New Cielo Supermarket fills food gap in old town
Northern neighborhoods in Antioch have been without any grocery stores for months
They came for the pan dulce, freshly made mole, tacos and aguas frescas, but also found a mound of fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meat and much more to choose from.
Visitors to the new Cielo Supermarket on 18th and A streets lined up more than an hour before the store’s soft opening on Wednesday to get a first peek at what some are calling a godsend for the neighborhood. Antioch’s older north side hasn’t had a fullservice grocery store since a Lucky Stores market on 18th Street closed late last year.
A family-owned business, Cielo is now bringing life to the struggling Antioch Square Shopping Center, where Grocery Outlet pulled out more than two years ago and Starbucks shut its doors last year.
Mayor Lamar Thorpe and other city dignitaries were among the hundreds to visit the store early on opening day. Raised in Los Angeles by a Mexican family, the mayor said he found many of the food delights he was used to like “mazapán” peanut candies and marinated meat, but was even more pleased that a full-service grocery had opened again in the north side of town.
“I think it’s important that residents in District 1 have access to fresh food, fruits and vegetables and the many food options that you typically don’t find down there, which Cielo is providing,” he said. “There’s still more that we need to provide with healthy food options north of the highway and elsewhere, but this is a good start.”
Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker, who represents the district where the store is located, has pushed for healthy and affordable food choices in the city’s marginalized neighborhoods. She too said Cielo was a “good start,” though she’d like to see a farmers market come in, too.
“I’m excited to have them in our community,” TorresWalker said.
A steady stream of customers seemed to agree. Michelle Rodriguez ordered tacos and tortas and said she bought a few “random things” to show her support.
“I hope they will succeed and do well in this location,” she said. “I will continue to shop there and support our new Antioch store.”
Lesly Leverman said she appreciated not having to travel to Pittsburg or beyond for her favorite foods.
“I’m Salvadorian, so it’s nice that they have other than just Mexican foods, like cola champagne (soda), pupusas. I’m very, very happy!”
Owners Hector and Fabi
ola Gomez and her parents, Luis and Lupita Ayala, have been remodeling and planning for the store since they purchased the building in February 2020. The family thought the former Grocery Outlet building at 1818 A St. offered “a great opportunity” for them to launch their own business, Fabiola Gomez said.
The Gomezes had both worked at Las Montañas Supermarkets, a small Concord/San Pablo chain, which Hector’s family owns, so together they bring some 30 years of experience in the grocery industry.
But first the family had to gut the decades-old 17,000-square-foot building, then replace all the interior walls, plumbing and electricity and transform it into a modern structure. That required a lot of work, but became a labor of love for the family, Hector Gomez said.
“We wanted a nice, roomy, clean supermarket,” he said. “Customers say they have seen nothing like it. It’s more of a modern look.”
Gomez’s wife designed the entire store, approving every detail “down to every single color and style,” he said.
“It’s very different once you see it,” Fabiola Gomez said, noting her cousin helped her with the design, which includes Day of the Dead Catrina murals. “It feels very welcoming.”
The colorful authentic interior features stations highlighting the store’s various Mexican and Central American specialties: the “panaderia” for fresh pastries, “pasteleria” for homemade cakes, “carniceria” butcher shop with specialty meat, “mariscos” seafood counter, “cremeria” deli with fresh cheese, salsas and other specialties, “jugarita” with juice drinks, and soon, a “tortilleria,” with homemade tortillas.
The heart of the store, though — and its biggest draw so far — is the taqueria, “Cocina de Lupita,” with Lupita Ayala at the helm, cooking up her beloved family recipe of mole, along with a variety of other traditional Latino foods like refried beans, rice, chile verde, pupusas, caldos (soups) and more.
“Everything is made in house,” Fabiola Gomez said. “The mole my mom makes is really delicious.”
“It’s very exciting,” she added. “We made our own little brand, where you can find traditional items but in a place with a modern look.”
Thorpe agreed that the new store offers “a great atmosphere” with a “super selection” of foods.
“The owner is from my mom’s home state of Jalisco, Mexico, so it’s a little taste of home for me,” he said.