Welder by day, Mexican restaurateur by evening: he goes into business despite his temporary status

welcome In Quebec – Latino workers are increasingly establishing themselves in our regions to the point of changing the image of this corner of the country. This summer, Le Journal went to meet them for a special report.

PLESSISVILLE | As if being a full-time welder wasn't enough, a temp worker from Mexico became the owner of a small restaurant.

José Alfredo Patlan, 44, is one of 1,680 welders hired abroad by a Quebec employer in 2023.

But he undoubtedly spends 70 hours a week between the Plecitec factory, a machinery parts manufacturer, and his Mexican restaurant, Los Chilanguitas.

“It's been a long day,” the 44-year-old welder-restorer admits in Spanish.

The future in this area

With his mohawk and the words “punk rock” tattooed on his knuckles, the Mexican stood out in Plessisville, Centre-du-Quebec.

However, it was in this small town of 6,500 that he decided to invest his savings with his family.

Determined to become a permanent resident, he bought a business in 2023 despite his temporary immigrant status and began learning French.

“If my employer doesn't renew my contract, I say to myself: 'Oh, I have to sell everything and go back to Mexico,'” he says with a laugh, rarely sitting down during the day.

Around him, the Dart paperPinatas and a giant Mexican flag remind him of his country of origin.

A popular success

Business has been good so far.

Its establishment was particularly popular with agricultural workers and foreign workers in surrounding industries.

“Thursday evening [jour de paie]Pierre Fortier, Mayor of the United City of Plessisville, commented.

Football game evenings with farm workers at the Mexican restaurant Los Chilangitas are particularly popular.

Courtesy Los Chilanguitas

Immigrants and Quebecers alike gravitate to simple Mexican cuisine beyond traditional tacos.

The menu includes pozole (meat and corn broth), sopes (corn tortillas with meat) or horchata (a rice and cinnamon drink).

Gorditas and sopes, classics of Mexican gastronomy.

Courtesy Los Chilanguitas

An antidepressant

Nancy Santos, Jose's wife, is in the kitchen.

“Not every man here can cook like me. They don't have the time, or they don't know,” she asserts.

Jose Alfredo Patlan, a welder-restorer, is served by his wife, cook Nancy Santos, and his daughter, Amber.

Photo by Nora T. LaMontagne

The couple also brings in meat from Montreal, unable to find the cuts they need for their cooking from butchers in the area.

Arriving in Quebec some time after her husband, Nancy overcomes the depression and loneliness of the first months thanks to the restaurant.

“There aren't many people in the village,” marvels Jose Alfredo Patlan, used to the hustle and bustle of Mexico City.

One thing is for sure, its restaurant will help add a little life and flavor to the main street.

Jose Alfredo Patlan

• Country of origin: Mexico
• In Quebec from 2020
• Status: Temporary Foreign Worker
• “We're on the most Latina street in the whole MRC! She's like a little Jean-Talon.