I’ve never had two bloody marys that were exactly the same. Some have a crazy or cool garnish, others a unique ingredient or regional preference – but each has been different or special in some way. And each bloody mary reflected the personality of the person making it.
Nowhere is this more true than in the bloody mary creations of Chef Leyla Javadov’s Cafe 21 in San Diego. As I talked to her, a distinct trend emerged: she loves to create, to make new things, to do something different.
“So many people copy each other,” Chef Leyla told me as she described how she created her menu and her drinks, “– nobody wants to be original.” And everything about Chef Leyla and her business is just that – original and unique to her.
Leyla is a powerhouse. She was born in Azerbaijan and immigrated to the United States in 2002 with her husband Emran. The very fact that she is in the restaurant business comes from a tradition of food and cooking in her family.
Growing up in Azerbaijan, her family made their own cheese, bread, and fermented vegetables. Chef Leyla describes her childhood as being defined by “growing up with a family and a community that was always eating food, cooking food, or thinking about food.”
When she moved to the United States, she missed the culture and community of Azerbaijan. So, she decided to tap into the nostalgic connection of her upbringing and started cooking.
She cooked and baked at home, giving her creations to neighbors and family. Her husband, Emran, encouraged her to make cakes and desserts, which they slowly began to sell to local restaurants. Little by little, her food became well known, and she sold more and more. Until finally, she and her husband opened their first restaurant – Cafe 2121.
Chef Leyla’s first restaurant was a natural extension of who she was. The restaurant was named after the address of her the shop, 2121 Adams Ave. The number 21 also happens to be a lucky number and reflects the license plate number for all the cars in the birth city of Leyla’s father in Azerbaijan.
Having studied both economics and design in college, she put both to use in creating a warm and welcoming environment at what is now Cafe 21. Visiting the restaurant, or just seeing images of her drinks and food online, you can tell just how much thought she puts into everything. Every drink is served in a special glass, the outdoor area looks amazing, and the décor is spectacular.
When I asked her about the thought process behind everything, Chef Leyla described herself as an artist, who is “always bringing art to my life, to my house, in my restaurant and in my food.” Her art, like the creations of many immigrants to the United States, intertwines Azerbaijan’s culture with the American spirit.
When it comes to bloody marys, Chef Leyla told me how when she was a child, her family would obsess over tomatoes. They would use the tomatoes to make juice, the tomato skin to flavor other foods, and even make canned tomatoes for neighbors. As she thought about what to include in her restaurant’s menu, she remembered this tradition and intertwined it with the American brunch tradition. So was born, Cafe 21’s unique bloody marys.
Looking at Cafe 21’s bloody marys, Chef Leyla’s artistry is undeniably represented by the cornucopia of colorful drinks, each with wild garnishes that add touches of green, orange, and red. Working with local tomato and pumpkin farms, Chef Leyla created a variety of bloody marys – using tomatillos, yellow tomatoes, and red tomatoes.
She is adamant about making everything from scratch and using only the freshest ingredients.
If you were to stop by Cafe 21 today, you could grab Chef Leyla’s Classic Bloody Mary, which plays on the traditional bloody mary and features Worcestershire, horseradish, salt, pepper, and fresh lemon. Chef Leyla’s newest bloody mary – “The Cure” – uses fermented house spiced beet cabbage juice and with a load of electrolytes due to the brine and salt, offers a perfect cure for a hangover. Their classic bloody marys are served in beautiful (and very instagramable) Greek Goddess glasses and all of Cafe 21’s bloody marys can come with fun extra garnishes by adding grilled Italian prosciutto, peel-and-eat prawns, and/or grilled cheese.
As our conversation wrapped up, Chef Leyla told me that if there is a silver lining to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is that more people are cooking. “Cooking and drinks are my passion,” Chef Leyla explained to me, “and while everyone has this time, it’s so nice to see that people are learning more about food and are seeing the joy of working with fresh ingredients.”
I personally do not have too much experience cooking, but her passion for food was so tangible that it inspired me to cook a bit more. After our conversation, I kept thinking about how she puts so much of this passion into her cooking and drink-making. I thought – “this is exactly the kind of person who I want to make my drink.” Knowledgeable, passionate, and obsessed with creativity and originality.
I realized that Chef Leyla calls herself an artist for a good reason. Just like any of my favorite artists – I can’t wait for what she does next, and she inspires me to do things that I wouldn’t have done otherwise. Maybe I’ll even try my hand at fermenting.
Cafe 21 is open for business, and if you are in San Diego, I highly recommend you stop by. Visit them at cafe-21.com. Or follow them on Instagram at @cafe21sandiego.
Also visit Chef Leyla’s Nature’s Kitchen and Market in person or online at NaturesKitchenandMarket.com. This new shop sells handpicked goods that Chef Leyla travelled the world to find, including organic teas, garnishes, home goods, and the Greek Goddess glasses pictured here.
Diego Carvajal
Contributor
Diego Carvajal is new to the bloody mary game. He has been traveling the U.S. for the past year, sampling bloodys along the way. He dislikes people that refer to themselves as “foodies” and likes his bloody with a lot of bacon. New York raised. Hold the horseradish. Follow him at @everyday.diego.
