English Translations

50 Years of Love for the Kitchen

José "Pepe" Mendieta talks to us about his life as a chef
By Griselda Aldrete

Sitting in his favorite table at Antigua Latin Restaurant in West Allis, which belongs to his youngest daughter, Citlali, José "Pepe" Mendieta anxiously awaits to tell his story of how he accomplished one of his dreams: working in the culinary world for 50 years.

Today, Mendieta, 75, spends the majority of his time at home studying personal photographs and documents, reliving his life as a chef. This is a great change for him, who spent a big part of his life showing off his culinary talents in four restaurants that he opened in Mexico and the United States and at times even cooked for Mexican presidents.

Mendieta, husband to Elvira Mendieta, started his career at the age of 25, after having studied in Mexico, France, Italy, England and Spain.

In his years as a chef, Mendieta opened innovative restaurants and developed new cooking styles for authentic Mexican cuisine. He also organized some of the first national gastronomic exhibitions in Mexico, which thousands of people came to see, including various Mexican presidents, all anxious to try some of his famous dishes of this recognized chef.

Mendieta opened his first restaurant, "El Gran Teocalli," in 1958 near the pyramids of Teotihuacán.

"It was a monument in Mexico, with all its splendor and culture," says Mendieta referring to the restaurants which remained opened until last year.

In the 60s, he opened his second restaurant in the beaches of Tijuana with the same name. However, this one didn't fare off as well, which meant he had to close it a few years later. Not one to give up, in 1988 Mendieta opened the first "Rey Sol" restaurant in Morelia. This time he wanted the decorations inside the restaurant to reflect the decorations inside the Palace of Versailles in France.

During this time of his life, Mendieta was one of Mexico's most recognized chefs. He was head of the restaurant committee for the national board of tourism in Mexico. He even got to cook for presidents like Adolfo López-Mateos, José López-Portillo and Carlos Salinas de Gortari.

He even recounts of one occasion when the ex president Carlos Salinas de Gortari loved his food so much that he invited him to fly with him to other cities as his personal chef.

When he was in his 60s, he came to the U.S. with his wife and daughter Citlali. He tried to open a new restaurant, but it didn't go well at first. "It was really hard," says Mendieta who didn't have a steady job.

Finally in 1998, he opened el "Rey Sol" in the corner of Muskego and Forest Home Streets, which is considered by some as the first restaurant with fine Mexican cuisine in the city. For more than eight years, el "Rey Sol" was recognized as one of the best Mexican restaurants in Milwaukee. There, Mendieta would try to give the best to his clientele. He even had the habit of coming out from the kitchen to talk to his guest, which was something that characterized him.

Today, Mendieta is focusing on improving his health to hopefully be able to open a new restaurant in Milwaukee. "If God lets me," Mendieta says, "it will be a poem to the Mexican cuisine."

On June 26, a celebration to honor Mendieta's 50 years as a chef will be held at Antigua Latin Restaurant in West Allis.

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Why do Latinas Gain More Weight

The relationship between stress and obesity and immigrant women

Claudina González knows very well why she has gained almost 30 pounds in the six years since living in the United Sates. "It's the stress," says this woman originally from Mexico with a little sadness, while she waits for the bus in the corner of Cesar Chávez and National Avenues. "All I want to do is eat and eat, even when I'm not really in the mood or even hungry."

The life of Claudina, 38, are very common according to Barbara Wesson, responsible for a weight loss program at Core/El Centro, an alternative health center in the south side of Milwaukee. "Many times we eat to stop from feeling our emotions for a bit," says Wesson. "When we feel like we can't resolve our problems, reduce our stress or feel happy, then we eat to feel some type of pleasure. Then we get mad and eat more to stop from feeling mad. It's a vicious circle."

Obesity vs. Overweight

Both overweight and obesity are signals that our bodies have more fat than it needs to function. But what is the difference between both? To know this, a Body Mass Index (BMI) table is used, which is a formula that measures our weight in relationship with our height.

Almost seven out of 10 Latinos are overweight in the U.S. and four out of every 10 Latina women suffer from obesity, according to the Center for Disease Control. In both cases, the numbers are above those of Whites, which about six out of 10 are overweight and three out of 10 are obese.

These numbers signify a direct attack to the health of Latinos and it's a main cause as to why about 60 percent of Latinos die prematurely for illnesses related to the heart, brain, cancer and diabetes according to the American Heart Association.

The big culprits

The change in food when arriving to the U.S., which includes a lot of processed foods high in fat and sugar, coupled with the lack of exercise are common causes as to why Latino immigrants gain weight. "In Mexico, one walks a lot, but here it's the car for this or the bus for that, and then with the cold and snow, you get lazier to go out and exercise, says Araceli Rivadeneira, 47, who came to the U.S. seven years ago and has gained more than 30 pounds.

For her part, Ángeles Rodríguez, also from Mexico, confesses that incorporating processes foods has been a great change in her eating habits. "When one gets here one starts to buy already prepared food because we no longer have the time to prepare foods which we did before, and plus they are cheaper."

Both Rivadeneira and Rodríguez attend nutrition and weight loss classes at Core/El Centro. Wesson, responsible for the program, says that while the emotional part doesn't find its equilibrium, the changes in the diet will not be sustained long term. According to Wasson, in the case of the of Latina women the situation is notorious due to the whole immigration dynamic: unknown knowledge of the English language, family separation, lack of money, care for their children, solitude and isolation.

Rivadeneira, that aside from being overweight has diabetes, understands all of this because it's part of her daily life. "My economic necessities are covered in this country," she says with tears in her eyes. "But not the affective and emotional ones."

Hoping to fill part of these necessities, Core offers diverse programs for the Milwaukee community. "People have to take care of themselves, but sometimes people are too busy surviving that they can't," says Wasson. "They come to the U.S. looking for a better life, but the obstacles and challenges that they face sometimes makes them forget the dreams they once had." For more information about the weight loss program of Core/El Centro, call Wesson at (414) 384-2673.

Recommendations

If we want to really loose weight, we must commit to gradual changes in our diets and daily lives. There isn't a magic pill. The most important changes are:

1. Reduce the consumption of fats, sugars and refined flours

2. Increase the consumption of fruits, vegetables and whole wheat cereals

3. Exercise for at least 30 minutes each day (this includes a brisk walk or something more intense)

4. Look for ways of relaxing that don't include food

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Raids Intensify

The next months will mark some of the most difficult moments for the undocumented community in the United States.

For starters, the unemployment rate is growing in this country, which historically means and anti-immigrant sentiment in this country.

At the same time, the government is intensifying their already strict measure against millions of undocumented immigrants that already work and live in the U.S. For example, in 2007 the immigrant division of the Department of Homeland Security arrested and deported a record number of more than 220,000 undocumented immigrants and all the signals to date point to the fact that this year the numbers will be greater.

Mark X. McGraw, a special agent in the ICE office in Washington D.C., clearly stated that the federal government is "aggressively looking for unauthorized workers and those employers that are violating the law by giving them jobs."

In fact, every week, we hear of more cases of immigrants being arrested in various states in the country. However, the worst news for undocumented immigrants is yet to come. In a couple of months, employers will begin to receive letter from the Department of Social Security which will identify which employees apparently submitted a social security number that is not in order. Employers who receive such letter will have to notify their employees if there is a discrepancy with their social security number. If there is, employees have two months to declare the problem. If not, many of them can be fired by their employers.