Experience fresh Salvadoran food at the market
By Jill Alexander
Tasty pupusas, crispy yuca with chicharrónes and sweet fried plantains. If you’ve never tried Salvadoran food, make a stop at the Scripps Ranch Farmer’s Market on Thursdays and visit Glenda Hernandez, the owner of Your Salvadoran Kitchen, to sample some of this Salvadoran fare.
Hernandez has been serving up authentic Salvadoran comfort food at the market since March 2023, inviting locals to experience the rich flavors of her culture.
“It’s a great community. Once people get to know you, they keep coming back,” she said. “There are so many friendly people who ask about the food. I offer samples, and once they try it, they love it. I have regulars who come every week for pupusas, picking up extras for dinner and even lunch the next day.”
Salvadoran cooking runs in the family for Hernandez.
“My mom founded the restaurant El Salvadoreño in 1995. It was the first of its kind in San Diego,” she said. “Now, I’m doing the same thing, but under my name, bringing our food to local markets.”
Hernandez is working hard to introduce more people to Salvadoran cuisine.
“A lot of people don’t know us yet, so I’m trying to get our name out there,” she explained. “Our most popular dish is pupusas. They’re like thick tortillas stuffed with delicious fillings like pork, cheese and beans.”
Everything at her booth is made fresh to order, with her husband, Harvey, lending a hand behind the scenes.
“I bring a fridge and a salad bar-style table to prep everything fresh at the market, and Harvey helps me set it all up,” she said.
Hernandez, 43, moved to the United States when she was just 8 years old, fleeing the war in El Salvador with her family.
“We came here because of the war, and my mom had a sister in San Diego,” said Hernandez, who now lives in Logan Heights.
While she still helps out at her mother’s restaurant from time to time, she’s focused on growing her own business and introducing Salvadoran food to new communities.
“I want to expand and keep doing the farmer’s markets as long as I can. Eventually, I’d love to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant – maybe in Murrieta or Temecula – so more people outside of Latino communities can experience our food,” she said. “Latinos know us, but once others try our dishes, they love them. I have customers who come back week after week to find me.”
Prices range from $7 to $18.
Visit the Your Salvadoran Kitchen booth at the Scripps Ranch Farmers Market, held each Thursday from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 10045 Carroll Canyon Road.