Cocina Picante
A Pandemic Pivot to Making Ultra-Fresh Salsa
by Holly Madrigal
Necessity is the mother of invention, they say, and we can experience that in tasty bites of fresh salsa provided by Cocina Picante. Owners/chefs Felix (who, like Che, prefers to be first name only) and Yiping Hsieh found themselves without work and a lot of time on their hands four years ago when the world shut down. They began thinking about what could be sold at the farmers market to make an income. Yiping has a passion for succulents that she has nurtured over the years. She began propagating the many-hued plants to sell at market, but they grow quite slowly, and the couple considered what else they could do to enhance their market offerings.
Felix has been cooking since he was eleven. His parents both worked, and so it became his job to cook for his younger siblings. His mother and abuela are from the Guerrero area of Mexico. They are very talented and taught Felix many recipes. He and Yiping thought that they could bring some of their authentic Mexican salsas to a wider audience. The first year the couple started Cocina Picante, they made forty types of salsa, quickly narrowing it down, according to popularity, to a handful of signature salsas and a couple of rotating specials. Their seasonal offerings may include: Mild Green, Nice Kick, Picante Verde, and Picante Signature. The couple makes an effort to use local produce when possible, taking fresh ingredients to create salsas with multiple spiciness levels.
Felix has a flair for making a wide variety of different salsas for different palates. He explains, “In Mexico, we have a plum called ciruela. These Mexican plums are smaller, and they make a really good fruit salsa. I also love to make mango and pineapple salsa when the fruits are in season. We even have a cucumber one called Cucumbers Salsa de Pepino. We always have samples on hand at the market for customers to taste,” continued Felix. “I tell them they are not going to like it, they are going to LOVE it! And they do!”
They have branched out to dips and pre-made dishes as well. The Poblano con Crema is a rich mix of roasted peppers in a savory cream dip, delicious on tortilla chips or poured over rice and vegetables. Depending on the day, you may also find fresh steamed tamales, Chili Verde, or Arroz con Leche.
Yiping says they are always listening to their customers and responding to their needs. She learned that several customers with arthritis could not eat salsa as they were advised to avoid “anything in the nightshade family”— tomatoes and peppers, primarily. Yiping shares, “My friends would come and say, ‘Oh, I miss salsa so much, but I am not supposed to eat it.’ We heard this from a number of people at different markets, so Felix and I have developed a salsa without those ingredients.” The couple laughs, “Felix calls it Impossible Salsa and Salsa Fresca which is similar to pico de gallo.” The two are pleased to meet the needs of the customers that support them.
Felix and Yiping live in Calpella and use the Grange Commercial Kitchen in Willits to prepare their salsa. “The Grange Kitchen is such a wonderful place to support the community. We just recently became grange members,” says Yiping. “We use no preservatives, so most of our salsas are sold at farmers market to make sure the customers get the freshest product,” she adds. They travel quite a bit to attend multiple markets throughout Mendocino County and beyond. On Saturdays they are in Ukiah, and on Sundays they are in Windsor. On Wednesdays they travel to Fort Bragg. (If you miss that market, Roundman’s Smokehouse in Fort Bragg has their salsas available.) Thursdays are at the home base in Willits, and then the cycle begins again. “I want to give a shout-out to our helper, Indigo, who assists us in the kitchen making salsa. She is such a great help!” adds Felix.
Yiping and Felix have been together for 27 years now. When asked how it is to work so closely together, they laugh. Yiping says, “We’ve been together so long that we had all the arguments before.” The two dance around each other helping customers and preparing samples, joking and laughing. They seem to have captured the spice of life, and they obviously enjoy sharing it.
Cocina Picante is available at various farmers markets throughout Mendocino and Sonoma counties. On Instagram @cocinapicante707
Holly Madrigal is a Mendocino County maven who loves to share the delights of our region. She’s fortunate to enjoy her meaningful work as the director of the Leadership Mendocino program and takes great joy in publishing this magazine.
Photos by Nik Zvolensky
