Centro Restaurant Group / Minneapolis, MN

Guava-licious

Centro Restaurant Group’s Guava Roll has an enthusiastic following in the Twin Cities. Called “revelatory” by Minnesota Monthly magazine, it’s a buttery, gooey cinnamon roll with guava paste and cream cheese frosting.

Available at ViV!r, Centro Restaurant Group’s all-day Mexican breakfast café, and its flagship taco shop Centro, the Guava Roll is so popular it prompted a pre-order take-and-bake service. Guava Rolls are perfect for any occasion (like Thanksgiving breakfast) and for celebrating National Guava Day on the last Sunday in November (Nov. 23).

ViV!r’s executive chef, Jose Alarcon, and its pastry chef, Ngia Xiong, envisioned a Mexican market and bakery serving fresh, creative Mexican small plates, house-baked pastries, breads and grab-and-go deli items. Besides the Guava Roll, customer favorites are Tres Leches Cake, not-your-ordinary Breakfast Tacos and Mexican Hot Chocolate for cold Minnesota days. Centro Restaurant Group Marketing Manager Grace McDonald says along with The Perfect Purée Pink Guava, the ViV!r team uses Passion Fruit Concentrate in its scones.

Aromatic and floral with a smooth, velvety texture, Pink Guava has a sweet-tart taste that’s described as a cross between a pear and a strawberry. Compared to white guava, pink guava has fewer seeds and less sugar and starch. It also has a higher water content than white guava and a bright pink hue that stands out in recipes.

It Takes a Team to Raise a Taco

That’s Centro’s motto and, since it opened six years ago, it’s raised more than a few tacos. Centro is Centro Restaurant Group’s original concept, now with four locations in the Twin Cities. Centro Restaurant Group’s other fast-casual concepts include the burger bar EveryWhen; the flying saucer sandwich shop Hippo Pockets; and the dive-style bar Bina’s.

Culture is Centro Restaurant Group’s keyword. The company prioritizes an upbeat, positive workplace for its employees and a fun, welcoming environment for customers. “We view our relationship with our community as symbiotic — when we nurture our family, our family grows and becomes stronger and thus, helps us better serve our community,” the website reads. Testament to that culture is the longevity of Centro’s employees; some have worked there for so many years they’ve memorized its recipes.

Centro advertises itself for families on the go, happy hours, celebrations or simply hanging out in the relaxed industrial chic space. The playful menu features handcrafted cocktails including frozen margaritas with The Perfect Purée Strawberry, Prickly Pear and El Corazon. Morelos Sour is a signature Centro drink made with bourbon, curacao and The Perfect Purée Chipotle Sour syrup.

The Speed-Scratch Solution

Grace says Centro’s team knew The Perfect Purée was a staple at many restaurants when they opened six years ago and put it on their menu right away. Its integrity matches theirs. “Our team loves to use the product,” she says. “The texture, consistency, quality and flavor are unmatched and really enhance our products. It’s quick and easy and adds so much.”

At a time when higher labor costs are prompting foodservice operators to find creative solutions to product sourcing and development and consumers are more choosy about how and where they spend their money, Grace says there’s more reliance on speed-scratch ingredients. “You can add [The Perfect Purée] to literally anything! Cocktails, baked goods, savory dishes,” she says. “They make everyday items so playful.”