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Story and Photos by Sheila Shalhevet (Sheila Shalhevet, a writer and photographer, lives in Israel. Her husband Yosi was the first official representative of Israel to China from 1990 to 1992. They both consider China their "home away from home." Sheila welcomes reader comments at: sheilashal@yahoo.com. View more of her photos at www.sheilashalhevet.com.) (A margarita and some nachos, above, make for a tasteful introduction to Beijing's Mexican Kitchen) What happens when East meets West? Great Mexican food, of course! Nestled in a corner of Pinnacle Plaza in the fast-growing, prosperous suburb of Beijing known as Shunyi is a restaurant called the Mexican Kitchen. Shunyi, about 30 minutes from the center of Beijing depending on where the traffic jams are when you want to travel to this suburb, is a rather eclectic area of gated communities encompassing as varied a population as the United Nations. The architecture and the names of the various developments are more in line with a Disneyland theme. Everyone Loves Lewis and Maggie Maggie -- young, beautiful, bright, fun, captivating, and super-talented. Lewis, a bit older, settled, intelligent, with a sense of humor that never quits and a business acumen that puts lesser men to shame. Both are open and generous, great parents, great hosts…and always there for you. Everyone loves Lewis and Maggie.
(Maggie on her cell phone at the Mexican Kitchen) Liu Yu Ping, known to us all as Maggie, was born 1968 during the Cultural Revolution in the town of Huai Rou, about 50 minutes from Beijing. She is the youngest of four children. Maggie describes her childhood as very normal and says that she was not affected by the Cultural Revolution. Playing Softball for the Jewish Community of Beijing If you knew Maggie as I do, you would know that this dynamic lady would not settle for less than excellent. To top it all off, Maggie was a prize-winning high jumper in high school, and in university she did the penthalon and ran the 100 meters in 13.1 seconds, which was terrific training for her hectic life these days. Her recent sport has been softball on Sunday afternoons, playing for the Pinyan Minyan team of Kehillat Beijing, the Jewish Community of Beijing, but lately she has given up the glove for a tennis racquet. Maggie's dream from the time she was small was to live and work in Beijing. So after completing her studies and getting her degree at Beijing Normal University, she went to work teaching high school English at the Beijing Experimental High School. Lewis Sperber was born in 1942 in the Bronx, New York. He is the oldest of three. He, too, was an outstanding student at the prestigious Stuyvesant High School, City College, and Brooklyn Law School. He is father to six children -- the oldest will be 40 in October and the youngest, Ari, will be five this June - which, he says, is an excellent reason to be in the restaurant business.
(Ari is Maggie and Lewis' youngest child) After spending almost 25 years in the world of Wall Street, the last ten as owner of his own firm in Westport, Connecticut, Lewis was totally burned out. In May 1993 he knew he needed a change. He yearned to teach and was living vicariously through his eldest daughter, who teaches first grade. After
applying for various jobs and being told either he did not have the relevant teaching
credentials or, as in the case of the Crow Indians College, that they had no money
to hire him, in November of 1993, his resume was sent through a friend to China.
Lewis arrived in Beijing and started his new adventure. As luck would have it,
it was also the start of a new life. In September 1996, Lewis was asked to teach one afternoon a week at a high school. The class was great because it was one of the four most advanced English classes in Beijing. Before and after class, Lewis would stop in the teachers' room. As luck would have it, this is the school where Maggie was also an English teacher. One afternoon, Lewis fell asleep in a chair. Maggie, whose mother taught her that people should not sleep uncovered, took her coat and covered Lewis. Lewis lost his heart to Maggie…and the rest is history.
