Cielito Offers a Taste of Home
Diego Alcantar always knew there was something special about his mother Maria Gerbacio’s cooking. When he was a freshman in high school, he came to her with a business proposal.
“I said to her, ‘We have to make something and I’ll put it on Facebook,’” he recently recalled. “‘I’ll tell all my friends. We’ll offer free delivery. We’ll do anything we can, as long as people try your food.’”
They cooked together every weekend out of their home kitchen in Central Falls and sold things like tacos, empanadas and pambazo: a soft roll dipped in guajillo red salsa, fried and then filled with refried beans, shredded chicken, carrots, potatoes, thinly sliced cabbage, “for a nice crunch,” and topped with crema and cotija.
“It was the food of my childhood. People were dying for it,” said Alcantar, who grew up in Tuxpan, a small village in the Mexican state of Michoacán until he was 11 years old. “We’ve been working on these concepts for a lot longer than people realize.”
In the landscape of the restaurant industry, Mexican cuisine is incredibly popular, from fast counter-service burritos and tacos to fine dining. Alcantar said his food stands out because of his mother’s influence; it’s so true to the region and even the village where he grew up.
“We always try to remind ourselves who we are and where we came from.”
FAST-FORWARD
On a recent Thursday afternoon in downtown Providence, Alcantar, now 28, stands in the main dining room of Cielito, his new restaurant.
The space, at 186 Union Street, still glows with the success of Oberlin, which has since moved across Union Street, but it has a new energy. The basic layout is the same with a brighter color scheme, dishware imported from Mexico, an impressive collection of tequilas and mezcals and a large mural behind the bar depicting brightly colored gladiolus flowers that grow in abundance in Michoacán, Alcantar explains.
“It’s intimate; it’s very nice,” he adds. “It was good to have everything all set up and then to add our own touches.” Mexican singer-songwriter Fey blares from the overhead sound system as Alcantar gives a quick tour of the restaurant.
“Mexican food is meant to be a celebration,” he says, passing through the open kitchen. “The music will be playing all the time.”
After showing me around, Alcantar pulls a stool up to the new bar made of reclaimed wood from California. The head of his beverage service, Sam Estrada, sits to his left.
“Would you like a margarita?” Alcantar asks, nodding to Estrada, who jumps behind the bar. “We’ll make you a nice Michoacán margarita with corn mezcal, agave syrup and lime. It’s very simple and very good.”
REWIND
After slinging food on social media while he was in high school, Alcantar and his mother took different culinary paths for a time. Alcantar cooked at Avenue N in Providence, working his way up to executive sous chef, and his mom spent time in various kitchens in and around Central Falls. Eventually, they went back to their roots. With Alcantar at the helm, they opened Tuxpan Taqueria in December 2022.
It paid off.
As has much been reported, Tuxpan was a semifinalist for the prestigious “Best New Restaurant” category in the 2024 James Beard Awards, which might typically overlook a 450-square-foot taco joint (not to mention pambazo). The food speaks for itself, but Alcantar says his vision was always to honor the cuisine he grew up with in Michoacán.
“When we created Tuxpan, it’s all based in the childhood we had back in Mexico,” he adds. “You see a menu that has 13 items on it, but they’re all signature. That’s my childhood.”
Deciding to open the new restaurant came on the heels of the James Beard nomination, but Alcantar says having a larger, sit-down restaurant was always the plan. His mother will stay on at Tuxpan as the chef with his brother Eddi managing and Alcantar will mostly focus on Cielito as executive chef and owner.
“My mom has been my partner on all of this since day one,” Alcantar says. “She’s the one who’s always pushing me, telling me to go for it.”
Gerbacio, who helped design the menu at Cielito, has always believed in her son’s abilities in the kitchen.
“He was born to be an outstanding chef,” she said in a recent email. “As his mother, I have noticed that his shine is authentic and unique. It’s incredible to see what he already is and will continue to be, which is a great chef.”
The new venture might also provide some needed space. Working in a small kitchen most days with your mom can be a little stressful at times, Alcantar admits.
“I wouldn’t recommend just anyone to do it,” he laughs. “But my family, we are different. We are very united. No matter what, we are united.”
NEW VISION, SAME PHILOSOPHY
Paper still covers the windows of Cielito at the time of this interview, but Alcantar is gearing up for a soft opening in just a few days. The menu will be in the same spirit as Tuxpan, but more refined. He lights up when discussing his food.
“One of the signature dishes will be a nice mojarra,” he says, sitting behind the bar. “It’s a type of fish, a whole fish that can be fried, it can be grilled. Ours will be wrapped in a banana leaf. It will be seasoned, seared, stuffed with onions, tomato, peppers and all of that is going to cook together. The flavor of the banana leaf is going to come through so nicely.”
Main dishes include a French-cut pork chop cooked in green tomatillo salsa with roasted local potatoes, zucchini and charred cherry tomatoes, along with veggie enchiladas in a green mole sauce that’s “simple, yet packed with flavor.” Other menu items will include an octopus tostada, swordfish and shrimp empanadas and a chile ancho appetizer that’s slightly fried and stuffed with seasoned ground beef, tomato, onion, raisins and topped with toasted almonds. For the first time in history, according to Alcantar, Cielito will also bring Mexican wine to the state of Rhode Island.
Alcantar says he’s thrilled to be in downtown Providence and excited to get more of his food out into the world, but there’s also a tremendous amount of pressure in opening a new restaurant.
“I like to take a chance,” he adds, taking a sip of margarita. “Whether it’s good or bad, I like to take the chance.”
Eric C. Voorhis is a Providence-based journalist who likes to find himself in the middle of stories about food, arts and culture. A native of Long Island, he’s now on a mission to find the best food in New England and hang out with the people who make it.
Cielito
186 Union St., Providence
@cielitomexicankitchen
