IMLAY CITY, MI — Each time Samuel Galiana visits Mexico, he leaves with new ideas for the flavor of/flavors at his restaurant.
Galiana, owner and operator of Jalisco Deli, serves the residents of Imlay City with his restaurant/market in the downtown area.
On the restaurant side, everything goes through either him or his sister, Luisana, who is the kitchen manager.
Jalisco Deli uses all fresh ingredients for each of its dishes on and off the menu.
Onion, cilantro, lettuce is cut daily. Salsas and beans are freshly made daily.
“That’s our signature right there,” Galiana said.
Jalisco Deli opened in 2001, but it changed ownership in 2014 when Galiana took over.
That fresh and fast taste is what many migrant workers in the Imlay City community have come to know from Jalisco Deli, Galiana said.
“Everybody around us is on a tight schedule,” she said.
Galiana visits Mexico every three years or so to visit family.
While he’s there, he pays close attention to the style of food that he’s eating. His father-in-law lives in Jalisco, the Mexican state that shares a name with the deli.
“I try to mix it and incorporate it into what we are doing,” Galiana said. “… In Hispanic culture, there’s a lot of pride.”
That same pride is what drives Galiana to wake up at 3:30 a.m. on Sundays to prep menudo, barbacoa and carnitas by the pound.
In the market, Jalisco Deli offers traditional Mexican products that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to find in eastern Lapeer County — things like Sidral Mundet Apple Soda, specialty beans, rice and cookies.
Galiana also prides himself on giving back to the Imlay City community.
Not only does he sponsor local sports teams with 10% of all sales, but he employs high schoolers who are getting their start in the workplace. But you have to have good grades to work at Jalisco Deli.
Galiana never graduated high school, so he’s proud to celebrate that 17 students who have worked at the deli have graduated in the past nine years.
Jalisco Deli is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is located at 134 E. 3rd Street in downtown Imlay City.