MJP –
The fact was the way Manuel Berber’s mom, Ofelia Berber, preferred to cook. Her passion for heat and robust tastes was instrumental in expanding Mi Rancho from a small Hispanic grocery shop in Oakland to a global tortilla distributor.
“We’d suggest going out to a Mexican restaurant, but my dad would always tell us, ‘no, nobody can top your mom’s cooking,'” recounted Manuel, who is now the president and owner of Mi Rancho.
For almost half a century, relatives have recounted long lines of people waiting to get a taste of whatever “Mama Ofi” was preparing at Mi Rancho’s tiny store on the corner of Seventh Street and Broadway. On any given day, those lines may have stretched around the block.
After “Mama Ofi” passed away in 2008, Manuel was worried that he would never have access to all of his mom’s recipes again.
After that, Josefina Samaniego popped into his head.
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The Samaniego family relocated to Oakland, California, from Mexico in the 1970s when Samaniego was a teenager. English was her second language. In addition, she needed employment.
She was employed at Mi Rancho to do dishwashing. Samaniego, though, delighted in spending time on the opposite side of the kitchen, as “Mama Ofi” noted. Cooking was her passion.
Samaniego explained through a translator: “Once she saw I loved doing that, she started showing me all the recipes.” Everything from the salsas to the burritos filled with ground beef and chile verde to the rest of the cuisine. Once I had a strong desire and had some prior knowledge, I was able to pick it up rather fast.
Now, whenever Samaniego considers how Mama Ofi took her in, she becomes upset.
Ofelia was 49 at the time; Samaniego was 19. The teenager, though, caught Ofelia’s eye. Samaniego gave in to her relentless demands for flawless cooking.
“She watched everything I did,” Samaniego.
Manuel, who was 21 years old when this happened, recalls the consequences for his mom in the event that she entered the kitchen and had an unsavory taste.
Josefina was completely captivated, according to Berber. “My mom would storm in and shout, ‘The tomatoes aren’t right! There’s too much salt!'” The problem was immediately apparent to her. The recipes were easy to make, but the flavors were out of this world. Regarding the flavor, she was quite particular.
Photos courtesy of Mi Rancho show the renowned cuisine that was prepared by Ofelia Berber, better known as “Mami Ofi,” and sold in the Oakland grocery store Mi Rancho.
The renowned cuisine provided at the Oakland grocery store Mi Rancho was prepared by chef Ofelia “Mama Ofi” Berber. (Photo courtesy of Mi Rancho).
Berber reported that Ofelia never used large, red, watery tomatoes, but rather little, green tomatillos. Plenty much heat.
“Things you couldn’t typically find back then, like Mexican chiles and spices,” he remarked.
After Samaniego’s success in the kitchen, several members of her family took jobs at Mi Rancho.
That woman was like “family” to Berber, he added. “And she is.”
The organization evolved as time passed. With a sharper focus, Mi Rancho increased tortilla manufacturing. When the family relocated to a larger factory in Oakland in 1997, they shut down the grocery store.
Speaking for Berber, “that broke my dad’s heart,”…
Samaniego started taking Ofelia in for two days a week in 2008 when she fell ill.
Being there for her and being able to assist her “felt good,” she remarked.
By the end of that year, Ofelia had gone away.
The business relocated its manufacturing to Elk Grove in 2021. The original building, which was about 3,000 square feet in the 1930s, has since expanded into a 155,000 square foot factory that cranks out 8–10 million tortillas daily.
Samaniego, who remained employed with the company until its relocation to Elk Grove, expressed his sadness at the event. I couldn’t come since I have to take care of my family. I was killed. Something had to give. For that reason, I felt profound sadness.
Then it hit Berber: What if Samaniego could come back to work for the company for a bit to help recreate Mama Ofi’s long-lost recipes?
According to Berber, Josefina recalled every detail.
Samaniego wasted little time recreating Ofelia’s signature crimson salsa, which she slathered on top of the tamales. A single issue arose.
“People said, ‘It’s way too hot!'” when they taste tested it, according to Berber.
To Mama Ofi’s liking, of course.
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Three varieties—salsa roja, salsa chipotle, and salsa verde—were published by the company after Berber made minor adjustments to the formula to reduce the heat without significantly altering the original.
“I believe that’s why I wed you — the green sauce,” remarked Carol Berber, Manuel’s wife and longstanding partner at Mi Rancho. “This chili verde was the best I’ve ever had.”
You can get these salsas in supermarkets around the globe now.
Along with her boys and mother, who is 93 years old, Samaniego currently resides in Oakland. They frequently have her cooking. If she gets a catering job every once in a while, she gets to make Mama Ofi’s meals again.
“I almost felt like a piece of Ofelia was back with me to have these recipes,” she added. And she’ll feel like she belongs there. I am deeply grateful.
