Behind the Booth: El Chorizo Latino: A flavourful journey of identity and tradition

El Chorizo Latino offers up Latin America’s street food culture at St. Albert’s Farmers’ Market

It’s no surprise that one of Latin America’s most popular culinary traditions centres on street food. Markets tend to be social gathering spots and what better way to hang out with friends than sharing chorizo kebabs, tapas, or tacos. At St. Albert’s Farmers’ Market, Jon Martin, owner-vendor of El Chorizo Latino, is transforming our regional food culture by offering fresh Latin American culinary options.

El Chorizo Latino is probably one of plainest stalls among the market’s 250 booths. There is only one cloth-covered table topped with a box of Latin-style, dry-cured pepperoni sticks and a portable single burner where Martin fries his juicy, fragrant sausage. There is nothing flamboyant about this stall, and it’s easy to miss while walking through thick crowds.

Despite its simplicity, there is a steady stream of shoppers purchasing pork and chicken sausage, salami, meatballs, and dry-cured pepperoni sticks kept cold in a cooler. “These are recipes based on traditional recipes that I’ve modified over time. They’re my personal versions,” said Martin on Saturday, July 11.

He originally received a degree from Université de Montreal in mathematics and statistics, but opted to follow his passion for cooking. Both Martin’s parents are Argentinian. His father was a petroleum engineer and the couple moved to Mexico for work where Martin was born.

When Martin was seven years old, the family transferred to Montreal for greater oil industry opportunities. “I am culturally Argentinian. I grew up in Mexico and I’m really Canadian,” Martin said.

“For me, cooking is a self-exploration of places I grew up in, and the identities that I have and get to share. It makes all the hard work worthwhile.” When Martin graduated from university, Montreal jobs for graduates were scarce.

He was carrying a student loan and decided to travel west in 2009 where work in the oilfields and restaurant sectors was available. “When I got here, I started this exploration of my culture, of my youth. This is what I have to pass on.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how much money you make. It’s what you do with your time.” Martin had worked in restaurants since he was teenager, starting off as a dishwasher and working his way up as a cook and line chef.

Presenting food was his enduring passion, and he plunged into opening a business. Along with his wife and family, he rented a 3,000 square-foot shop in south Edmonton and purchased a second-hand system of machinery designed to process raw meat into finished products. In addition to adapting traditional Argentinian and Mexican recipes, Martin travelled and was inspired to craft new flavour combinations.

“I would get an idea for a flavour profile, take it home and change it a bit. But I would always keep it in the authentic zone,” he said describing his molé salami made from pork and drenched in a spicy chocolate marinade. Every week Martin orders 200 to 600 kilograms of pesticide-free pork and chicken for processing.

“Everything is locally grown in Alberta — everything but the salt. And we try to use local and fresh herbs and spices, garlic, chilies, cilantro, parsley, and onion as well.” This is the third year El Chorizo Latino is stationed at St. Albert Farmers’ Market.

And as a businessman, Martin understands hearing customer comments first-hand is one of the most important aspects of growing his company. “At the end of the day you have to be able to connect with people purchasing your product. Meeting different clientele is part of the fun.

But it’s important to understand what works and you bring that understanding back to what you produce.” The El Chorizo Latino website, elchorizolatino.com, also lists 15 of Martin’s personal recipes created specifically for his products.