ASHTABULA — A taste of the Caribbean has arrived in Ashtabula County with the opening of Made in Puerto Rico, bringing authentic island flavors to the local dining scene.
The restaurant, owned by Lesly Salgado and her husband Jose Rivera, officially opened May 17 at 1712 W. 19th St. The couple decided to transform their passion for traditional Puerto Rican cooking into a full-service restaurant to serve the area’s significant Puerto Rican population.
“There’s a lot of Puerto Rican people here, especially after Hurricane Maria,” Salgado said. “A lot of people from Puerto Rico moved here. I decided to bring a little bit of home here.”
The restaurant’s interior reflects a rustic, country-style theme reminiscent of traditional Puerto Rican homes. Salgado said the metal-roofed awning inside resembles old country homes in Puerto Rico. The couple completely rebuilt the space, which took seven months of construction work.
“We re-built this. We re-modeled the whole thing… it was falling apart. Construction took us seven months,” Salgado said.
The menu features an extensive selection of traditional Puerto Rican dishes including rice with gandules (pigeon peas), pernil (slow-roasted pork shoulder), sweet plantains, empanadas filled with chicken, beef or shrimp, banana fritters, homemade bread, and natural pastries. The restaurant also serves natural ice creams in coconut, mango and pineapple flavors, along with natural fruit juices including passion fruit, mango and guava.
Made in Puerto Rico creates a daily changing menu, ensuring fresh options are always available. Popular items include mofongo, tostones and red snapper, which can be difficult to find at other area restaurants.
“They love it,” Salgado said of the community response. “People are happy there’s something different and good… we have a big variety like mofongo, tostones and red snapper. It’s hard to find a restaurant that makes those things around here.”
The restaurant has quickly developed a loyal customer base, with many Puerto Rican residents becoming daily regulars who are pleased to have authentic flavors from home available locally.
Salgado has expansion plans for the future, hoping to eventually rent the space next door and transform it into a bar area featuring traditional Puerto Rican beverages.
“I want to turn it into a bar area and bring Puerto Rican beverages,” Salgado said.
Made in Puerto Rico is open seven days a week from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., serving breakfast, lunch and dinner to accommodate the community’s diverse scheduling needs.
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