Today we’d like to introduce you to Benoit Angulo.
Benoit, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. My mom is French and didn’t know how to cook Venezuelan cuisine, so I learned to make arepas and other Venezuelan staples at my friends’ houses, and I began making arepas for my family at age 9. I grew up watching the Food Network, dubbed in Spanish, and knew from the time I was young that I wanted to be a chef. My dad sent me to college to study civil engineering, but I dropped out in my third year to become a chef. I went to culinary school, and then I left all my family and friends and moved to the U.S., taking a chance on my culinary talents to pursue my dreams of becoming a chef.
I met my wife and business partner, Rachel, while working at Commander’s Palace, an upscale fine dining institution in New Orleans. She had just moved there from Chicago as a social worker, and was interested in getting to know the culinary scene in NOLA. One night after work, Rachel and I were having drinks at The Rendezvous, the neighborhood bar down the street from Commander’s, where we all used to congregate after a long shift at the restaurant. It was around midnight, and we hadn’t eaten since the 5 pm family meal, and so we were getting hungry. Back in Venezuela, we used to go out drinking til 3, 4 in the morning, and then before heading home you’d stop for a late-night snack at one of the strips of street vendors, known as Calle del Hambre—which translates to Hunger Street. That late-night food scene was something I missed being in New Orleans, and a food truck seemed like a great way to bring that bit of Venezuelan culture to my new city. I began reminiscing about this late-night street food scene back home. And so, the idea of starting our own Latin American food truck was born… We opened La Cocinita (“The Little Kitchen”) 5 1/2 years ago and have become one of the most popular late-night food options in New Orleans. And every Friday and Saturday night, we serve late-night food at The Rendezvous, the bar where we sat having drinks, hungry, that night all those years ago when we decided to start the food truck. Three years later, we opened up another truck in Chicago, then got married, had a baby, and three months after that opened our restaurant in Evanston a year ago!
Has it been a smooth road?
After we bought our first food truck in NOLA and customized the kitchen, wrap job, etc., we applied for our permit and learned that there were no permits available. We then learned that the laws for mobile food vendors had been in place since 1956 and were very outdated and unfriendly toward the food truck industry. For instance, food trucks were not allowed to park in one place for more than half an hour, nor were they allowed to park within 600 feet of any restaurant. We started the New Orleans Food Truck Coalition and worked with the city council and the mayor’s office to reform the food truck legislation in NOLA. A year and a half later, we were successful in changing the laws. Food trucks can now park for up to four hours, and there is no proximity restriction with respect to restaurants. We’ve encountered similar difficulties with our food truck in Chicago (200 ft. proximity restriction, 2-hour parking limit). Comparatively, opening and operating the restaurant–even with our liquor license–has been an absolute breeze!
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We serve Venezuelan-inspired street food. Our cuisine is unique because while we offer gourmet versions of Mexican comfort foods such as tacos and quesadillas that everyone knows and loves, we also feature more exotic, lesser-known flavors from Venezuela, such as arepas (cornmeal patties stuffed with meat/veggies, cheese, and house made sauces), patacones (crispy plantain sandwiches with steak, cheese, and purple cabbage slaw), and cachapas (sweet corn pancakes with melted cheese, pulled pork, and crema). We are most proud of our arepas, once dubbed by a customer “Venezuelan pockets of happy”. Our arepas are what get people hooked on Venezuelan cuisine. We love introducing customers to new flavors and Venezuelan dishes that many people have never experienced before.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Chicago (and Evanston in particular) is a great place to open a restaurant because there are so many foodies interested in trying new cuisines, flavors, and restaurants.
Pricing:
- Entrees: $9-11
- Sides: $3-4
- Appetizers: $3-5
- Dessert: $3.50
- Drinks (Non-Alcoholic): $1.50-$3.50
- Drinks (Alcoholic): $4-9
- Sat/Sun Brunch Entrees: $10-11
Contact Info:
- Address: 1625 Chicago Avenue, Evanston IL 60201
- Website: www.lacocinitarestaurant.com
- Phone: 847-332-1625
- Email: info@lacocinitarestaurant.com
- Instagram: @eatatlacocinita
- Facebook: La Cocinita Restaurant
- Twitter: @eatatlacocinita
- Yelp: La Cocinita Restaurant Evanston
Image Credit:
Jennifer Davidson
Patrick Niebres
Jackson Hill Photography
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