Pupusas for All!
Marcella Ogrodnik turns local and seasonal ingredients into a Salvadoran classic. You can find her cooking up a storm at farmers markets, but order ahead through her website.
Photo by Michael Swensen.
By now, you’ve probably heard of Cafe Agnes, the local pupuseria that serves up delicious Salvadoran fare to Pittsburghers across town. You’ve most likely heard the sizzles emanating from their griddle in Bloomfield or witnessed the intoxicating aroma that weaves its way through vendors’ stalls in Squirrel Hill. You might wonder how in the heck did this place come to be and what exactly goes into making a pupusa? When owner Marcella Igrodnik first opened Cafe Agnes, many people were not familiar with the typical Salvadoran staple known as the pupusa. Since then, she’s developed a cult following of Yinzers who frequently sell out her pre-orders of the coveted savory griddle cakes. One taste of Marcella’s interpretation of El Salvador’s national dish will quickly help you understand why they are so popular.
For folks new to this type of cuisine, pupusas consist of masa, a nixtamilized corn dough that is stuffed with cheese, beans and any other ingredients that might suit your fancy. The masa and its accompaniments are carefully pressed to form a savory pancake of sorts, and then placed on a flat-top griddle to cook through. Once griddled to perfection, the pupusa is topped with homemade red salsa and curtido, a pickled green cabbage slaw. Make no mistake, this dish is not greater than the sum of its parts; it is sublime because of the contribution of each player. The crispy exterior of the pupusa welcomes the smoky spice of the salsa, only to be balanced by the bright crunch of the curtido’s veggies. Its flavor hits every high note that you need it to, and if you haven’t tried one yet, consider this your benediction into guaranteed palate bliss.
When I first moved to Pittsburgh a year ago, I must admit that I did not have the highest of hopes in finding Latin American fare. Stumbling upon Cafe Agnes’ stand at the farmer’s market felt like the discovery of one of my dearest cravings in the most unlikely of places. More time exploring the culinary nooks and crannies of this city has shown me that this is a common occurrence. While steeped in robust traditions of Eastern European cuisine, Pittsburgh surprisingly has pockets of other culinary heritages that are springing up all over. Ogrodnik, a native of the South Hills neighborhood, combines her mixed heritage of Salvadoran and Pittsburgher to share her cooking with the community. I asked her how long she has been interested in food and learned that she received her calling to cook at a very young age. “I watched the Food Network so much as a kid and I just loved going to the grocery store. I knew in middle school that I wanted to be a chef. That or Britney Spears. I knew one of them was going to be easier than the other, haha.”
Dreams of pop stardom gave way to an early beginning of a successful career in food. “When I was a teenager, I remember [that] no place would hire me, because I was under 18 and it was a higher risk for them to put a child in the kitchen,” shares Ogrodnik. Eventually, restaurant chain Houlihan’s gave Marcella a chance and fostered her transition into a career in the food industry. “That was my first kitchen job when I was 17 and ever since then I've been in restaurants,” says Marcella. “I’m not in a restaurant now technically, but you know I’ve been cooking in restaurants since then.” After attending the Culinary Institute of America and cooking in famous kitchens like The French Laundry and Pittsburgh’s once-loved Cure, Ogrodnik has established a highly successful food business without having a restaurant space of her own. I learned that this comes with a unique set of challenges. Marcella shares, “Because I cook out of a commissary kitchen and not my own brick and mortar, most purveyors won't deliver to me. I usually spend about 3 days each week in the commissary kitchen prepping ingredients, grinding masa, and making frozen tamales/pupusas. On Fridays I pretty much spend all day packing my frozen takeaway food into its respective containers, plus I prepare any drinks or desserts I'm featuring that week. In between all [of] that, I work on my newsletter, develop new menu items, and do various bits of office work [like] designing menus, organizing tax stuff, etc.” If it sounds like Marcella has a lot to juggle to keep her food stall afloat, it is because she does. Thankfully she gets by with a community of support.
When I visit her station at the Squirrel Hill Farmer’s Market, I walk past the snaking line of people patiently awaiting their orders to find Marcella working with her mother and sister-in-law. With lavender locks, a tall frame and calm smile, her sister-in-law takes the orders of patrons while her mother, a petite woman with kind eyes and a warm disposition, prepares the aguas frescas and calls orders out to Marcella. They work together seamlessly, so attuned to their roles that the line of customers moves at a steady pace while it continues to grow. Mom spoons out portions of the large container of masa to make it easier for Marcella to form the pupusa. After flattening the masa in between her palms, Marcella stuffs it with what seems like an unconscionable amount of beans, meat and cheese. I marvel at how deftly she manages to form the patty with her hands. Her fingers rhythmically work over the masa as if in time to a beat that orchestrates the placement of each pupusa crackling on the cooktop. I ask her how she manages to sustain herself and this venture on a weekly basis.
“My week in preparation for the markets is busy, but not as crazy as last year since I am only doing it every other week. Now I allow myself to have a weekend off every other week, so that's a huge improvement from last year where I worked everyday,” she says. Due to high demand, Ogrodnik also hired help to prepare ingredients. “My helper is a woman named Sonia from El Salvador. She started working with me last year, and has really taken a huge weight off my shoulders”, says Marcella. I utter a quiet prayer of thanks for Sonia and the other people around Marcella who help make Cafe Agnes a biweekly possibility.
After tasting one of the more popular options on her menu, the chicharron pupusa, I immediately felt as if I had been transported back to Central America where these flat rounds of stuffed masa abound. It felt as if I had tasted authenticity. However, Marcella is interested in no such title. “By using and supporting local producers here in Pittsburgh, my food is not authentic or traditional. I would never claim either of those labels. I think my food is a tribute to Salvadoran and Latin American culture.” What a delicious tribute indeed.
For Marcella, it’s all about sourcing locally as much as possible. “When I choose a new ingredient it is normally based [on] a seasonal ingredient that is being highlighted at the farmers markets. For example when it's corn and pepper season we make sweet tamales de elote, or fresh corn and habanada pepper pupusas. Or when beets come into play at the market we will make enchiladas de remolacha.” That’s right. While pupusas take the main stage of the Cafe Agnes menu, Ogrodnik regularly adds other Latin American dishes to the spread. I have witnessed the refreshing and bright notes of her aguas frescas like the sandía con chia (watermelon with chia seeds) and horchata con fresa (spiced rice & almond milk with strawberries). I have been told that her salsa negra, a rich, smoky oil-based sauce infused with garlic, is a must have staple. After devouring her vegan black bean and squash pupusas, I somehow managed to have leftover curtido and salsa roja. These delicious leftovers made encore appearances at breakfast over poached eggs and at lunch atop a farm fresh salad. Thankfully, both items are available for purchase on the Cafe Agnes website whether you choose to indulge in pupusas or not.
You can join the league of loyal pupusa enthusiasts by visiting Cafe Agnes’s stand at the Bloomfield Farmer’s Market on Saturdays and the Squirrel Hill Farmer’s Market on Sundays. A word to the wise: pre-order the frozen pupusa before you plan your next trip. While you can find Marcella preparing them fresh at the market, they often sell out before the day is done. Plus, you’ll be craving another one as soon as you finish the first. Trust me.
For schedule, and to order in advance, go to Café Agnes.
Marcella and her mother, Yanira, at a recent farmers market. Photo by Michael Swensen.
A savory, crispy black bean and squash pupusa in process. Photo by Michael Swensen.
A busy cooking session at a farmers market. Photo by Michael Swensen.
STORY BY JASMINE WILLIAMS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL SWENSEN
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