Photography by Stephen Buchanan
Photography by Stephen Buchanan
Fredy Salmoran came to the United States from Mexico with big dreams and through hard work and enterprise, he made those ambitions come true. He arrived at age 17 in 1999 and started working as a dishwasher right way. Salmoran ended up working various jobs in the kitchen until he became a chef at Giolitti Deli in Annapolis.
The 41-year-old opened Mi Lindo Cancun Grill in Annapolis in 2016 and now he owns four Mexican restaurants, which includes Senor’s Chile in Edgewater (opened 2019), Senor Chile Cantina in Arnold (opened 2021), and a new venture in Severna Park named Senor Chile Café.
“It makes me feel really good,” says Salmoran, brimming with pride.
His latest venture, Senor Chile Café, opened in early winter. It’s on Benfield Boulevard located in the old Rivera’s Tex-Mex and is managed by Salmoran’s son, Fredy, Jr. The restaurant will offer breakfast and coffee-type drinks starting as early as 6 or 7 a.m.
“We will open this location earlier than our other locations,” Fredy, Jr. says. “It’s a high-traffic area and we want to take advantage of that.”
We recently talked to the father and son about the new Severna Park location, what’s likely to be customer favorites, and how they help the community.
Fredy, Jr., how will the Severna Park location compete with other similar area restaurants?
Quality of service. Everyone is working as a team. If you go to any of our locations, you will see teammates helping each other out. You really don’t see people with job titles. We want to make sure we give the best service we can as well as have the best drinks and food. We buy the best quality meats to have very good, quality food. If we are running specials, we want items like pineapples and seafood to be fresh. We do all that.
Do you offer any specials at your new restaurant?
We do. We run monthly specials. We have run two fajita specials and esquites, a traditional Mexican corn dish. I want to have some winter-theme drinks. Maybe a peppermint-inspired drink. Something that goes with cold weather. And coffee-based margaritas. Typically, our margaritas do pretty well.
What kind of customers do you want to attract?
We want to attract casual office people who come in for their lunch breaks. We have families that will come in and eat a lot and spend a lot. We want to expand on that and have all kinds of customers come into our restaurants.
Fredy, Sr., obviously, business is booming. Why did you decide to open another establishment in Severna Park?
We have customers all over Maryland. They asked us to open a new location because they like us. We had an opportunity and I think the local community is going to love us there. We work with the local community, and we want to do more. We help the schools and churches with fundraisers (with donations of food). When the tornado hit Annapolis (in 2021), we gave out over 500 meals. We do anything to help the community.
What will be different about your Severna Park restaurant than the others?
We will have coffee drinks like espressos, lattes, cappuccinos, and macchiato. That will be the difference from our other restaurants.
What do you figure breakfast items will be popular at your Severna Park location?
Yes. Huevos rancheros and chilaquiles. They are typical breakfast foods from Mexico, which are very good. We will also have omelets and breakfast burritos. Some of our dishes are unique, and our recipes are different from other places.
Tell me what you think will be the highlights of your menu.
Tacos and margaritas are very popular. Our margaritas we make from scratch. We make every single one fresh in front of you. We don’t pre-make anything.
When did you realize your restaurants would be successful?
It took three years. It was tough in the beginning. We have been working to make things better and better. We learn from our mistakes. I just want to be successful. We treat our employees as family. We work as a team. We always train our staff to be better with the customers.
Your restaurants have been successful. Why did you decide to open Mi Lindo Cancun Grill in 2016?
I wanted to have my own business. I wanted to have my own dishes and make my own food. Just as important as anything was to pursue better opportunities and help my family.
Photography by Stephen Buchanan
Rancho Fajita Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 bell peppers
- (1 green, 1 red, 1 yellow)
- 1 onion
- 1 tomato
- 3 baby bella mushrooms
- 1 small head of broccoli
- 5 shrimp
- 1–2 boneless skinless
- chicken breasts
- 1 skirt steak (about 1 pound)
- Vegetable oil
- Fajita seasoning
- Salt
Directions
Thinly slice all veggies and meats (except shrimp). Marinate steak and chicken with fajita seasoning, vegetable oil, and salt for at least one half-hour before cooking to enhance the flavor and texture. In a skillet, add 5 teaspoons of oil then start cooking the chicken and meat on high heat until the chicken is cooked to a golden color on both sides. Lower the heat to medium. Add veggies, some more oil, and fajita seasoning, and cook until they start to soften. Regularly stir all the veggies and meat in the skillet. Once they start softening, add shrimp and cook until nice and opaque. Serve in warm tortillas or enjoy as is.
Senor Chile Café 594 Benfield Road, Severna Park | 410-431-3000 | senorschile.com
