Windsor store owner gives comfort food to those who need it most

Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” spoke of the milk of human kindness. But people who know grocery store and taqueria owner Jose Castañeda might well call it the burrito of human kindness.

That’s because for the past decade, Castañeda has been handing out free breakfast burritos to local war veterans and, more recently, to first responders working the devastating wildfires of the past several years. He offers the complimentary comfort food to Windsor high school students achieving graduation, Sonoma County teachers battling budget and pandemic concerns and even to neighborhood residents whose kitchens go dark during power outages.

And for all his largesse, costing him untold thousands of dollars over the decade, Castañeda said he is very grateful.

“Just knowing I can make things a little bit better for somebody, I feel great gratitude that I have the opportunity to do it,” he said. “I’m not changing the world, but it makes me feel good that I can touch people in small, positive ways.”

As owner of Castañeda’s Marketplace on Old Redwood Highway southeast of downtown Windsor, Castañeda has had a challenging year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He can no longer invite his guests to dine in the taqueria space within his 8,500-square-foot palace of fresh produce, home-baked breads, full-service butchery, deli and aisles of exotic beans, grains and imported Mexican food specialties. With special events and group gatherings canceled, his catering jobs are few. And, as always, grocery store profits are razor thin.

Still, he gives back. It’s a point of pride, he explained. As an immigrant from Michoacán, Mexico, and a naturalized U.S. citizen, he feels compelled to contribute to his adopted country.

The inspiration to support vets came in June of 2011, four years after he opened his colorful, mural-adorned business. A customer, the head of the local chapter of Moms of Military Prayer and Support Group, had asked for a donation.

“I dropped breakfast off at the veterans building and chitchatted with a few people, then invited them for breakfast here the following week,” Castañeda recalled. “A couple people showed up. After that, I kind of kept it going, like, ‘We’ll see you next week.’”

Word of mouth and outreach to the VETSConnect program quickly made the Saturday morning meals a hit. After awhile, Castañeda moved past burritos and opened his entire menu for his new friends, encouraging them to enjoy chorizo-egg tacos and chilaquiles in homemade adobo sauce, all for free.

Next, he started hosting Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings and drew some 30 vets at a time for meals like New York steaks, roasted potatoes and mimosas.

“But the meal itself is actually way, way down on their list,” he said. “It’s the camaraderie that has developed over the years, something you can’t find anywhere else. What’s really nice about the group is they all met here and became friends. They look forward to their Saturdays, and some of them tell me this is the highlight of their week.”

Historically, he has served about 15 to 18 vets per week, though it has been quieter these past months as vets shelter in place because of their high-risk status. Having served in the Vietnam or Korean wars, the vets are on average about 75 years old, with the oldest being 92, a gentleman named Harold. Those who do venture out order takeout or linger at a few tables outside.

Though he doesn’t look forward as much to serving firefighters — no fires would be best — Castañeda has put his kitchen to work every time it has been needed since 2017. With September’s Walbridge fire, parts of the Windsor lost power and gas, so he invited local residents to pick up free meals.

“We didn’t have gas either,” he said. “But we set up propane, opened up our kitchen, set up paella pans outside and gave out food to the community. We welcomed everyone. I just knew people were going without warm food, and I didn’t like it.”

When a firefighter lost his home while battling the Walbridge fire, Castañeda set up a fundraiser in the parking lot and dedicated all the proceeds from the paella dinner to be split between the firefighter and Sonoma Family Meal, a nonprofit which feeds people affected by local crises (Heather Irwin, dining editor for Sonoma Media Investments, which owns The Press Democrat, is the founder of Sonoma Family Meal).

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new challenges, certainly. Soon after it began, for three months, he and his team catered free breakfasts and lunches on Mondays and Thursdays for front-line workers at Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital. He also set up a free sanitizer bottle refilling station in front of his market. It was an amenity worth gold at the time.

“For seniors who didn’t want to or couldn’t travel outside their homes, they’d call up and say, ‘Hey, my name is Margie. I live at so-and-so,’” he said. “So we also hand-delivered sanitizer and toilet paper. Every day at 3 p.m. for many weeks I was out there with my wife and my daughter, delivering. We made it a family affair.”

This past month, Castañeda gave away free tacos on Tuesdays to anyone showing they voted. In November, he awarded one of his new Teacher Grants to Carrie Boyce, a local educator who came up with hands-on art and science projects to help her first graders navigate pandemic-forced online learning.

“They’re not million-dollar grants but something so they don’t have to depend on their own resources,” he said. “Teachers can develop an idea or program to engage students during this difficult learning situation. It’s not a lot of money, but that’s not the point. It’s the spark of developing an idea. Here's a few dollars, go and try.”

Sometimes, his employees ask him what he’s doing, giving away so much, Castañeda admitted. “Many have been with us for a long time, 10 to 13 years,” he said. “Every once in awhile, they’ll say, ‘Aren’t you getting paid for this?’”

He’s not. Because there isn’t a lot of money to be made in the grocery business, Castañeda taps into his catering business, Paella Guy, and sets aside 10% of those profits to fund his continuing giveaways. A few of his Facebook followers donate now and then, but Castañeda doesn’t enjoy handling other people’s money, he said. He prefers that anyone wanting to help out simply buy his groceries and restaurant food.

“It is a commitment, and we do take a hit, but I think it's a hit worth taking,” he said. “And the community gives back to me, too. I often think I’m anonymous, and then somebody comes up to me and says, ‘Hey, Mr. Castañeda, thank you.’ It keeps me motivated.”