Becoming the Tallest Tree: How Puerto Rican Food is Connecting Communities

Milwaukee is about 2,118 miles away from Puerto Rico. The heart of the Caribbean; Isla de Encanto. When thinking about it, a former Rust Belt city in the Midwest does not seem to have a lot in common with the tropical paradise. But migrants from Puerto Rico made sure to bring one important aspect to Milwaukee: the food.

“Growing up in Puerto Rico, there was always this mentality, that the tallest tree was an American tree,” said Alberto Maldonado, Director of the Roberto Hernandez Center at UW-Milwaukee.

Maldonado lived with his abuela in Puerto Rico for a little while when he was younger. She would cook him rice and beans just about every day, turning it into one of his favorites. During holidays his family would usually have a pig roast, and occasionally there would be pasteles, made into a paste and wrapped in banana leaves.

With plantains as the epicenter of the Puerto Rican cuisine, including Maldonado’s favorite dish, it is no surprise that the most popular dish is made with them. Mofongo.

“It’s a very fun word. When you say it, you want to dance, ‘woo mofongo!’” said Maldonado.

Mofongo is fried plantains that are mashed and later served with a mixture of meat or seafood. This staple food can be found in Puerto Rican inspired restaurants around Milwaukee, such as Sabor Tropical and Johanna’s Café. Some Puerto Ricans, such as Harry Santiago, a member of St. Francis of Assisi, also create the dish from home for their families.

Creating food and sharing it with the community is how the Puerto Rican diaspora in Milwaukee are actively planting their own seeds to become the tallest tree.

Johanna’s Café and Bakery sits on the corner of Madison and Milwaukee. The red canopy ­­-welcomes both regulars and new customers. Walking into Johanna’s, there’s a glass counter with several different Puerto Rican delicacies: tornillos, quesitos, donas, besitos de coco, flan and an array of cheesecakes.

Johanna and her husband Ortiz can be found behind the counter. Johanna typically has an earpiece in, planning for catering events and taking over the phone orders. Ortiz packs the orders and takes new ones as they’re coming in, occasionally heading to the back to check on the kitchen staff.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think of owning a business, let alone a bakery, let alone right in my own neighborhood,” said Johanna.

All of the recipes are original including the in-house sofrito, which happened through a lot of trial and error. The restaurant has an authentic and welcoming feel.

“[Being authentic] is part of what we do. Part of our flavor,” said Johanna.

The history behind Puerto Rican cuisine goes back to the island natives, the Taino Indians, with different culinary specialties from the Iberian Peninsula. Taino Indians created barbacoa, the use of yuca, corn and peppers. The Spaniards that came over brought olives, garlic, bacalao (cod fish) and cilantro. Cocoa came from the Spaniards who had already been in Mexico, and African slaves who were brought over to the island introduced the use of plantains and the concept of frying food.

According to Maldonado, the love Puerto Ricans have for lechón (pork), fried food and bacalao goes back to what was available on the island.

“Not having refrigeration on the island until the 50s, people had to eat a lot of the locally grown things or canned foods that made it to the island without spoiling,” said Maldonado, referring to the availability of fish and roots like potatoes and squash on the island.

Johanna and her family came to Milwaukee from Puerto Rico in 1982. Harry Santiago’s family came in 1969. According to him, it was the ‘typical Puerto Rican migration’ starting with just a couple family members and then bringing, or convincing, everyone else to come to the mainland.

“My dad at the time, may he rest in peace, was like 50 years old and he was kind of anti-coming over here, but eventually he had to follow,” said Santiago. “Great story, he at 52 or 53 years old, fourth grade education, but you’d never know it, went back to MITC to take English as a second language in order to get a job.”

Santiago is a member of St. Francis of Assisi church in Milwaukee. He believes it’s one of only two churches in the city to provide a Spanish mass due to the large Hispanic community surrounding the church. Sometimes on special occasions, he will cook for the church.

To Santiago, food means connection.

“If I went home right now and called my brother-in-law and told them I was making Puerto Rican baked chicken, they would change their plans,” said Santiago. “When I decided to get into the cooking, I started to study others.”

Santiago would visit Puerto Rico often, and he began asking street vendors for the tips and tricks behind their successful dishes. Knowing that Santiago lived on the mainland, the vendors never saw him as their competition. He calls himself a ‘self-proclaimed chef’ and watched these vendors intently.

“We did four years-worth of festivals, selling Puerto Rican food. We sold pina coladas, Puerto Rican rice and pinchos (Puerto Rican kabobs) with bread,” said Santiago. “That’s all we sold, but we kicked butt…big time!”

This was Santiago’s way of planting his seed to become the tallest tree. He doesn’t own his own restaurant like Johanna does, but he uses the same tool to connect with his community: food. Food is a connection.

“Most of our customers are regulars so we know them, we know their kids,” said Johanna. “It’s more than a café, more than a business. We’re making sentimental connections.”