The Rural Voice, 2019-09, Page 46For me, stepping into a
Mennomex store is like
stepping into another world.
The shelves are stocked with bright
packages of cookies, chips, tortillas
and hot sauces, and in the air are the
warm, spicy smells of tamales and
burritos.
And for many others, stepping into
a Mennomex store is like going
home. Nostalgia. The store caters to
the Mexican Mennonite community,
with food, ingredients, fabrics and
books.
“Many of our customers ask us
about their favourite brands from
Mexico and we do our best to import
them,” says owner Maria Martens.
Mennomex was started by Willy
and Maria Martens in 1997. It began
as a stall at the Aylmer Sales Arena
and Old Pete’s Country Market. The
week that Old Pete’s closed in 2002
was the week that Mennomex opened
in a permanent location on Highway
3 in Aylmer. And their customers
followed them in droves.
“We never expected it,” says
Maria. “It was so busy that Willy had
to quit his other job to work at the
store.”
Besides the peppers, mangoes,
tomatoes, beans, tortillas and the
Mexican brands that are nearly
impossible to find elsewhere, the
store was famous for the tamales
made by Willy’s mother. Tamales are
made of a corn-based dough, filled
with meat and salsa, wrapped,
steamed and served in a corn husk
(biodegradable packaging!). Small
and portable, tamales were a large
part of the diet of pre-Columbian
Aztecs and Mayans and are still a
staple in Mexico today.
When the store expanded in 2012,
Willy and Maria opened a kitchen
and started a take-out menu.
Breakfast burritos were a big hit and
they began to open at six in the
morning for the breakfast crowd. A
daily lunch menu changes every day
of the week.
Mexican food is based on the
tortilla, which is a thin, round
flatbread made with corn or wheat
flour. At Mennomex, depending on
the day, you’ll find fresh enchiladas
(tortillas rolled around a meat filling
covered in chili sauce), flautas
(stuffed and fried tortilla rolls),
burritos (tortillas filled with meat,
refried beans, lettuce, salsa,
guacamole, sour cream and cheese),
quesadillas (folded and grilled
tortillas filled with cheese), gorditas
(pastries stuffed with meat and
potatoes) or tacos (soft or hard
tortilla shells filled with meat,
cheese, salsa and more), all served
with a side of rice and beans.
The store in Aylmer has been so
popular, with line-ups out the door at
times, that they have started to
expand. An extra commercial kitchen
space was also needed to make their
Mennomex line of salsas, sauces and
tamales. In February this year, the
42 The Rural Voice
Local artist Peter Simons painted the mural for the Aylmer location of Mennomex, a store and restaurant offering the
flavours of Mexico to the Mexican Mennonite community and anyone else who loves Mexican food. Tamales (above,
right) are a favourite along with enchiladas, flautus, burritos and quesadillas. Willy and Maria Martens are so busy, they
are expanding into Milverton.
• By Melisa Luymes •
Summer Foods
Mexican Mennonites find favourite foods at Mennomex