Café Piro builds healthy menu on foundation of love, community, respect for ancestors

In Café Piro, Gabe and Mel Padilla have created a restaurant built on love and community, where the colorful art from local artists converges with healthy food rooted in the culture of the Borderland as the couple honor their ancestors.

The husband and wife started the cafe at 9993 Socorro Road in Socorro a short distance from where they initially had a food truck, Casa del Humo, at Plaza Ortiz.

The cafe, which has a beer and wine license, currently is open from 6 p.m. to midnight on Friday, although the kitchen closes at 10 p.m. It also is open from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday for breakfast and from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., although the kitchen closes at 11 p.m. Guests can close out the night lounging in the colorful setting, enjoying bar service.

Soup Sunday, “when it is available, will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.,” Mel added.

Going from a food truck to a full-fledged restaurant was a steep challenge.

“It was honestly a very impulsive decision,” Mel said.

Gabe said that when they started with a food truck in January 2021, they decided they’d try it for a year, then see what happened.

“So, it was right at the end of the December point when we finished our lease at Casa Ortiz and said we were going to look for a new adventure. And we live 400 feet down the street and we noticed there wasn’t any activity coming from the restaurant and just thought, well, we’ll reach out to the landlord.”

Eventually, they were able to reach the landlord by calling the previous tenant's business’ number.

“We came in and took a look at it and …,” Gabe said.

“We fell in love,” Mel said.

“Well, Melissa fell in love,” Gabe added.

“And I said yes,” Mel said.

“So, here we are, 18 months later,” Gabe said.

It was a rough start.

“We didn’t have any money, but we had somewhat of a vision,” Gabe said. “My parents loaned us starter funding to secure the building, pay the first month’s rent and purchase new (used) appliances. Four months later my daughter finished her real estate exam and, as promised, represented the sale of a 3-acre plot I purchased in my 20s. The property sold in a month and financing for Café Piro was now available. Little did we know everything would take three times as long and three times as much (as expected).”

Labor of love, creativity

But opening the restaurant also was a labor of love, with the couple creating a dining experience that is uniquely creative.

“We really wanted to take our time and do everything with our hands, so that included our pottery, all of our pottery, anything you drink from,” Mel said.

Gabe added, “All of our serving vessels ….”

Mel, chimed in, “was made by our hands, con much amor, down to the place mats, to the tinting on the windows, to some of the build-out. The staining of the chairs and tables was all naturally done. And we learned how to do it as we went. So, there were a lot of learning curves.”

Even the look of the furniture is based in the colors of food and naturally stained.

“And by naturally stained we mean we made the dyes out of food,” Gabe explained. “So, like the yellow table is turmeric, the green one is matcha, the pink one is hibiscus flower …,”

“Jamaica,” Mel adds, offering the Mexican term and “h” for “j” pronunciation for the plant that originally was taken from Jamaica to Mexico.

“Chile Colorado for the orange, and the blue is a tea called butterfly pea,” she finished.

“Trial and error,” Gabe said.

Mel added, “At first we had just added water to the Jamaica, and we’re like, ‘We know how to stain wood,’ and there was a big mess up with that, but we found out real fast that we needed to make deep concentrates and add a little bit of vinegar to highlight the color.”

The Borderland sun taught them a valuable lesson.

“So, there was one round of doing it wrong," Gabe said. "The sun ate all of the stain off of it, then we went on vacation for a couple of days, and we left it under the skylight. And when we came back, the sun had completely eaten all of the stain off. And so, yeah, we had to make a way stronger one. But since we had already glossed it, we had to go all the way back down to raw wood and start all over again. So, the staining of the chairs and the tables took about six months.”

The finished work alone is worth making a trip to the restaurant for. The dark, brilliant blue of the table and chairs stained with butterfly pea tea is beautiful.

A finishing gloss helps protect them from natural wear, the couple said.

Cafe's name rooted in history

The cafe's name was inspired “by the Piro people who founded Socorro after the Pueblo revolt in Socorro, New Mexico, Gabe said. The refugees and slaves that came down to build the Mission Trail with the Franciscan monks, came here and they named it the same as where they had fled from, Socorro, New Mexico, so this is Socorro del Sur. And so the Piro tribe built the missions here with the Mansos as well.

“And the first church, which is about a quarter mile from here, is dedicated to the Piros. And so that’s what we named it, to honor my ancestral tribe.”

“And also the native people, the Indigenous people,” Mel said.

“All Indigenous people,” Gabe said. “Melissa is … we started doing our ancestry.com.”

“So, I was able to find out that my grandpa is Indigenous from Zacatecas,” Mel said. “And that was beautiful to find out because I always felt that part of me was drawn to Mexico, so a part of all the recipes is coming out in us honoring them.”

Gabe said, “The Piro nation is not federally recognized, but we can do our part to build a tribe and fund it ourselves.”

The food that honors their ancestors is the heart of the restaurant, easily recognizable from the street by the black and white mural, "Juntos con Amor," by Christin Apodaca that runs along its exterior. The cafe is across Winn Road from the historic Socorro Mission.

Gabe, who said he considers himself more of a food artist than a chef, explained the inspiration for the recipes.

