A TASTE OF
Venezuela
AMARA BARROETA KEEPS HER CULTURE ALIVE THROUGH AREPAS AND COFFEE BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI
A
mara Barroeta’s intimate coffeeshop, Amara Chocolate & Coffee, LV EXVWOLQJ $ ¿OP FUHZ LQWHUYLHZV %DUURHWD LQ WKH FRUQHU ZKLOH IDPLO\ PHPEHUV TXLFNO\ VHUYH WKRVH DW WKH IURQW FRXQWHU *XHVWV ODXJK VD\ ³FKHHUV´ ZLWK FRIIHH FXSV DQG GHYRXU FURLVVDQWV $PDUD &KRFRODWH &RIIHH LV OLNH %DUURHWD¶V SXEOLF OLYLQJ URRP +HUH VKH VKDUHV treats from her home country of Venezuela. ³6R PDQ\ UHVWDXUDQWV DQG EXVLQHVVHV DUH RZQHG E\ LPPLJUDQWV ´ %DUURHWD VD\V ³,W¶V VR KDUG WR RSHQ D EXVLQHVV DQG JHW SHRSOH WR FRPH RYHU ,I \RX¶UH D small business, there isn’t a crazy amount of monetary resources.” %DUURHWD¶V UHVRXUFHV ZHUH IHZ ZKHQ VKH PRYHG WR &DOLIRUQLD IURP 9HQH]XHOD WR SXUVXH KHU PDVWHU¶V GHJUHH LQ FKHPLFDO HQJLQHHULQJ DW 8&/$ 6KH GLGQ¶W SODQ RQ VWD\LQJ LQ WKH 8QLWHG 6WDWHV XQWLO 9HQH]XHOD¶V SROLWLFDO FOLPDWH EHFDPH VR WXUEXOHQW WKDW VKH IHOW VKH GLGQ¶W KDYH D FKRLFH EXW WR UHPDLQ LQ 3DVDGHQD ³:H ÀHG WKH FRXQWU\ D ZKLOH EDFN ´ VKH VD\V ³, ZDV H[SHFWLQJ WR JR EDFN WR 9HQH]XHOD EXW WKLQJV ZHUH QRW ZHOO , ZRUNHG LQ WHOHYLVLRQ PHGLD LQ 9HQH]XHOD :H ZHUH SHUVHFXWHG ,I \RX WKRXJKW GLIIHUHQWO\ WKDQ WKH JRYHUQPHQW \RX ZHUH SHUVHFXWHG ³, KDG WKH GUHDP RI RSHQLQJ $PDUD LQ 9HQH]XHOD , ZRUNHG RQ UHFLSHV ,
VDZ WKH SHUIHFW RSSRUWXQLW\ KHUH ,W ZDV D ZD\ WR UHVWDUW P\ OLIH ´ 2Q 0DUFK LQ WKH KHLJKW RI WKH FRURQDYLUXV SDQGHPLF $PDUD FHOHEUDWHG LWV HLJKWK DQQLYHUVDU\ 6KH DWWULEXWHV WKH DZDUG ZLQQLQJ VKRS¶V VXFFHVV WR ³D ORW RI KDUG ZRUN ´ ³,W WRRN WLPH IRU SHRSOH WR JUDVS ZKDW ZH¶UH GRLQJ DQG ZKHUH ZH¶UH IURP DQG FUHDWLQJ WKDW FRQQHFWLRQ ´ %DUURHWD VD\V ³, MXVW ZDWFKHG ZKDW ZDV KDSSHQLQJ ZKDW ZDV ZRUNLQJ DQG ZKDW ZDVQ¶W UHVWUXFWXUHG DQG GLG LW DJDLQ ³, DP DQ HQJLQHHU E\ WUDGH , WKLQN ,¶P YHU\ PHWKRGLF 0\ KXVEDQG ZDV DQ RUWKRSHGLF VXUJHRQ LQ 9HQH]XHOD :H ¿JXUHG RXW ZKDW ZH ZDQWHG WR DFKLHYH KRZ ZH ZHUH JRLQJ WR GR LW DQG KRZ WR IXO¿OO WKDW SURPLVH WR RXU FOLHQWV DQG employees.” +HU KXVEDQG $OH[DQGHU PRYHG WR 3DVDGHQD ¿YH \HDUV DJR DQG KH MRLQV KHU LQ WKH FRIIHH VKRS YHQWXUH 6KH FDOOV 0DGULG VW\OH FKXUURV FRQ FKRFRODWH ³D PXVW ´ 7KH SODWWHU FRPHV ZLWK VL[ FKXUURV D FXS RI $PDUD¶V DZDUG ZLQQLQJ VLSSLQJ FKRFRODWH DQG ZKLSSHG FUHDP RQ WKH VLGH 7KH DUHSDV URXQGHG FRUQ PHDO SRFNHWV DUH SRSXODU DV ZHOO DV WKH\ FRPH LQ YDULHWLHV²EHHI FKLFNHQ RU SRUN DOEDFRUH WXQD YHJDQ EODFN EHDQV EHHI ZLWK PHOWHG FKHHVH SRUN ZLWK FKHHVH FKLFNHQ EUHDVW VDODG FKHHV\ DYRFDGR continued on page 12
10 | ARROYO | 04.20
