 15 and 16 promises a weekend filled with buzz-worthy Mexican fare and handcrafted beer. On September 23, check out the free ¡Viva Salem! festival in Salem’s Riverfront Park for even more delicious food plus art, music, dance and activities for the entire family. In addition to these two fun-filled events, why not visit some of our area’s Latin-owned businesses during Hispanic Heritage Month? Here are a few to get you started.

WATCH QUESO BEING MADE AND EAT NACHOS

When the Ochoa family moved to Oregon in the late 1990s and couldn’t find authentic Mexican cheese, they decided to make their own. The Don Froylan Creamery was born in the family’s home kitchen with 10 gallons of milk a day and endless hard work. Today, the Salem creamery is a huge success and produces queso fresco in several mouthwatering varieties. Tour the creamery and see how the award-winning queso is made and then hit up their killer nacho bar.

CHECK OUT NORTH SALEM’S FIRST-EVER TEQUILERÍA

Mixologist and Viva Tequila’s owner, Celina Sanchez, wants you to experience tequila and mezcal in the traditional way — and minus the sour face. At Sanchez’s North Salem tequilería, you’ll be treated to fine mezcal flights served in colorful clay copitas along with fresh orange slices and sal de gusano, dehydrated seasonings mixed with salt. Add in the tantalizing house cocktails and handcrafted tapas and you’ll never order a shot with just a lime chaser again.

ENJOY HANDCRAFTED AMARO FLIGHTS AND GOURMET BITES

Born in Brazil and raised in Mexico, Jason Greenwood is committed to creating spirits that capture the essence of the Willamette Valley. Along with his wife, he’s the founder of Divine Distillers, which specializes in brandy, tequila agave and seasonal amaro made from locally sourced fruits and herbs. Visit the Independence tasting room for a flight and then head around the building to the Inferno Restaurant, located near their beautifully designed spacious patio, for delicious pub fare and Divine-infused cocktails.

Additionally, you can find Super Skewer BBQ located at Divine Distillers through October. Victor Perez, the mastermind behind Super Skewer, crafts a diverse range of dishes on an open fire, including pork belly tacos, picanha, esquite, and his unique chimichurri sauce. With his ever-changing BBQ dishes, it's worth visiting to discover what's on the menu for the day.

STREET TACOS AND CRAFT CIDER THAT HIT THE SPOT

Downtown Salem’s Azuls Taco House beckons with over 30 different tacos, quesadillas and burritos. It also shares its space with Latin owned La Familia Cider, so you can wash down those shrimp tacos with a locally made cider inspired by traditional Mexican aguas frescas. La Familia’s Gonzalez family donates a percentage of its profits to local organizations and taco masters Tino Land and Augustin “J” Razo Jr. serve their Mexican eats with a creative twist.

GET YOUR BUZZ ON WITH AUTHENTIC CUBAN COFFEE

At the Cuban Cafe located across from Riverside Park, owner and barista Antonia Garcia is proud to be the only coffeeshop in Salem that serves Cubano — or traditional Cuban coffee. Antonia begins each Cubano with a small cup and a couple teaspoons of sugar, she adds a splash of hot espresso, whips it into a sweet froth, and then pours in the remaining espresso. What the Cubano lacks in size it makes up for in strength. Pair it with a pillowy guava empanada or slab of tres leches and you’ll be buzzing all day.

SAVOR MEXICO’S FINEST FLAVORS

A trip to Woodburn’s family-owned Trapala Mexican Restaurant should definitely be on your eating agenda. Come hungry because the flavors are fresh and the portions are large. Try the Trapala enchiladas or the slow-cooked chicken mole paired with a michelada preparada, ice-cold beer mixed with fresh lime juice and salt. The kid menu is equally spot-on. Grab a seat on the pretty outdoor patio and pretend you’re in Mexico.

BOOT UP IN WOODBURN’S WESTERN BOUTIQUE

Manuel Villanueva has owned El Forastero on Woodburn’s Front Street for almost 25 years and his store is a treasure trove of all things cool and western. Nestled between a Mexican dress boutique and the Woodburn Museum, El Forastero offers aisles packed with cowboy boots and hats, belt buckles, ranch bows, embroidered campesina dresses, boot spurs and more. After your shopping spree, explore Front Street’s many other Latin-owned restaurants and shops.

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