Rob Sanchez Jr. has long had an entrepreneurial spirit. He had owned an independent record store on 33rd and National and had plans to open an additional record store/café/coffee shop. After looking into the licensing, permits, maintenance and other issues involved with a brick-and-mortar location, he decided that a pop-up coffee bar might be the way to go. He debuted Ay! Chihuahua last July at the South Milwaukee Farmers Market and has built a following with his unique Mexican coffee drinks.
Sanchez worked as a barista at several coffee shops, most recently Bella Caffe in the Third Ward, where he’s been slinging java drinks for eight years. He got to know Bella Caffe founder Tim Talsky and his sister/manager, Mary Talsky, quite well. Both Talsky siblings died within the last five years, but at one time Mary had operated a separate coffee stand. She donated the grinder, espresso machine and coffee maker used at the stand to Sanchez and encouraged him to start his own business. With that equipment, along with his savings, he got everything he needed to launch Ay! Chihuahua. This past winter, he brought Ay! Chihuahua to Mr. V’s Barberia barbershop, where one of his sons works.
Although he was raised around German shepherds, Sanchez acquired a Chihuahua named Gordito (Spanish for little and fat) from a neighbor, and he took a liking to the breed. Today, he has a Chihuahua named Rayna. “I’m a big Chihuahua lover, and Ay! Chihuahua is also a Mexican phrase (for expressing surprise), so it ties in with the Mexican theme,” he says.
Through Waukesha-based Cafe de Arts Roasters, Sanchez sources coffee grown on a woman-owned farm in the Chiapas state, Mexico. It’s a medium-dark roast that has a smooth flavor, with chocolate notes and low acidy. Sanchez uses it for regular drip coffee and in his signature drinks. The Horchata Latte, which he tested at Bella Caffe before bringing it to the South Milwaukee Farmers Market, includes horchata, a milky drink made with ground rice and cinnamon. “Instead of mocha powder, I use horchata and mix that with espresso, soy milk and a hint of caramel,” he says. The drink is rich and frothy, with a hint of sweetness.
Most Mexican mochas are made with chocolate with a little pepper, but Sanchez skips the pepper and uses specific chocolate he gets from a Mexican grocer. The Ay! Chihuahua latte has chocolate and a hint of pepper to give a little kick, topped off with a cinnamon stick.
Sanchez is experimenting with recipes like breakfast burritos, so he can add food to the Ay! Chihuahua offerings. The burritos are topped with his homemade salsa that’s available by the jar for purchase at the Ay! Chihuahua stand. He also makes traditional Mexican sugar cookies decorated with a Chihuahua shape.
Look for Ay! Chihuahua this summer at the South Milwaukee Farmers Market (11th and Milwaukee avenues, South Milwaukee), held every Thursday from 3 to 7 p.m.; the Mercado Magic makers market, held weekends at Botanica Galactica (719 S. Fifth St.) and the June 22 Garden District Farmers Markets. He does catering for special events, weddings and funerals.
“This experience has been really good,” Sanchez says. “I enjoy meeting people, and they’re enjoying this Mexican coffee.”
For more information, visit aychihuahuacoffee.com.
