We were in Mexico City, enjoying coffee and a bite to eat at a corner restaurant just a block off the expansive Parque de Mexico, in the popular Hipódromo, Cuauhtémoc, neighborhood.

The young and athletic hostess Ayse Lang, who had seated us at the sidewalk table of Barrio Café, stopped by to see how our late-morning coffee break was going. 

The answer was, “simply great” – tasty hot coffee, lemonades, ice water, generously-portioned avocado toast and breakfast bagel, toasted sourdough bread – a nourishing respite on a cool day after our 7,000-plus  steps in search of shopping opportunities in the Roma and Condesa neighborhoods.

We complimented her and the owner on the pleasing look of Barrio Café, a study in urban chic with its checkerboarded black and white exterior and blond-and-brick garden club-like interior.

“I am the owner,” she said with a touch of pride and a self-conscious giggle.

Ayse opened Barrio Café about a year ago. Its full name is Barrio Café, Soul Kitchen & Drinks.

Soul Kitchen? 

The food is Nicaraguan, Mexican, and some international selections. And I imagine the soul comes from Ayse, who is Nicaraguan and clearly pours her heart and soul into this venture.

The Nicaraguan dishes on the menu are originals handed down from her family, she explains in flawless and lyrical English. 

And that, too, has a back story.

Ayse and her family emigrated to the United States. They weren’t the impoverished type that Trump loves to hate. But they were just as endangered.

Ayse says her mother basically dumped her on the doorstep of Northern Virginia Community College, coincidentally a school that I attended for a while. After a lifetime of having the help tend to the household chores, Ayse had to learn on her own how to cook, clean, do laundry, pay rent, learn English, assimilate the culture, and basically survive.

From there, her story continued in New York City at a number of prominent eateries, the Culinary Institute of America, and training in the kitchen of a Michelin-starred restaurant.

When two colleagues decided to open an upscale restaurant in Mexico City, Ayse joined them. She came for the opportunity and stayed for the electric and eclectic lifestyle.

A year ago, she struck out on her own – once again – with Barrio Café.

A bold but stressful move.

“At first, I was the hostess, your waiter, your bartender, and the chef,” she said. “If you came here six months ago, you would have seen a very different person. I would take your orders and then cry as I cooked your food.”

There were other challenges: Being a woman and being Nicaraguan, navigating the city bureaucracy, and plunging into a highly competitive business were among them. 

Ayse is a different person today. She has a full staff, full tables, and a fulfilled dream. And she had an extraordinary amount of time to share her story with us. The Google reviews often mention how generous she is with her time. 

She clearly loves Mexico City which has embraced her as well.

As we talked, I couldn’t help but wonder what her life might have been like today if she’d stayed in New York – or any other U.S. city. Would she be facing deportation? Would she be facing ruin as tariff-fueled food prices rise? Would she be treading carefully between friendly foodies and MAGA customers? Would the hate be just too much? 

She doesn’t have to worry about those things. Mexico City is an international, cosmopolitan city that embraces an unfathomable variety of cultures. A Nicaraguan woman still in her twenties can open up a restaurant and reap the pleasures of success without having to look over her shoulder to see if a hulking ICE agent is peering in the window.

Before we left, Ayse came over to give us hugs.

And to confide, “I still don’t know how to do my own laundry.”

But, man, can she cook.