Claudia Berroa grew up watching her grandmother cook in Lima, Peru, but only really started cooking on her own once she and husband Rich married. When she immigrated to the United States 20 years ago, she stayed connected to her family by calling frequently to discuss food and family recipes.
“I didn’t know I could cook until I really started doing it, and that led to hosting parties for friends and family. Our small apartment would hold about 80 people, and it was a wonderful way to bring people together,” she says.
Claudia’s grandmother’s recipes would be what started her ventures as a chef. She began by selling homemade flan at New York City street fairs, then sold to local markets like Zabar’s and Union Market. This led to Claudia and Rich opening their own restaurant, Claudy’s Kitchen, in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. Rich, a paramedic, helps manage the business while Claudia has expanded the menu to include a broad selection of the home cooking she grew up with: ceviche, empanadas, roast chicken, and tamales.
One item on their menu, reserved for special occasions, is arroz con pollo. Many families have their own recipes for this homestyle chicken and rice dish, and Claudia makes hers distinctive with plenty of cilantro and dark beer (the darker, the better). "There are countless variations, but Peruvian arroz con pollo specifically features a lot of green color from the herbs and vegetables.”
“There’s such a wide range of Peruvian cuisine, as it’s a country of several terrains and cultures," adds Rich. "There’s a difference in the food from the cities by the mountains, and those by the ocean with Indigenous, Asian, and European styles of food. We hope we’ll get to showcase all of them.” —Caroline Choe
You can find ají panca, ají amarillo, and Peruvian corn (also known as maiz cancha) at online specialty markets. The corn is worth seeking out, and infuses wonderful, complex nutty corn flavor into the whole dish. —The Editors
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