Carlos Saint-Hilaire is an entrepreneur who came to the United States to uphold his Dominican roots. His name is behind the renowned Mamajuana Café restaurant, with branches in different states that have captivated the palates of thousands of people.
Saint-Hilaire was born in the Dominican Republic and graduated in Hotel Management, a skill he put into practice when he arrived in New York to work in his uncle’s restaurant, adapting to the restaurant environment in the state.
“After working with my uncle, I opened my own restaurant, then a sandwich franchise, and later a club, Umbrella. Then I decided to settle in New York and start my career with higher-end establishments, and that’s where Mamajuana Café came from, a brand that has developed for 18 years, with a total of 12 branches in different states, and one more that we are about to open.”
Mamajuana Café was born in 2006 in New York with the intention of combining the architecture of the colonial city of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, with a menu based on a Euro-Caribbean fusion. It then expanded to New Jersey, Florida, Texas, and its most recent branch in Philadelphia, with new locations set to open soon.
El Sol Latino Newspaper had the opportunity to speak with Saint-Hilaire, the Business Owner, to learn more about his life, his projects, and the new Mamajuana Café branch in Philadelphia, a unique gastronomic experience deeply rooted in tradition.
What do you like about restaurants as businesses?
What I like and am passionate about is creating, by creating I mean an atmosphere, a concept, a menu, and a brand. I always focused on the area of hospitality, in food and beverages, not so much in sales, marketing, or reservations, because I knew what my line was. It’s the only thing I’ve done in the last 30 years, opening restaurants. I really like the public, to try what we can offer, that’s why Mamajuana Café has been very successful because we focus on making the public the number one critic both in gastronomy and mixology, and in the Caribbean entertainment that cannot be missed and that is present in the music. All this is what I’m passionate about, and that’s why we’ve continued opening branches, I like that challenge.
Mamajuana Café opened in Philadelphia, how did you come to the city and why?
We started looking in Philadelphia before the pandemic, but we didn’t find anything that caught our attention, so we stopped looking. But this time we were invited by the Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, who contacted us to tell us they wanted Mamajuana to open in the city, as they are looking to develop new projects at an accelerated pace.
So, when we talked about numbers and projections, it caught our attention, and we started looking. We liked the area a lot, we were convinced, and from the first day, it was love at first sight. We saw that it is a challenge, but we are sure it will work very well.
Philadelphia has around 250,000 Latinos and other communities. What new proposals does this new restaurant offer?
Based on the Mamajuana Café concept, which is a Euro-Caribbean concept, we decided that in this Philadelphia branch (1000 Frankford Ave #1, Philadelphia, PA 19125), just like in Texas, we would go for a slightly more open, more Mediterranean, healthier, less heavy, less greasy menu, but with good flavor.
The menu includes Mediterranean, Asian, French, and Italian dishes. We have created a more aggressive and open fusion thinking about the ethnic diversity that exists in the city. So far, the people who have tried the food have liked it a lot.
How do you see the business and trade landscape in Philadelphia?
Very promising. From what I have seen through the chamber of commerce, the city is projecting itself incredibly in different industries.
Philly is making itself known extremely fast, and I, as an entrepreneur, see a great future. The city is preparing to profile itself as a Cosmopolitan city on par with Miami, New York, Chicago, and Boston.
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