Sampling Greenville, South Carolina's Latinx Flavors

With Bestselling Latina Author, Priscilla Oliveras

TRAVELING HAS ALWAYS been an integral part of my life. I’m the child of a career Navy, Mexican-American father from San Antonio, TX, and a mother born and raised in Puerto Rico. Growing up, I spent a lot of time getting to know new places—thanks to military moves—or falling back in love with places I’d been before during visits with familia.

When the opportunity to visit Greenville came along, I jumped at the chance to explore a new city that has experienced a rejuvenation in recent years, excited for the opportunity to see for myself a city I’d heard so much about.

As a Latina and author of contemporary, Latinx romance novels with familia themes, I’m often asked where I get the inspiration for my books. The answer? From the world around me. Everything I experience or encounter is potential fodder for my characters and plots. What kind of inspiration might I find in Greenville, SC? Based on a January 2019 report by the Hispanic Alliance, in partnership with the Community Foundation of Greenville and Furman University, I knew that 9% of the city’s population is comprised of people from a mix of countries that fall under the colorful Latin American umbrella. This meant a veritable mix of Latinx flavors.

You see, while we share the same basic Spanish language, there are slight differences amongst us based upon our native Latin American country. Variations in language dialects, foods, and even some customs. I usually explain it like this…think of the different regions in the US and the variations we find in something as simple as ordering a carbonated beverage. Is it a soda, a pop, or a Coke? Depends on where we grew up or currently live. In the South, we know tea comes in two options. If you head up north, there’s only one, so you’ll have to add your own sugar if you want sweet tea.

MEXICAN COKE

Interested in seeing how visitors might encounter a taste of our culture in Greenville, my Mami and I headed off with one overriding mission in mind: Find the Latinx sabor (flavor) in the beautiful city that awaited us.

On the way, I spoke with Wilfredo León, founder/editor of the first Spanish-language newspaper in South Carolina, Latino Newspaper. A Greenville resident for over three decades, Wilfredo shared his knowledge of the Latinx community and recommended several restaurants that would help Mami and me achieve our mission.

Our first stop was the Visitor Center on Main Street, where we scooped up maps and literature highlighting points of interest, like the postcard detailing the whimsical scavenger hunt Mice on Main. Over the next two days, I couldn’t resist joining the hunt, snapping selfies of some of my books with the cute bronze mice hidden up and down the street. It’s one of the many activities enticing visitors to a downtown teeming with interesting spots, galleries, restaurants, and cafés. Take a stroll and you’ll find nearly 100 enchanting pieces of art sprinkled across the city as part of the Art in Public Places display. Captivating reminders to slow down, soak in your surroundings, and appreciate the journey. Shaded nooks and benches beckon you to sit and relax. Rooftop bars call to you in the evening with mood music, soft lighting, and tempting beverages while gentle breezes cool the night air.

Let me say, downtown Greenville is an absolute delight. However, Mami and I had a job to do—identify and share with others our Latinx culture, Greenville-style. By now, we were more than ready to get started.

PAPI'S TACOS

Stomachs rumbling and list in hand, we set off for Papi’s Tacos, a downtown favorite located in RiverPlace. Situated near the Swamp Rabbit Splash Track where kids danced in the cool fountains like Gene Kelly in Singin’ in the Rain, Papi’s greeted us with delectable smells reminiscent of my own Papi’s San Antonio Tex-Mex cuisine. Brightly colored murals caught the eye and the softly trilling music had my hips shaking and feet tapping. And the food? #sabroso #tasty

PAPI’S TACOS

The horchata proved a refreshing pick-me-up and the chicken barbacoa soft tacos with fresh corn tortillas and all the works were so deliciosos I polished them off in no time. The mini-fridge packed witha variety of salsas invited us to select at least one, and I couldn’t resist taking home a bag of chips to snack on later.

After a bit more mice hunting, Art-in-Public-Places admiring, and a little writing back at our hotel, it was on to Sacha’s Cafe, a Colombian restaurant that’s been a local staple in Greenville for about two decades, located on Pleasantburg Drive. Mami and I met Wilfredo and his wife for dinner, then wound up staying several hours, enjoying the friendly atmosphere and conversation. The plates of Colombian food arrived weighted down with golden fried arepas, crispy patacones (fried, smashed green plantains), carne de res and pollo (shredded beef and chicken) in a savory sauce, with fresh avocado and more. We ate heartily and watched familias, some with three generations, come and go. People stopped by tables to say hello. Servers greeted patrons by name. In short, like many of our homes, the welcoming vibe of “mi casa es su casa” was alive and well at Sacha’s.