(Maggie and Lewis relaxing at home) In 1994, Lewis met Geoff Carroll, who is the consummate sales professional. Together they created a business of sourcing and wholesaling consumer products in the U.S. The first order was shipped in mid-1996. In 1998 Maggie left teaching to join them for a year to "help out." Neither of the men spoke Mandarin or knew their way efficiently around the reams of red tape. Maggie unwound the tape and never left the business. In 1999 Maggie and Lewis were married in the United States after she converted to Judaism. Their two sons, Jacob, age 7, and Ari, age 5, attend the Chabad Jewish Day School in Beijing. Lewis and Maggie are full-time parents, taking their irresistible boys to after-school activities. This is, indeed, a dynamic duo who manages to get it all done with seeming ease and grace. Diving
into the Restaurant Business Enter
Antoinette and Taal
(The "team" at work at the Mexican Kitchen: Taal, Maggie and Antoinette) Antoinette
was managing a restaurant in Manhattan. Did it not make sense to open the Mexican
restaurant with all this talent available...and even more so since the Indian
restaurant was marginally profitable and the original partner wanted to start
his own Indian restaurant? Taal and Antoinette came to China as Executive Chef
and General Manager, respectively. Mexican Kitchen opened on March 5 and has been
reviewed as offering the best Mexican food in Beijing. This is the best part, aside from knowing Maggie and Lewis. We arrived at the restaurant after fasting the entire day, having been warned the food was not only good but plentiful. Our entourage consisted of Maggie and the boys, my friends Jia and Shi of Ping Yao fame, my dear friend Roberta White, with whom I was staying while in Beijing and who graciously put up with me getting up at 6 in the morning, and Lauren Katz, a student studying Chinese at Qing Hua University and a fellow vegetarian.
(Older brother Jacob inspects the menu) Our first impression of the restaurant after the brown, gloomy, dusty air of Beijing that day was to enter Mexico itself. The colors were of a warm day filled with sunshine. We were surrounded by bright blues, ochres and brick colors of Mexico with simple wood tables and chairs. The entire effect is so comfortable and happy that we were already smiling…and we had not even gotten to the food yet. Tucked into a corner was even a fully-equipped play area for children.
(Antoinette takes Shi's order) We were greeted royally by the beautiful and charming Antoinette and got to meet magnificently handsome Taal. After being seated and served soft drinks or Margaritas that looked like brightly-colored sculptures, we ordered starters and main courses. The homemade tortilla chips and guacamole were to die for.
(Tortilla chips and guacamole "to die for")
When I lived in Beijing in the early 90's, no one even knew what an avocado was and they were no where to be found.
(The cheese quesadillas were piping hot and oozing cheese, too) Along with this we were served Cheese Quesadillas piping hot and oozing cheese. None of this lasted long on the table except the empty plates. Succulent Main Courses! The main courses were succulent. On the table appeared vegetarian fajitas that included a huge assortment of grilled veggies served with warm flour tortillas, sour cream, and salsa - and, of course, Mexican rice and beans. Loren and I quickly moved this to our end of the table, not to be shared with the carnivores.
(Sheila and fellow vegetarian Loren loved the grilled veggies served with warm flour tortillas, sour cream and salsa, and Mexican rice and beans) The others ordered a combination plate of one taco, one enchilada and one chimichanga, overstuffed burritos and the most wonderful visually as well as gastronomically Mexican-spiced rotisserie chicken, again all served with rice and beans.
(The combination plate is another popular item at the Mexican Kitchen) A silence fell over the table as we made our way through the feast. Smiles appeared on our faces and belts were surreptitiously loosened.
(The Mexican-spiced rotisserie chicken looks very good!)
Fried Ice Cream & Flambe of Banana Desserts...Yum! As the table was being cleared and we weighed the possibility of perhaps a cup of cappuccino Antoinette came to the table bearing "gifts' of classic Mexican desserts. We were treated to fried Mexican ice cream, which if you have never had this you have not lived.
(Mexican ice cream is a "sinful concoction" not to be missed) This is a sinful concoction of vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two flour tortillas that had been deep fried and the sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon and finished off with whipped cream.
(The flambe of banana in tequilla on a crepe topped with ice cream and cinnamon is another of the Mexican Kitchen's memorable desserts) Next was a flambé of banana in tequila on a crepe topped with ice cream and cinnamon. Lastly for the faint hearted was a beautiful fruit platter. As spoons engaged in a duel and moved from platter to mouth amid yums and other sounds of delight, we managed to demolish these three desserts. We then sat glassy eyed not able to move.
(Lauren has that satisfied look after her meal at the Mexican Kitchen) So when you're in Beijing and you want to meet some really great people and have a truly memorable meal, grab a cab, go out to Shunyi...and have fun. I will say "adios" until November, when I am once again in Beijing. Until then, I look at the photos, email and talk on the telephone with my friends and have fond memories of a grand day and another perfect visit to "my home away from home."
(The Mexican Kitchen is located in a shopping mall called Pinnacle Plaza in Shunyi)
THE
MEXICAN KITCHEN
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