Meet the Mole Makers of Mole de Mayo—and the 2021 Winner!

Felicidades to la ganadora of this year’s People’s Choice best of the festival mole award: Rosita Camarena of La Esperanza

Updated: July 19, 2021

This year’s Mole de Mayo fans came to Pilsen, Illinois, as they do todos los años, in search of the best mole at Mole de Mayo, Illinois’ nationally recognized annual festival celebrating Mexico’s national dish. They ordered delivery or ate their way up and down 18th Street’s restaurants in this traditionally Mexican neighborhood—and voted for their favorite mole maker.

We have mole news, Mexican-food fans: The votes were tallied and we have a winner!

Drum roll, por favor … The 2021 Mole de Mayo People’s Choice 1st prize was awarded to the beloved restaurant La Esperanza, owned and run with mucho amor by Rosita Camarena, a truly talentosa molera and cocinera.

We caught up with Rosita to congratulate her on this impressive premio. ”Gracias a Dios, we did well with our mole,” she told us. ”People loved it, and we are so grateful to our clients, our longtime ones and our new ones, and to God. I can’t begin to express our gratitude to Mole de Mayo and to everyone who came. Que Dios me los bendigan a todos.”

This year’s festival was especially meaningful, coming as it did during the travails of COVID-19, which hit the restaurant industry hard across the U.S.—and Pilsen’s Mexican restaurants were no exception. ”It was a little different this year because of the pandemic,” said Rosita, ”but I was glad people came so they could see we were still here and that nuestra lucha continues.”

“That’s why we always made sure to say: There are many moles up for the vote on this street. Be sure to go out and try all of them. We wanted to spread the news so that everyone could see what Mole de Mayo is all about and so we could help each other.”

Will La Esperanza’s mole, a family recipe Rosita says she is always working to make even better, compete again in Mole de Mayo 2022? Of course, she says. “Yes! We always are in the Mole de Mayo, and next year we will be out there again, this time on the street with our table and our mole. We will invite everyone to sample our mole and support the festival.

“We will always do our part con mucho amor and with mucho gusto so that people leave really happy,” Rosita adds. “That is our mission. To make people really happy.”

If you live anywhere near Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood and want to sample Rosita’s award-winning mole, here are the details:

Find This Winning Mole at:
La Esperanza
1870 S Blue Island Ave., Pilsen
@Laesperanzaestoficial
312-226-9640

________________________

Published: May 17, 2021

Are you ready for Mole de Mayo Week? Pilsen is. This west Chicago community—so authentic you feel like you’re actually in Mexico—is gearing up to host its 12^th annual mole celebration May 25 to 30, around Memorial Day weekend.

“The thing about mole is that it’s very special for us,” says Atzimba Perez, a Chicago caterer who specializes in pre-Hispanic Mexican cooking, is a regular at the Pilsen Community Market and was a 2019 Best of Mole judge. “We make mole when we have a big celebration in Mexico. If you have a wedding, a baptism, even a funeral—it’s mole. Always mole. Mole is important.”

Mole comes from the word “mix” in nahuatl and is a majestic, yes, mix of chiles, seeds, fruits and more. Some moles (think: Oaxaca’s mole negro) have more than 30 ingredients and there are literally dozens of moles in Mexico. “Every city has its own,” says Augustín Bahena, chef of Pilsen’s Mole Village. ”We each celebrate with mole in our own way that is right for our city, for our family, for the holiday.”

It’s important that people know mole is 100% Mexican, adds Perez: “Some people say mole existed only after Spain arrived in Mexico. It’s not true. Mole uses chiles, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds. These ingredients existed in Mexico before the Spanish came.’’

Kicking off in 2009 as a pequeña fiesta at el Zocalo on Paulina in Pilsen, Mole de Mayo grew and grew until it took over Pilsen’s 18^th Street with more than 100,000 festival goers—there for music, mole and comunidad. In 2019, the festival hit a new attendance high with 130,000. But then in 2020: pandemic.

This Memorial Day week, the fiesta will be smaller, mostly virtual to keep things safe, but Mole de Mayo is happening. Let’s support it and its community of cocineros in the most delicious way possible: with our bellies.

If you live near Chicago, you are invited to order from the festival’s local mole makers, restaurants and small businesses in person or via delivery. Stop by the Mercadito—in person or carry out—to enjoy local artesania from the community. And don’t forget to vote for your favorite in the People’s Choice Mole competition!

Meet 2021’s mole makers of Pilsen cooking for a smaller, but still mighty Mole de Mayo.

La Esperanza Restaurant
Mole Maker: Rosita Camarena, owner

Mole Being Served:
Mole with chicken served with rice, beans, tortillas and a drink: agua fresca. We serve chicken with mole, chilaquiles con mole, and quesadillas con pollo con mole, all with our homemade tortillas. Customers even eat our mole as an appetizer with chips.

Why You Should Order My Mole:
Over the years, we’ve looked for a mole that we could really identify with, and we keep improving it every year. We experimented with the mix of chiles, spices—playing with all the ingredients to make it better. I order my chiles from Mexico and they are so fresh. We finally found this one: this is THE mole for us. It’s the mole of all the moles.

We have always gotten such good feedback and comments about our mole. And I don’t just say that because it’s my mole. Our customers tell us that it’s good. We hope that everyone loves it! I want to hear people tell me that mine reminds them of the mole their grandmother or mother use to make for them.

How I Learned to Make Mole:
My mother is my cooking inspiration. My mother taught me to cook, and my older sister.

Why We Make Mole and Run a Restaurant:
I’ve had this restaurant for 4 years. My inspiration was, to be very honest: God put this in my hands, this opportunity to have a restaurant and work hard to feed others.

