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For generations, mothers have shown their love through cooking and feeding their families, and this sentiment is particularly strong in the Latino community. Utah’s Salsa Queen in the perfect example of this, and she shares her journey with our podcast hosts Chef Lesli Sommerdorf and Brandon Young in the latest episode of the Taste of Harmons.
Salsa Queen (that is her official name now) is one of this year’s winners of a Harmons Locals Grant. She started her business six years ago when she was a single mother, looking to provide for her seven children. Originally from Monterrey, Mexico, Salsa Queen has been in the United States for many years, but has never forgotten her roots. Her love of cooking made it a natural to sell something that is part of her native culture and Salsa Queen was born.
She recently got her US citizenship, and at that time she legally changed her name to Salsa Queen Zapata. If you’re going to shorten it, she prefers Queen.
Salsa Queen’s products are very fresh, and usually on store shelves within a day of being made. They use chile flakes in their salsas, instead of fresh chiles, because it’s the only way to control the level of heat. Chiles are hotter at different times of the year, and the heat level varies depending on where they are grown, as well as what kind of chiles they are.
Salsa Queen also has an amazing logo, featuring a sugar skull, as a representation both of her culture and sadly, her loss. You’ll have to listen to the podcast to hear the rest of her story, but it is well worth the time spent. And make sure you check out her salsas, available at Harmons.
Salsa Queen has lots of recipes using her salsas, including this amazing recipe for The Queen’s Ceviche.
Harmons believes in Salsa Queen, and once you taste her products, you will, too.
Salsa Queen Zapata
Maharba Zapata started Salsa Queen in 2014, as a single mother looking for a way to provide for her seven children. Six years later Salsa Queen has quickly grown into the largest regional producer of fresh, gourmet salsas. In 2019, she finished her naturalization process and became a legal US Citizen, changing her name to Salsa Queen Zapata at that time.
Salsa Queen immigrated to the United States with her family as a teenager, and before starting her business was a stay-at-home mother. She started filling orders generated from Facebook postings doing all the work from her home kitchen in Magna. She moved from there to farmer’s markets and local stores, and her products can now be found across the Intermountain West.
Chalk Art by James Bennion, Bangerter Crossing
At Harmons, we are lucky to have incredibly talented artists at each store, and we’re sure you’ve seen their amazing chalk art as you wander throughout every location. We’re excited to be able to feature some of their work as the featured art on our podcast blog. This week’s art is by James Bennion, of our Bangerter Crossing location.