Leaving Belfast in 2016, I thought I would be in Mexico for six months. Those were the terms of my expat contract when I was sent to help with financial planning and strategy at an aircraft manufacturer.
Embarrassingly, I did not speak Spanish at the time, as my attention always focused on French, with time living in Paris and Montreal. However, that was no obstacle to the warm welcome I received from the people, despite what the security briefings had warned.
I am fortunate to live in the safe, prosperous state of Querétaro with high foreign direct investment in the aircraft, automotive and food-processing industries.
Part of my warm welcome came at the International Communities Festival, held within 10 days of my arrival in the country, where I was exposed to the vibrant local and international presence, including a strong Irish community led by Tony Wilkes, who has spent 37 years in Mexico after first visiting for the Fifa World Cup in 1986.
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‘Trades are very well paid here compared to anywhere else in the world I have been’
‘I know nothing about running a kitchen . . . it looks like absolute hell – tiring, time consuming and extremely risky’
Time passed, contracts were extended and, ultimately, I stayed in Mexico.
Free time during the pandemic led to gastronomic experimentation and the opening of Irish Bakehouse.
I have always been a baker – family photographs show me as a youngster, aged three, preparing marmalade and pavlova with my aunt and my grandmother. Going commercial was a natural progression and the bakery launched in May, 2021.
The unexpected baking challenge was altitude, with Querétaro sitting at 1.6km elevation in the central highlands of Mexico. Through some tasty trial and error, supported by steely determination and a spreadsheet, I succeeded in overcoming initial disastrous (but still delicious) outcomes to fine-tune the final recipes.
Our ingredients are high quality. Some are imported and that home-baked taste cannot be beaten. Popular items are Guinness soda bread, lemon drizzle cake and Baileys ginger cake. We also host baking classes, Irish whiskey tastings and cocktail experiences, all helping to promote Ireland as a gastronomic destination.
Popular worldwide, Irish pubs are very common in Mexico, but I was fascinated by the idea of demonstrating wider Irish gastronomy, complementing our great whiskey and stout.
On top of the bakery, this led to taking charge of Ireland Gastronomy at Querétaro’s International Communities Festival in April, 2023. It is the largest of its type in the country with 60,000 visitors and 57 countries represented. Selling Irish bread, cakes and gelato, sausage rolls and a full Irish pub, we were awarded Best Stand in Europe for Gastronomy and, completing the double crown for Ireland, the local Irish community also won Best Stand in Europe for Souvenirs.
These wins closed a circle, as the same festival in 2016 was the starting point for this shy Belfast boy on an unexpected adventure in Mexico.
I am an active member of the Irish Mexican Chamber with the aim of promoting strong business links between the two countries and support small, medium and large Irish enterprises to consider Mexico as a business destination.
In March, we will host a weeklong St Patrick’s Irish Cultural Festival Querétaro, celebrating Irish music, dance and gastronomy in various venues across the city and continuing the strong friendship and history between Ireland and Mexico.
To my initial surprise, there is a strong awareness of Ireland in Mexico, visible in the country’s written history and built heritage. At the foot of the Angel of Independence in Mexico City, there is a statue of William Lamport, an Irishman tried and executed by the Spanish Inquisition in 1659, after discovery of his plot to achieve Mexican independence. He is still considered a hero in Mexico and is renowned as the model for the fictional Zorro.
[ The mark of Lamport: The real Zorro was from WexfordOpens in new window ]
Furthermore, there is awareness of St Patrick’s Battalion, who deserted the US army after suffering discrimination and religious prejudice and fought for Mexico during the 1846-48 Mexican-American War. Identifying more strongly with the Mexican side, Los San Patricios, led by John Riley, were fierce fighters and were instrumental in some of the toughest battles in the war.
The battalion still exists as a pipe band in Mexico City where, in Plaza San Jacinto in the south of the city, a bust of John Riley, a gift from the Embassy of Ireland to the people of Mexico, stands opposite a plaque listing names of those who served in the Battalion.
In 2025, we will celebrate 50 years of Ireland-Mexico diplomatic relations, but the history between our two countries dates back hundreds of years and will continue strong into the future, supported by great stout, whiskey and cakes!
- Adam Browne arrived from Belfast in 2016. He lives in Querétaro, Mexico and runs an Irish Bakery. @irishbakehouse, @irishyogimex
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