Sabor de Highlandtown

(Español abajo) A walk down Highlandtown’s Eastern and Highland Avenues reveals a range of immigrant-owned businesses. Smells emanate from rotisseries filled with roasted chickens and menus boast of specialties like Bún chả, mariscadas, menudos, baleadas, kabsa, and mapo tofu, along with more legible classics like tacos, burritos, General Tsao’s chicken, kebab, pho, and birrias available, too. What can the stories behind these foods tell us about how neighborhoods change? A collaboration between UMBC American Studies students, Southeast CDC, and Highlandtown restaurateurs attempts to tell a part of this history by featuring the stories and histories that make up “Sabor de Highlandtown.”

Un paseo por Eastern y Highland Avenue de Highlandtown revela una variedad de negocios propiedad de inmigrantes. Los olores emanan de los asadores llenos de pollos asados ​​y los menús cuentan con especialidades como Bún chả, mariscadas, menudos, baleadas, kabsa y mapo tofu, junto con clásicos más legibles como tacos, burritos, pollo del General Tsao, kebab, pho y birrias. ¿Qué nos pueden decir las historias detrás de estos alimentos sobre cómo cambian los vecindarios? Una colaboración entre los estudiantes de Estudios Americanos de la UMBC, Southeast CDC, y los restauradores de Highlandtown intenta contar una parte de esta historia presentando los relatos e historias que conforman “Sabor de Highlandtown”.

Including/Incluso a: Pedro Silva of Tex-Mex, Jose Vargas of Vargas Bakery, Juan Nuñez and Franchesca Nuñez of Franchesca’s Empanadas, Carlos Nufio and Carla Licona of Los Primos Food taco trailer, and Hiralda De La Cruz of Puerto Jarocho, Su Zhang, Oriental Wok, Jassi Singh, Filippo’s, Carlos Cruz, Carlos O’Charlies, Ascar Mozeb, Queen of Sheeba, Maria Alvarado, Diner Latino

Produced by/Producido por: Johanna Barrantes, Amanda Smit, Andy Dahl, Sarah Fouts, Kristin Kelly, jes godinez, David Fitzgerald, Jake Mooney, Larissa Kuonen, Martha Berkheimer, Kyle Casamento, Andrea Quispe, Iñaki Zárate, Marco Di Pietro, Karla Press-Porter, Taylor Phelps, Gigi Fredrickson, Hailey Davio

Supported by/Apoyado por: UMBC Public Humanities, UMBC American Studies, Maryland Traditions, UMBC CIRCA, the Southeast CDC, AMST403/682 Food Ethnography in America courses.

Photographs courtesy of Southeast CDC.

StoryMap updated: May 2024

Produced by: Martha Berkheimer, Kyle Casamento, and Larissa Kuonen

 El Camino de Pan - Full Documentary 

Sponsored by Library of Congress and American Folklife Center’s Homegrown Foodways Series and Maryland Traditions.

The film developed from the Sabor de Highlandtown clip edited and produced by jes godinez.

El Camino del Pan a Baltimore chronicles the life of José Vargas, owner of a bakery and taqueria located in Highlandtown, a neighborhood in East Baltimore. Vargas migrated to Baltimore from Huaquechula, Mexico and decided to build on his family tradition of baking bread. Jose's story began in Mexico with his family's bakery, but after arriving in Baltimore he established a business selling Mexican fare using a pushcart stationed in Patterson Park. His first brick and mortar location was a bakery located in the Greektown neighborhood amidst a dwindling European immigrant community. With support from family and friends, he has since grown into a four-business enterprise - a bakery, taqueria, bar, and restaurant in Essex. Traditions of waking early to prepare the dough began with his grandfather and he has since used that knowledge to build his businesses in a changing neighborhood.

Garcia, Stephanie. “ UMBC Students Archive Highlandtown’s Latino Immigration History and Food Culture .” Baltimore Sun (blog), December 28, 2021.

Hebron, Grace. “ New Film Project Follows Mexican Chefs in Baltimore and New Orleans. ” Baltimore Magazine, November 8, 2023.

Robinson, Lisa. “ Collaboration Project Showcases Latin American Owners and Their Restaurants. ” WBAL, October 7, 2022.

Stefano, Michelle. “ 2023 Homegrown Foodways Film Series: Baltimore and New Orleans: Bringing Two Cities in Dialogue with Each Other through Mexican Food | Folklife Today. ” Webpage. The Library of Congress, October 30, 2023.

Stefano, Michelle. “ Homegrown Foodways Film Premiere: El Camino Del Pan a Baltimore | Folklife Today .” Webpage. The Library of Congress, November 7, 2023.

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