The first thing you might notice when walking into Mi Pueblo Mexican Bakery is the aroma of freshly baked breads and burritos.

The next thing: laughter or friendly conversation coming from the store’s dining area, where friends gather for lunch or a quick snack after work.

On a recent Friday, two Spanish-speaking men sat at a table eating their lunch and laughing, while a woman ordered her meal in English and customers from various backgrounds shopped the market.

While Mi Pueblo sells a variety of Mexican foods, you’ll find this Twin Falls store has become a gathering place for many cultures. You’ll likely see longtime Magic Valley residents, Russians, Bhutanese and any number of other immigrant groups shopping or eating here for one of at least three reasons, said manager Aaron Nieto: because they like the food, come to share a meal with friends, or are trying to find ingredients similar to their own culture’s.

“We get a lot of Asians who come in,” he said. “We carry rare spices, so a lot of Bosnians and Russians will come in. They’re trying to bring back some of their culture. We get a lot of refugees, some from Ethiopia.”

Mi Pueblo, owned by Nieto and his family, has been doing business in their 11,000-square-foot store near Filer Avenue and Washington Street North since 2007. Before that, they owned a 700-square-foot store downtown Twin Falls, he said. The family also operates stores in Bellevue, Buhl and Jerome.

Though the economy has sometimes slowed business, Nieto said, Mi Pueblo still retains a following of returning and new customers.

Twin Falls resident Rick Dykes, who was at the store July 13 looking for a spice, is one of them.

“If anyone has it, it’ll be Mi Pueblo,” he said. READ MORE

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