Enjoying yummy baked goods on a white sand beach - paradise

Alicia at Art Fair yummy goodies

“Banana bread, my favourite!  No, wait, apple pie, that’s my favourite.” I say, pointing at the display case at Cafeteando Coffee and Bread. 

Formerly located on Hidalgo Avenue, Alicia Giorello has recently relocated her bakery to the Palapa Leidy on Playa Norte in front of the IxChel condos.  It’s an excellent place to enjoy a freshly baked treat and to people-watch.

We got hooked on Alicia Giorello’s baked goodies at the weekly Isla Mujeres Art Fairs that take place in the winter season. We usually sell a stack of my children’s book at the fair, The Adventures of Thomas the Cat / Las Aventuras de Tomas el Gato, and my display space was frequently beside Alicia and her baked goodies.

Sparky & me at Art Fair selling books

In the beginning, we had willpower, but over time, week after week, our resolve eroded, and we were hooked. Every Thursday night, a container holding two personal-sized loaves of banana bread or two individual apple pies would be carefully placed in the golf cart to be enjoyed later on our upper deck. Wine and apple pie, or banana bread and beer. Yum!

Born in Argentina, Alicia Giorello moved with her two small children from Buenos Aires to Mexico twenty-seven years ago. She has worked and lived in several cities, including Mexico City, Guanajuato, Zacatecas, Puebla, and Acapulco, before moving to Isla Mujeres.

Empanadas

Alicia said, when she was younger, she primarily worked as a waitress, but she was also an ede con. If I understood her explanation correctly, that is what we would call a beer-babe; the scantily-clad, hot-looking young women who supply the sizzle for marketing guy-stuff like beer, cars, motorcycles, and boats. She laughed, adding she was an ede con a long time ago when she was much younger.

Seventeen years ago, while living in Mexico City, she met Daniel Garnica, who was working at the school where her teenage daughter attended classes. Once her children were grown and away from home, she and Daniel moved to Isla Mujeres in 2012 to start a new life. 

Alicia spent the first two years on Isla Mujeres managing different restaurants: the Argentinian Grill on Hidalgo, Roosters Deli, and Roosters on the Go. Then she opened her original Cafeteando Coffee and Bread location on Hidalgo Avenue. Besides the apple pies, banana bread, and brownies, Alicia makes Argentinian empanadas using her grandmother’s special recipe. She also offers smoothies, frapes, and coffee drinks.

Daniel, Jeff, Rhett, and Yoyo at Art Fair

Alicia’s partner, Daniel Garnica, is equally well-known as one of the behind-the-scenes guys at Isla Brewing Company – Cerveza Isla. The island microbrewery, owned by the personable Jeff McGahee and his enchanting wife Rhett, dispenses hand-crafted ales to the thirsty crowds attending the wintertime Art Fairs. 

That’s another one of our weaknesses, microbrewed ales. In a perfect world, the spent grain from the beer could be made into fabulous, wholesome breads by Alicia. Hmmm, maybe we should suggest that to her the next time we are craving a slice of her delicious banana bread.

The view from Cafeteando Coffee and Bread

If you are wandering around the island, take a few minutes to explore Cafeteando Coffee and Bread, located inside the big palapa on North Beach at the end of Hidalgo Avenue. 

You just might get hooked on Alicia’s baked goodies.

Apple Pie and Chocolate Pie

Just leave some for us!

Hasta Luego 

Lynda, Lawrie, Sparky, & Max

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