The Regulars: Glaisma Perez Silva

CBG, Hot Suppa

By Sara Hogan and Jessie Banhazl

Age: 65

Regular Since: 2020

Favorite Drink(s): stout, boozy coffee

We’re Sara and Jessie, and we’re excited to present “The Regulars,” a monthly column profiling interesting bar regulars from around Maine. As bar regulars ourselves, we have a huge appreciation for the people we’ve met while on the town. The life stories and interesting characters we’ve met over the years inspired us to write this column.

For our first feature, we stuck close to home. Glaisma is a regular of CBG, where Jessie is a bartender, and Hot Suppa, where Sara is a bartender and cook. Glaisma, a special education teacher and radio host, is a self-declared “Congress Street regular.”

CBG is a wood-paneled, low-key bar specializing in comfort food and throwback drinks. A large poster of a scene from the movie “The Big Lebowski” hangs on the wall, along with taxidermy and vintage bar clocks, none of which tell the correct time. It’s a vibe.

Hot Suppa is a small, lively breakfast and lunch spot on Congress Street serving up southern cuisine and brunch cocktails. The décor is “your artsy aunt who loves New Orleans.” This spot is hopping, but it’s worth the wait because the food is that good.

Lets meet Glaisma:

Where are you from originally?

I am from Puerto Rico. I came to the United States recruited as a teacher in the 80s. I lived in Connecticut for 27 years. At some point I said I wanted a change, so I moved to central Massachusetts but was working in rural areas, which is challenging for me. From there, here (Portland) is my last stop. I’m going to retire soon.

How long have you lived in Portland?

I came here during Covid in April 2020. I relocated here because of a job, and by the grace of the divinity I found a place… I fill out an application and I didn’t know where I was moving. As businesses started to open, I started to discover what is here. I am a city person, so I felt like whoa, I came to the right place.

What is your occupation?

I was a special education teacher for 20 years. I also worked in higher education. When I entered university in 1975, there was the first mandated public law to integrate children with disabilities into the mainstream. Until that time, they were in a corner in the school in the worst place. They didn’t have teachers prepared to deal with this population, so I was recruited and fell into the work. I am so grateful that I did. I call it my mission of life.

Tell us about your radio show:

I have experience doing radio shows for 20 years. I was a co-host for a radio show for NPR called Tertulia. I also had a talk show called From Woman to Woman (Mujer a Mujer) with Glaisma, interviewing women who were doing different things in their society.

I did some search on the local radio when I moved here-no Latino show. I wrote to the program director of WMPG and asked if I could do a Spanish radio show. Next week will be the last one because I’m going to retire professionally, but my mind won’t stop- that’s something that I cannot deny, creating always. I’m going to retire from, as I call it, “institutional slavery.” I look back when I moved here, I did not realize that it was time for retirement, and I was not ready mentally. Now I’m 65. I’m done. I paid my dues. I’m celebrating now.

At Hot Suppa, you’ve told the staff that you’re over men. Are you going to date during retirement?

Oh yes, I’m ready for that. I’m looking for a sugar granddaddy that allows me to have a good life because retirement is another stage. I was a single mother by choice. My son is 40. He’s my contribution to society. I work to have a good life. I eat out every day. Fuck it, because when I must eat through a tube, I’ll be able to dream I am having fish and chips from CBG. Bring on my sugar grandaddy!

What brought you to these bars and why do you keep going back?

Every place that I go, I have a routine. At Hot Suppa I have a special coffee and only they know the recipe, don’t share! At Local 188 I have a mojito. I get there and they are preparing it already. At El Corazon, the bartender Abby mixes Rumchata with horchata and rum. We put that name to that drink, The Epiphany. At CBG, it’s a stout. These are my rituals.

You gifted a turtle figurine to the owners of CBG. What is the meaning of the turtle?

I became aware that the turtle doesn’t walk backwards. They just move forward and even if they find an obstacle, they find a way around but never backwards. For many years, anyone that I knew that start a new journey in life I gave a turtle trinket. When I started doing that, people started giving me turtles. My office is full of turtles, some students called me the “turtle lady.” During COVID, CBG had just opened. The owners were working very hard and the turtle is a symbol of progress. I got that turtle and I brought it to [the owner] Mike Barbuto with a recipe booklet of spells to bring people in. I’m witchy, but a good witchy! I came with good intentions, but I think I scared him, so the turtle stayed on the bar. I think it’s working, though.

Who is your favorite bartender?

You (Jessie), my dear, you are a highlight at CBG. Because remember, when I started coming here two years ago, there were only male workers. Then you came aboard. Because I’m old and can say whatever I want, I told [Mike], yes! You needed a stronger vagina vibe here.

What does being a “regular” mean to you?

I recognize that I’m from away, but I’ve had the grace of being accepted. The regulars, we can identify each other, and we greet each other even though we don’t know a name. I’m a humanist. I’m a people person. So, for me to acknowledge and to respect the presence of others is number one. For me, it’s a celebration because I am part of this blend of the famous melting pot of America.

It’s also about feeling safe and welcome. I can step out of my place and see people I know. Passing by I see my girls from Hot Suppa on my way to El Corazon or CBG. It’s something that is in American communities. As a woman of color, and I am very aware of this dynamic and I feel embraced, welcome.

This article was also published in the August 2023 issue of The Bollard