A stroll down the Salida
By Lila Shaw Lash

As a foodie, I have my little rituals here in San Miguel—getting a cappuccino at El Café on Correo, going to my favorite fruit vendor in the Jardín, visiting my favorite market stands and most importantly, taking my favorite stroll down the Salida a Celaya.

The Salida can seem a bit removed compared to Centro or other more accessible places, but the treasures to be found make it well worth the trip. If it’s been awhile since you’ve ventured to that side of town, I hope this article serves as your motivator.

You can take a cab or walk and I recommend your first stop be Panaderia El Maple at Salida a Celaya 51. Dave the Baker arrived in Mexico from a small town in Ontario with over 20 years of baking experience under his belt, and set out to offer a unique product for sanmiguelenses.

El Maple was born and has been growing ever since. While I was visiting with Dave, the trays were filled with savory breads, sweet treats and other delicacies. His savory selections include Swiss rye rings, multi-grain loaves, sourdough rounds, traditional baguettes, revolcados perfect for individual sandwiches or tortas, whole-wheat loaves and freshly baked foccacias with sliced tomato and fresh herbs. His breads are baked from scratch daily and available for very reasonable prices.

He also sells cheesecakes, puff pastry (which I’ve used frequently in desserts for The Dinner Goddess), and pizza crusts from his refrigerated case. On the sweet side of things, he sells conchas, croissants, cookies, muffins, Danishes and other yummy things.

He doesn’t have a telephone to place orders, but he is open Monday–Friday 10am–8:30pm, Saturday 10am–4pm. If you would like several of a certain item for an event or a houseful of people, I would recommend stopping by the day before and speaking with Dave.

A couple doors down from El Maple at Salida a Celaya 41 is Luna de Queso. Opened in March of this year, Mariana Peraza and her husband offer clients wonderfully delicious items inside the doors of this specialty cheese shop. Mariana has cheese in her blood. Her mother, Patricia Hernández, is the especialista en lactologia, or principal cheesemaker, at the very popular Querétaro-based cheese producer, Fromagora. Patricia and her fellow cheesemakers have been producing all-natural, chemical and preservative-free cheeses for over 25 years. Fromagora’s cheeses have been available around town for years, but now you can purchase all 25 types at Luna de Queso. You’re probably most familiar with the chevre, or fresh goat cheese, but Fromagora also makes aged goat’s and cow’s milk cheeses. I became addicted to the pimienta and chile fresh goat cheese rounds, as they are the perfect addition to any salad or appetizer spread.

In addition to cheeses, you can pick up the perfect fixings for your next picnic with Mexican-produced organic olives and olive oils (from Baja California), fresh pastas, carnes frias, as well as locally baked breads and imported German beers. Luna de Queso recently changed its hours to Monday–Friday 10am–5pm, Saturday 10am–3pm and you can reach Mariana at 415-114-3340. She would be happy to answer any questions or help you select some cheeses for your next picnic or appetizer spread.

This is what I call my “weekly walk.” I get my fresh bread, my various yummy cheeses and carnes frias and I’m set for the week. Give it a try and I promise your next rooftop sunset gathering will be a whole different experience.


Lila Shaw Lash is a personal chef involved with The Dinner Goddess, a weekly dinner delivery and catering service for clients in San Miguel de Allende. For more information, write to lila@dinnergoddess.com  or visit www.dinnergoddess.com.