I’ve long admired women entrepreneurs. They embody a unique brand of enviable bravado and swagger. Willing to put financial, emotional and even familial resources on the line for something they believe in. Women business owners bank on the currency of their skills, experience and passion. They are willing to risk what others are not.
As Lisa, Jessica, and Jeff set out on their new entrepreneurial adventure with Annapolis Moms Media, I’ve thought often recently of their bravery in the face of what must feel daunting yet exciting. My mind turns to other moms who’ve done the same in our community.
One of my favorites is Angel Fajardo, from Botanas Fajardo. I caught up with her this month on Day 1 of the relaunch of her eatery at Severn Sailing Association in Annapolis. Botanas means “snack” in Spanish. Hers is a story that’s more a full-size meal starting bravely and ending deliciously.
Angel was born in California. She can call it her birthplace, but not really her home because, born as she was into a Navy family, she only lived in any given place for a short while. She met her husband Martin as a sixteen-year-old while her father was stationed in Philadelphia. He played softball against her father’s team and would order a Diet Coke and bran muffin from the McDonald’s where Angel worked. Although she claims he wasn’t her type, they fell in love and dated for several months until Angel’s father received orders that sent the family to Oregon. Martin waved goodbye, gifting Angel a tape of Babyface singing, “When Can I See You Again”. There were tears. There were a few months in Oregon. Then there was a wedding in Chicago, where Martin was stationed. Just seventeen, but headstrong and deeply in love, Angel began the adventure that led her to Annapolis and her business as a food entrepreneur.
Since those days in Chicago, Angel and Martin built a family with three children and lived all over the world. Stints on the east and west coasts were followed by time in places as disparate as Italy, Tennessee, Hawaii, Texas, and Annapolis. Amid these moves, not to mention all the other twists and curves of life, one thing remained constant: Angel’s love for cooking and serving delicious food.
Angel didn’t attend a cooking school but has always felt a passion for cookery. Although her husband is Mexican, her food is less about origin and more about flavor. “I really love cooking diverse foods. I don’t cook from traditional recipes: I cook what I like, in ways that taste good and I prepare and serve what makes me happy,” she said.
While pregnant with her daughter Amanda, Angel craved queso, a smooth, velvety cheese dip common to Tex-Mex cuisine. “We lived in Tennessee, and I would go to the store and get one container of queso dip for the family and one for myself. The habit became expensive, so I learned how to make a version at home.” Soon, her queso became quite famous. She gifted it to family and friends. Her husband shared it with colleagues. Eventually, Angel was convinced to sell it. In the meantime, the family moved to Hawaii into a military community where cottage industries are common. Not just a lifestyle or a familiar aspect of the local culture, these efforts provide supplemental income for creatives and entrepreneurs. Angel began making gallons of her queso recipe, traveling with Martin and their kids to sell it at area bases. “We started with a small turkey fryer, hand-frying our own chips and selling queso, chips, and salsa from our minivan. Pretty soon, long lines were waiting for us at area markets.”
While the family was stationed in Hawaii, Angel’s daughter Amanda, who has epilepsy, had an hour-long seizure, followed by countless others. Tests at Stanford indicated she would need life-saving surgery, so the family closed their food business and moved to Texas. At this point, Angel thought her foray into food entrepreneurship was a hobby that had come to an end. Eventually, the family made yet another move, and Angel left her food adventures behind.
This time they landed in Annapolis military housing near United States Naval Academy, where they were assigned to a townhome that formerly housed a larger family. Two townhouses were opened to create one home with two of everything. “When Martin saw we had two kitchens, he told me to not get any ideas, but many of the families who enjoyed our food in Hawaii were here in Annapolis, and we quickly started selling our queso and salsas again.”
The business grew, and soon Angel and Martin had to decide their next steps. Should they rent or purchase a kitchen facility? Should this be a family business or remain a delicious hobby? Serendipitously, Severn Sailing Association (SSA) contacted the couple. They signed an agreement to sell a small menu of grab-and-go meals from the Association’s marina in Eastport. It was an instant success. Lines formed for fresh and simple poke, homemade soups, hand-wrapped tamales, and jalapeno poppers. The model worked – until it didn’t.
Amanda’s epilepsy worsened. Angel wasn’t sure what each day would bring. She would have to leave work for hospital visits and extended stays. At the same time, one son was graduating high school, and another was leaving for his service in the Army. “I’m having a sick kid seizing, going into the ER or the hospital. It was hard to work and take care of her. I would sit down to write my plan, then Amanda would have a seizure. I couldn’t take any advance orders, I didn’t know what my day or week was like, and she was getting worse. So, we gave two months’ notice and closed the business.”
Her closing was a sad day for hundreds of customers who came weekly for her tasty, fresh, homemade food. That’s why, when Botanas Fajardo was invited to the Heroes Pub Holiday Market off Ridgely Avenue in West Annapolis this past December, folks lined up to buy more than 1000 tamales in less than 45 minutes. “We were overwhelmed by the support. It was like we never stopped, and the community was there for us and for our food.”
Angel and Martin decided to reopen for business and found a home once again at Severn Sailing Association. It’s a grand arrangement: SSA members and Botanas Fajardo’s customers get easy access to Angel’s fresh food and catering. The one caveat is that non-member customers can’t linger on the property for a walkabout or picnic. This is a small price to pay for Angel and Martin’s food.
Although Botanas Fajardo is currently open only on Sundays with a menu limited to soups, dips, and those famous chips, in the sailing season they will have consistent hours during the week and weekends. Starting this April, they’ll debut their full menu of authentic poke, vegan burritos, salsas, tamales, tacos, and more. Martin and Angel are the company’s only employees, and they personally make each dish, with help from Amanda, of course. Customers come for her queso, but stay for the crema verde, tantalizing with the scents and flavors of cilantro, jalapeno pepper, and her secret sauce. The vegan burrito has absolutely nothing a meat lover might miss, including homemade cashew cream, cilantro, jalapeno, avocado, red rice, beans, and her signature salsa. Dessert includes tres leches cake, which she makes in sheets, 100% from scratch, with fresh strawberries and blueberries. Occasionally she offers a chocolate version with chocolate whipped cream, raspberries, and chocolate shavings, or a pineapple one made with toasted coconut.
This spring, Martin will retire from the Navy and looks forward to working on Botanas Fajardo projects full-time. “At first, the idea of Martin retiring was scary. We’ve been a Navy family for more than thirty years. But we love what we do. And we simply want to do what we love.”
If you want to fall in love with a variety of snacks, soups, and grab-and-go items you can’t find anywhere else in Annapolis, visit Botanas Fajardo at Severn Sailing Association, 311 First Street, Annapolis, Maryland. Park on the street, not on SSA property. Customers are requested to not loiter on SSA grounds or to park in private parking lots.
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