“A lot of it is life experiences,” he said. “Like the peanut butter burrito we have.”

“An homage,” Mel added.

“The abuela,” Gabe finished. “It’s me bringing one of the very few desserts that my grandma would make. We grew up poor, so there wasn’t very much in her cupboard. Food stamp peanut butter and then she had bitter chocolate that once in a while she would bake with. She would make the tortillas, of course, and then she would just make us a peanut butter burrito.

“So, a lot of the menu is inspired by life experiences, places we may have visited, emotions that are conjured by certain foods that I have eaten, or Melissa has eaten.”

Mel added, “A lot of our family is in our recipes, too, so we like to honor our ancestors as much as we can, our grandmothers or mothers.”

Café Piro's walls are gallery for Borderland artists

But in addition to the food on the menu, the art on the walls also is a big draw.

It includes work by artists such as Gabriel Marquez, Moises Garcia, Manuel Urueta and Celina Galicia.

“We met all of these beautiful artists when we were stationed outside Casa Ortiz gallery down the street,” Gabe said. “And we made so many connections with all of these artists, so when it came time to think about what we were going to put on the walls, we reached out: Let’s help each other.

“And so we don’t take any commission. We also want to represent that artists don’t have to be starving and poor. We can help each other out. So, just in the same way that they are providing this beautiful decoration on our walls, we don’t ask anything like a commission from them. It’s just their contact information, and that’s between the buyer and the artist to discuss. We’re so appreciative, we’re so grateful for all the people who have come to our aid.”

Another draw is the welcoming nature of the couple and their café.

“We come from a past that we were bullied, and there were a lot of cases where we didn’t feel safe,” Mel said.

Gabe added, “We’re both neurodivergent, so having ADHD you’re not usually the most popular person growing up. You’re bullied.”

Mel added: “There’s always something wrong with you.”

Gabe added, “You’re the weird kid, you’re the lazy kid, you’re the weird oddball, and even up until the build-out of the restaurant, there were times where we were bullied, taken advantage of, abused. And that was definitely something that we didn’t want people to feel here. If you’ve ever been a victim, if you’ve ever been a minority, if you’ve ever been ostracized ….”

“For being queer, for anything,” Mel added.

“Migrants,” Gabe said. “This is a safe space for all of you because we’ve been there. We’ve been the little guy, we’ve been the ones that have been taken advantage of, or bullied, and we don’t want anyone to feel like that ever, so let’s create a safe space where anybody can feel welcome here.”

“We appreciate the lessons we have learned along the way,” Gabe later said in a message. “The skills we picked up and look forward to teaching them in the near future. We are queer. We are BIPOC owned. We are here to stand up to bullies and injustices. We are here for anyone seeking a safe space and will forever be a haven for victims, minority groups and displaced peoples. We will not be for everyone, but everyone is welcomed so long as there is respect. Estan en su casa (you are in your home) and y’all means all. A’ho.”

The couple also make sure their staff understands the cafe offers a different kind of work environment.

“We just wanted to make sure that we created a different work dynamic than what people are used to, because people are used to being in a fast-paced environment, and when we hire people, we’re like, ‘Do you want to work in a slow-paced environment?’” Mel said. “And that’s one of the things that we have been trying to push is to really slow things down because what you put out matters and when you do things fast ….”

That also is a philosophy they extend to their purveyors.

“We don’t put stress on our purveyors,” Mel said. “So, we kind of take what they have available. We never tell them what we want. They kind of just give us what they have.”

Gabe added, “We just tell them, we need five pounds this week, whatever you have available. We don’t want to put that pressure on them that we need this particular mushroom for our special dish. We’ll work with whatever they have.”

Mel said, “And along with not putting stress on our purveyors, we also want to make sure the food is as fresh as possible, so nothing is highly processed, everything is made from scratch. Everything is made on the spot.”

The two have a compelling reason for wanting to serve the healthiest, freshest food they can.

The two have become proponents of healthy eating.

“We don’t want the food to taste fast,” he said. “We’re not a fast-food restaurant. We want it to taste like a lot of love and patience went into it.

“We hardly have any animal products in here. It just kind of evolved that way. But most of the menu is vegan and vegetarian,” he said. “There is only a couple of animal products in there. So, the only eggs that we use is for the egpie, for the quiche. No bacon. Sorry, we don’t have any bacon. And the beans, that resonates with our community, with our pueblo. That’s something that everyone knows, to have a mollete or a bean burrito.”

Mel said, “So there are some homey staples. Things that remind you of home or of El Paso, but we do want to kind of change it around a little bit when it comes to food because people are so used to having meat, and it’s OK to highlight vegetables and to highlight foods that are good for you.

Gabe said, “You don’t have to cook beans in lard. You can use alternatives.”

He said that while meth and fentanyl have become problems in the community, another danger is the everyday food that people eat.

“One of the worst legal drugs on the market is food, and one of the worst legal ingredients is sugar," he said. "Modern day foods are filled with additives, preservatives, chemicals, artificial flavors and tons of sugar. This eventually evolves into type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and a slew of other health issues. How do we fix this? How can we heal through food?”

