Some of Philly’s Top Chefs Will Be Going Head-to-Head at Cantina la Martina’s Cemita Festival

Some of Philly’s Top Chefs Will Be Going Head-to-Head at Cantina la Martina’s Cemita Festival

Cantina la Martina will host its fourth annual Cemita Festival on Sunday, August 9, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Garden Center, located across from Mural City Cellars at 1825 Frankford Ave. The event celebrates the cemita, a sandwich that originated in Puebla, Mexico, and will bring together six restaurants from the Philadelphia region, each offering their own interpretation of the dish.

A traditional cemita is served on a sesame-seeded roll with quesillo (Oaxacan cheese), papalo, avocado and a choice of filling. For the festival, participating chefs were invited to reinterpret the sandwich based on their own culinary backgrounds while drawing on traditional elements of the dish.

Participating Restaurants

• Cantina la Martina: Cemita de Lengua — beef tongue in green salsa with calabacita, quesillo and papalo on a cemita roll
• Gilda: El Antonio — housemade green chorizo patty, fried egg, chihuahua cheese and papalo ají verde on a cemita roll
• Vientiane Bistro: Lao Sausage Cemita — Angus beef patty with quesillo, lettuce and a smoky jeow Mak Len tomato sauce on a cemita roll
• Bolo: Tripleta Cemita — pan de cemita with pernil, country ham, bacon, avocado-papalotl mayo and rajas en mojo
• Cinteotl Tamalli: Cemita de Carnitas — slow-cooked carnitas, quesillo, papalo and a homemade sauce on a traditional Puebla-style cemita roll
• Cuatro Soles: Traditional Cemita — breaded chicken milanesa with Oaxaca cheese, avocado, papalo and chipotles or rajas chiles

Cemitas are $16 each and are purchased directly from each vendor. Organizers noted that some vendors will be cash only.

Beverages will be available for purchase from Mural City Cellars, and DJ Cali Rumba will provide music throughout the event.

The festival will also include performances by Danza Tonantzin Cultural, a Mexican folkloric dance group founded by Pamela Plata that focuses on preserving and sharing Mexican dance traditions. The group will perform folkloric dances from the state of Sinaloa, including Pato Asado and Toro Mambo, at 2 p.m. Pay-as-you-go face painting will be available from noon to 4 p.m.

Wilde & Lovely, run by Chris and Liana Calabrese, will be on-site selling Mexican silver jewelry, traditional Colombian hats and accessories, and other vintage items related to Latin culture.

New this year, Cantina la Martina is introducing a Cemita Festival Passport. Guests who purchase all six festival cemitas, along with one beverage from Mural City Cellars, can submit a completed passport for a chance to win a prize package. The prize includes $25 gift cards to Cantina on the Go Jenkintown, Vientiane Bistro, Gilda and Bolo; a bottle of Mural City Cellars rosé; two complimentary glasses of wine for a future visit to Mural City Cellars; and a jar of Sunny’s Chili Oil from Vientiane Bistro. According to organizers, the winner does not need to be present to win.

“We love sharing the stories behind Mexican cuisine while creating opportunities to learn from and collaborate with chefs from different cultures,” said Chef Dionicio Jiménez, chef and owner of Cantina la Martina, Cantina on the Go and La Baja. Jiménez said the festival combines those interests by honoring a Puebla staple while inviting other chefs to interpret it through their own culinary traditions.