Find This Mole at:
La Esperanza
1870 S Blue Island Ave., Pilsen
@Laesperanzaestoficial
312-226-9640

Yvolina’s Tamales
Mole Maker: Marcelina Hernandez, owner

The Mole I’m Serving:
Tamales with three mole variations (green, red, almond) served with rice. Ask for vegan options.

Why You Should Order My Mole:
I prepare everything natural. We make it just the way I learned, and I don’t use lard. I have four moles that I make, including the traditional rojo, which is the mole that my abuela made and I saw her on her knees grinding it at the metate. This is my No. 1 mole. I can never forget it because sesame seeds are one of the flavors that when I grind them to make this mole, I feel the presence of my grandmother in my heart.

How I Learned to Make Mole:
I make the mole I grew up eating. I grew up watching my mother and grandmother, how they made their mole. How they used natural ingredients that our earth gives us. When we take mole to the table, we are serving a true delicacy to the person about to taste it. In our culture, to make a mole is to celebrate: a wedding, a birthday. It’s a joy. It’s a harmony we offer in our culture. It represents my culture and country.

What Mole Means to Me:
Serving mole is very big honor for me. Mole represents my culture, my roots, where I am from. I make the mole I grew up eating. El mole is special because our hands make it with love, with joy. It comes from our indigenous roots and we serve this to you. The ingredients we add, the love from our hands and blood and roots. This represents who I am and where I am from.

Find This Mole at:
Yvolina’s Tamales
814 W. 18th St., Pilsen
312-731-3167
@yvolinastamales

Mole Village
Mole Maker: Agustín Bahena, chef

Mole Being Served:
Mole Guerrero-style with chicken or pork served with rice and beans, plus Guerrero mole-style chilaquiles.

Why You Should Order My Mole:
I respect all of the makers of mole in Mole de Mayo, but people tell me that our mole is great. That’s what they tell us and that makes us very happy. Our mole is from Puebla. We cook it con mucho amor. The aromas and flavors bring up many happy memories for those who eat our mole.

We serve mole many ways: with chicken, pork, in chilaquiles, with arroz Mejicano. I use chile pasilla, ancho, morita, guajillo, arbol—that’s five— for a touch of heat. Our mole also has a touch of something sweet: chocolate, almonds, pepitas, and so many more ingredients: a little cumin, cinnamon.

How I Learned to Make Mole
My mole inspiration is my family. My grandmother and mi mamá taught me to make this.

What Mole Means to Me:
Mole in our pueblo was only eaten for weddings and big feasts. It’s a meal for important occasions. It is very special. It’s a manjar—a delicacy. You may not want to eat it because if you spill a little bit on your shirt, it will stain it. But it’s worth it. No one can resist it.

Find This Mole at:
Mole Village
2302 S. Blue Island Ave.
molevillage.com
773-823-7159

Atzimba’s Catering & Events
Mole Maker: Atzimba Pérez, owner

Mole Being Served:
For Mole de Mayo week, I am going to offer two moles: one is mole ceremonial Michoacano with shredded chicken. I’m also going to make a green mole Michoacano. It has tomatillos, chile serrano, cilantro, almonds, sesame seeds, a little bit of lettuce. For the mole verde, I’m making tamales with espinazo de pork. Order either the verde or the ceremonial mole in tamales or by the pound.

Why You Should Order My Mole:
I have a catering company and we specialize in Mexican pre-Hispanic food: indigenous food. We Mexicans who are descended from indígenas, for us eating is not just a physical need, it is a ritual, for family. Pre-Hispanic food is healthy. It is what we now call organic food. We eat what our ancestors ate. My moles are 100% organic and 100% Mexican. Oh, and put in your mole orders early because I sell out.

How I Learned to Make Mole
My grandmother showed me how to make her mole. My mother cooked, and taught me a little, and my dad who was a carnicero taught me a lot. I had aunts from the rancho and they taught me to cook and to love and respect the earth for all that it gives us. I loved the transformation of ingredients into the final product.

All of us in this world have a gift that God gave us. The gift that God gave me is the passion I have for cooking. I also discovered I have a passion to support causes that help others, and I am a community leader in Chicago, helping small businesses, helping the undocumented. I also sell my food in the Pilsen Community Market.
Please tell everyone: “Atzimba is crazy about cooking and has a passion for cooking.”

Order This Mole From:
Atzimba’s Catering & Events
https://chefatzimba.com/
773-426-1928

Señoritas Cantina
Mole Maker: Chef Bernardino “Bernie“ Ocotl 

Mole Being Served:
Chicken with mole poblano

Why You Should Order My Mole:
The mole we are presenting this year is an authentic mole from Puebla. It’s an original recipe, a receta de la abuela. I learned it from my mother. And my mother learned it from my abuelita. This mole has been in my family for many generations old, and now I am proud to present it at Mole de Mayo.

What Mole Means to Me:
El mole for me is so special because all the states have a different mole. And for me, the mole poblano is the best one of them all.

When Someone Tastes Your Mole, What Do You Hope They Experience?
I want people to taste my mole and to think about their own memories, like I think of my grandmother and mother. I hope it takes them back to the pueblo they grew up in, like this mole takes me back to my humble kitchen, with such good homemade food, in the humble village I grew up. I hope it makes them feel proud of where they come from. I feel proud of where I am from, and I want people to feel that, too.

All the us have different mole recipes, and that is what makes Mole de Mayo so special. So many recipes from people’s abuelas and from veteran chefs who have been making moles for years. We all come and bring our best for everyone to enjoy and experience.

Order This Mole From:
Señoritas Cantina
http://www.senoritascantina.com/
312-929-3762

To learn more about Mole de Mayo, participating restaurants, music, activities and its live and online artisanal Mercadito, visit www.moledemayo.org