He added, “After experiencing this all, we could not in good faith promote the same menu we offered at Casa del Humo. Nor could we stay quiet about the inequalities and injustices we had witnessed and experienced.”

He and Mel hope the café can help address those problems.

“For us, food is a love language,” he said. “It was the only time that chaos stopped and smiles were shared. Laughter even. Mel and I have seen the ugly truths of what unnatural foods can do to a soul and also the opposite. How wholesome meals can not only nourish the body, but heal the spirit as well.”

The café currently has free Soup Sundays, when anyone who wants some can show up between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., when the couple don’t have to irrigate their pecan tree orchard. To see if Soup Sundays is being offered, follow the cafe on Instagram @cafepiro_.

“We see that our own pueblo is in food danger and the easiest way to spread our message is to offer it for free,” Gabe said. “On Sundays (when schedules allow for it), we have our Soup Sunday.

He said that will soon change to a family meal.

“On Sundays, we offer at least one soup, any inventory we may need to use by that day, and drip coffee for free. Donations are accepted but not expected,” he said. “We want all of the community to enjoy our space and the beautiful, local art throughout the café. On our off days, we plan on offering the space for health and wellness, support groups and community engagement.”

Soup Sundays inspired by ghost

He said offering free food on Sundays was inspired by a ghost named Lila who Gabe said once owned the land the café is on. He said she haunts the café along with her son, Manuel.

“From what we’ve heard, he was hit by a drunk driver and died early in his days,” Gabe said.

He said he asked the previous renters whether they had any ghost stories.

“And they said, ‘Oh, yeah.’ They said, ‘His name is Manuel. We had someone (a clairvoyant) that came in. He was very thirsty. We left him a glass of water because that’s what she told us he wanted. And the next day we came in and the water had disappeared. And then we didn’t have any issues with him anymore.’”

Mel added, “And they both happen to be Piro, so there’s a part of us that feels like we’re honoring them. And they feel safe that we are here.”

Gabe said, “The story goes that she had a small, very humble adobe home and on Sundays she would always stand outside and as church released, she would always invite people to come inside her house and she would feed them whatever she had. So, if it was a caldo, or she had baked some bread that day, she had a little guisado, even if it was just coffee, she would always just welcome the community in.

“So, that kind of gravitated for us to do something for the community as well, because we do want to feed people good, wholesome food and some of the times they don’t want to come in to pay for that.”

Mel added, “Everyone deserves access to healthy food, too, so we knew as soon as we came into this, that we had to give it back somehow, and even when we don’t make money, we’re really happy that people get to come into this space and eat something that is nutritious.”

Gabe said, “So, on Sunday, we honor her tradition of welcoming people into her space. And so, we feel that this is still their land and we welcome the community into this space, to their space, and whatever we can give out for free on Sundays.”

Quick dining review

Besides being a food artist, Gabe Padilla also is a food magician.

During a recent visit to Café Piro, I looked at the healthy menu and didn’t see much that appealed to my usual caveman palate. But tapping into the cool vibes at the restaurant, I decided to dive in and was incredibly surprised.

First up was a skewer of sweet potatoes, pleasantly toasty on the outside, that I coated with the accompanying mole, then wrapped the combination in a tortilla. The trio made for an amazingly delicious treat, with just the right mix of textures and tastes. I don’t pretend to be a foodie. I’m a french fry or baked potato kind of guy, but the combination left me wanting more, as well as thinking that I might owe sweet potatoes an apology after all these years. But in reality, I never had a sweet potato as good as those served at Café Piro.

My dining companion, my mother, Esther Gaytan, who is one of the pickiest eaters I've ever met, mainly because she is such a great cook, recommended the egpie quiche. Without being prompted, she gave it her enthusiastic approval. "This is really good," she said.

Next up was vegan ceviche, which has tofu as an ingredient.

I pretty much had promised myself never to eat tofu, but I decided to try it. Another delicious dish. The lemon juice offset the vinegar in a complementary way that allowed the ingredients to meld into a tasty, crunch treat.

The lamb skewers were moist and tasty, but what I liked best was the apricot mole, which turned out to be a temporary treat.

Padilla said the menu is a work in progress, “but we are playing with stuff all the time, just because our ingredients are based on availability here locally, and so we go based off of that.”

The apricot-based mole was on the menu "because we got the last of the organic apricots that Bodega Loya had. So, that will change because they are all out.”

The sooner they get more apricots, the better. The mole began softly sweet and delicious, then became more intense as the habanero that also was an ingredient kicked in. Eaten with a tortilla, it was nothing short of amazing. I know intense chile can bring back the ghost of my ulcer, but the risk was worth it. Yes, I'd try it again.

The cafe also offers a mole flight for those who want to sample the various flavors and intensities.

So, even if you're a meat-and-potatoes person, you'll find plenty to like at Cafe Piro. And if you're in a relationship with someone who likes eating healthier than you do, you'll find the restaurant a delicious compromise. Plus, it serves wine, as well as draft beer from DeadBeach Brewery, which never disappoints for tasty brew.

– Samuel Gaytan

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Socorro's Café Piro builds healthy menu from respect for culture, past