SACHA’S CAFE

PATACONES

After two yummy meals in one day, I knew I’d be exploring the paved, 22-mile-long Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail at some point, joining walkers, joggers, dogs, kids in strollers, and bikers in an effort to work off the scrumptious food I definitely planned to keep sampling.

The next day started with a trip to the city’s West End and one of my favorite places in any city lucky enough to have one…the baseball field. Specifically, Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive, a Boston Red Sox Class-A Affiliate team. The Drive were away that weekend, but fun fact, while this was my first trip to Greenville, Mami actually visited over 50 years ago, in 1969. That spring, her brother (my tío) played his first year of professional baseball with the Red Sox organization, which sent him to Greenville, SC. Funny how life has a way of circling back around sometimes, isn’t it?

FLUOR FIELD AT THE WEST END & SHOELESS JOE JACKSON STATUE

For many Latinxes, baseball is almost a religion; a national pastime that holds a special place in their hearts. It always has been with mi familia, as it was for Santiago, the old Cuban fisherman in Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea. My abuela was the epitome of Santiago. She knew player and team stats, opined about blown saves and key plays. I learned to worship the game of baseball at her knee. In honor of my abuela and tío, Mami and I paid a visit to Shoeless Joe Jackson’s statue, peeked through the ballpark’s gates, and toured the last home Shoeless Joe lived in, now a museum across the street from the park. I pretended I was Joe, or my tío, and took a swing with Joe’s bat—it’s encouraged. If you’re a baseball fan or a history buff, I urge you to visit (and make a donation). There are some big plans for the area surrounding the stadium…plans that have me excited to visit again and catch the Drive in action!

Weekends in the summer, you don’t want to miss the TD Saturday Market, which we swung by after leaving Fluor Field. Naturally, I stopped at the Papi’s Tacos booth—when the food is good, seconds are in order. I’d also been told not to miss the grits nearby at Table 301 Catering & Kitchen’s tent…yum! But I was really saving myself for dinner, so after I went for an afternoon run, Mami and I drove to Woodruff Road.

TD SATURDAY MARKET

There’s a truth universally known (or it should be) that with the perfect mix of delectable menu options, welcoming ambiance, and first-rate customer service, a restaurant is a winner. And when the owners successfully open three locations in eighteen months, they’ve definitely hit it out of the park. That, mis amigos, is exactly what Hector and Ana Batista have done with Tacos and Mas. For me, it was food heaven. A glorious combination of Mexican and Caribbean (Dominican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban) cuisine. A melding of my Mami and Papi’s Latinx cultures under one roof.

TACOS AND MAS

The flavors of the pastelon (a Latinx lasagna layered with sweet plantains, Monterey Jack cheese, and ground beef) exploded on my tongue, reminding me of my abuela’s dish. We ordered a variety of tacos because, well, everything sounded incredible. From the lamb with cucumber-cilantro sauce to the jumbo fried shrimp with guava sauce to the braised chicken with eggplant to the shredded beef with black beans and sweet plantains…they were all sensational! Definitely a spot I’d enjoy revisiting.

PASTELÓN

Of course, our trip wouldn’t have been complete without a little salsa dancing at Abanico Tapas Bar—Restaurant & Music downtown, where the crowd was a bit younger, but fun and friendly. We chatted and danced with those around us before eventually calling it a night. On Sunday, we capped off the visit with one last lunch at Cantinflas Mexican and Vegetarian Cuisine on Main Street, another downtown local favorite.

SALSA DANCING

Later, as we buckled up and pulled away from our hotel—the brand new SpringHill Suites by Marriott—it was easy to imagine one of the characters from my novels heading to Sacha’s or Tacos and Mas for dinner. Stopping at Papi’s Tacos during a bike ride. Reading a book under the shade of a flowering tree at Falls Park on the Reedy. The images made me smile.

FALLS PARK ON THE REEDY

To all those enjoying my recap of the weekend Mami and I sampled our way across the beguiling city of Greenville, SC, I hope that, like us, you take the time to appreciate the beauty around you and the rich flavors found at local restaurants that celebrate our Latinx culture.

¡Bienvenidos a Greenville, buen provecho! Welcome to Greenville, enjoy!

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Priscilla Oliveras is a USA Today bestselling author and 2018 RWA® RITA® double finalist who writes contemporary romance with a Latinx flavor. She and her novels have earned recognition in the Washington Post, New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Redbook, and Publishers Weekly, amongst others. Her next novel, Anchored Hearts, releases May 2021. Find out more at prisoliveras.com.