Tucked away in New Jersey’s
largest city is a few square miles making up Newark's Ironbound district, where Hispanic culture is on full display.
It’s a neighborhood comprised
of immigrants, with generations to follow. Ferry Street is lined with restaurants,
and inside one brick building is one of the Ironbound’s Spanish eateries – Mompou,
a trendy and creative take on traditional Spanish dining.
“So the menu has a lot of
fun, we take a lot of liberties, and we're a bit whimsical,” says restaurant
owner Tony Martinez.
Martinez was born in
Spain, and moved to the Ironbound
at five-years-old with his family.
“We lived right on Ferry
Street, just a few blocks from where the restaurant is,” says Martinez.
Steven Thomas Yglesias is
Mompou’s original owner, creating Mompou as a way to appreciate Spanish culture
in a new way.
“What I decided that I wanted for Mompou was a take on the traditional,
but with a twist,” says Yglesias. “Everything with a twist.”
Less than a mile away on
Warwick Street is Casa D’Paco. Owner Angel Leston opened the restaurant with his father, modeling it after
everything he cooked back home in Galicia, Spain.
“So, it's funny because a lot of people would call it peasant food, but
we kind of took that idea of peasant food and made it our own,” says Leston.
Both restaurants share one
message, and it isn’t about the food.
“The food, even though is important,
is somewhat secondary to the social gathering,” says Martinez.
It's about a celebration of
their country and community, and sharing it with others too.