Bringing TexMex to New York: Why Miguel Banuelos Quit His Job to Make Salsas

The Deli is an ode to the artisanal food makers of New York. Last week, we introduced Nasrin founder Chef Nasrin Rejali, who is making Persian specialty products in Woodhaven, Queens. This week, we spoke to Miguel Bañuelos of Salsa Pistolero in NoHo, Manhattan.

The Product: Fresh Mexican salsas, tortillas, & queso.
The Deli Pick: Salsa classico (medium heat)
How To Buy: Available ABC Beer Co. in NYC’s East Village or DM @salsapistolero. $8-$10.

People ask me how long I have been making salsa; forever. I'm a mama's boy. As soon as my mom knew I could do that part, she made me do it. Being in New York for 20 years, going to parties, I would always bring salsa because it's easy and everybody likes it. It was also self-serving; it's hard to find really good salsa in New York. Even at nice places it is a throw away. I don't feel that way, I want great salsa, so if no one else is going to make it, I guess I'll have to be the one.

I was doing a bunch of other jobs, music industry, tech industry, advertising, all that stuff, when I came to that kind of crossroads. I was like, I am miserable every day doing things that I don't care about. I could be doing something I actually want to do. I'd rather make my own way and see if it works.

After I quit, I was making and selling salsa at Miscelanea (now closed) and volunteering at Astor Center just for fun. I got access to their commissary kitchens and started doing part time work for bigger occasions or private events. Like, I did a Cinco de Mayo event for Don Julio two years ago. They needed lunch for 250 people. I'm like, okay, I'll do it. It was difficult but I did it and I survived and now I know I can do that. Sometimes you have to say yes to something even if you don’t exactly know if you can execute it, that's okay.

The salsa is a tangible thing that I can easily make and put in stores. Maybe it's pushing retail further, maybe it's doing more catering or more events in smaller spaces where I can really interact with people. 

I'm also interested in partnering and collaborating with people to keep getting the word out about the way people eat from where I'm from. A lot of folks like to shit on TexMex, and I'm like: you do realize that TexMex has existed for 300 years? It's not this thing that popped up in the seventies. I would love to be the touchstone for people to understand why flour tortillas are very Mexican or what the difference is between brown and black beans.

Greatest hit: The aguacate, which is the mild green tomatillo with avocado.

Most underrated product: The tomatillo. A lot of people kind of brush it off because it's not spicy enough and it's not the avocado one, but I feel like it is the perfect palette for anything. The core product is nice, bright, and fresh. It's flavorful and you can eat and cook with a lot of it. 

How to best enjoy your products: Salsa is not just a dip. It's a condiment, it’s an ingredient, it's a tool. You can either leave it fresh or you cook it and reduce it to concentrate all the flavors. You can make fish with it. I have a friend who uses the avocado salsa as salad dressing, and it's great.

Favorite places to eat in NY: There's plenty of good Mexican at every tier, you just have to look for it. The original Taco Mix on 116th is great, easy, simple. I think Barrio Chino on Broome Street is overlooked. People think of it as this hipster place, but the food and the drinks are spot on. And La Superior in Williamsburg. They have a calf brain empanada that is off the charts. My go-to for pizza is Lil Frankie's. The prosciutto, regular pizza is one of the greatest things in New York City. It's perfect.

Food makers to follow: I'll shout out my butchers, Honest Chops Butchery. They're fabulous guys, and they always hook me up. Also Will and Julie Horowitz, formerly of Duck’s Eatery and Harry and Ida's. I can't wait for whatever they do next. I'm sure it's going to be amazing. And Zach Mack at ABC Beer Co is really doing a lot for food, drink, everything. Rather than being food centric, he's kind of food peripheral, but there's a lot of great products in the shop.