Our story

Love Pupusas began the same way many meaningful things do: in a family kitchen, passed down through hands that have been cooking for generations.

Our promise

From our home kitchen in San Diego, my mother and I prepare each pupusa the way it’s always been done: each component entirely from scratch and without any preservatives. Our beans are made from scratch (no cans). Our masa is freshly prepared (no mixes, no bags). Every filling starts off as a raw ingredient. This is Salvadorian cooking as it’s meant to be.

I learned how to cook by standing next to my mom in our kitchen in El Salvador.

My mother Martha had a tortilla business, and long before that, she learned everything from her own mother.

My grandparents had a farm in El Salvador where they grew almost everything themselves—beans, coffee, rice. They even made their own soap. That’s where this all comes from.

When we cook today, we carry all of that with us…

A smiling elderly woman with short, dark hair, wearing floral clothing, earrings, and a gold necklace, standing against a soft pink background.
A smiling Yanira, the owner and operator of Love Pupusas, a MEHKO in San Diego wearing a black cap with the words 'Love Pupusas' and a black shirt, standing against a blush background.

I’m Martha, Yanira’s mother

I’m Yanira

Four pieces of pupusas toasting on a black stovetop, with one being lifted by a hand.
Yanira, the owner and operator of Love Pupusas, a MEHKO in San Diego, cooking on a stove, flipping pupusas with a spatula in a kitchen.
Person holding a piece of flatbread or dough in their hands, with a tray of Food in the background.
Martha, the mother of Yanira, owner and operator of Love Pupusas, a MEHKO in San Diego with short brown hair, wearing a floral blouse and a black apron, is smiling and placing food on a tray in a kitchen.
A person is grilling sliced bananas in a black frying pan on a stovetop, using a fork to turn the bananas.
An elderly woman holding a steamed bun filled with chopped vegetables, with a tray of various meat and vegetable dumplings behind her.
Two pieces of battered and fried plantains frying in a frying pan with bubbling oil.

We’re always looking for fresh ingredients, and we make everything from scratch – the way we’ve been taught.

The beans are cooked from dry beans. The chicharrón is made by hand. The vegetables are sliced and cooked the same day you eat them. The curtido and salsas are prepared fresh. We don’t add preservatives or extra flavorings. We don’t use lard or bacon to force flavor—we use herbs, like cilantro, and let the food speak for itself.

People tell me all the time, “I’ve had pupusas before.” And that’s true—you can eat pupusas anywhere. But no one gets my flavors.

That’s because what makes them special isn’t something you can buy. It’s the time you put into cooking. It’s the little things. The tips only grandmothers know. When you have a grandma cooking, it’s never just one dish—it’s the whole meal, the balance of flavors, the care behind it.

Cooking for me has always been about family and hosting. About welcoming people. Sometimes I joke and ask, “Are you coming to visit me, or are you coming for the pupusas?” But the truth is, food is how I show love. The joy comes from seeing people enjoy what I make and knowing they can feel the care I put into it.

That’s why my mom is still here with me—not just as my biggest supporter, but as my business partner. This is something we do together, across generations. I’ve even taught my son-in-law how to make pupusas the way I do. Once you learn this way of cooking, it stays with you.

Ingredients can be simple. They can be inexpensive. What matters is the effort, the patience, and the pride behind them.

I take pride in what I do. I stand behind my food and my name. Everything I make is natural, fresh, and prepared with the same values my mom learned from her mom—and passed on to me.

Love Pupusas exists for one reason: to make people happy through food. To create connection. To offer the kind of comfort and joy that only comes from a home-cooked meal made with love.

That’s what you’re tasting when you eat our pupusas.

With love,
Yanira