There’s something new on Olympia’s culinary scene. It’s unique, it’s fresh and most importantly, it’s delicious. It’s called, “Arepa.”
Arepas are soft, white, unleavened patties made from ground corn. They are tender and fluffy on the inside with a slight crunch on the outside. Nestled between two of these scrumptious patties you can find a combination of sweet, succulent plantains, hearty black beans, perfectly sautéed onions, shredded beef, chicken, cheese, roasted pork loin and more. No matter the combination, the result is indulgent.
Arepas hail from Venezuela, where the dish is said to have first gained traction. Here native tribes began crafting these delicious morsels by shaping ground corn dough into fat, round discs in imitation of the sun god. They called it, “Erepa.” It was a form of tribute, a divine food.
This sacred taste sensation came to Olympia thanks to Marianne Socorro and her husband, Chef Luis Amengual. Originally from Venezuela, both moved to America as young adults. “My country was getting into difficult political times,” Socorro said. “Plus when you are young, you live fearlessly. You want to experience a lot of different things.”
Socorro met Amengual in Orlando, Florida where he worked as a chef at the Hyatt. “Since he was a kid he loved to entertain and cook for people,” Socorro said. “He grew up with a passion for food.”
When the time came for a new adventure the couple relocated to Olympia. “We fell in love with this place,” Socorro said. “It’s beautiful and I love the people.” It was here that Socorro and Amengual decided to go into business together. “We realized that it’s better to work for ourselves,” Socorro said.
Thus Arepa Latin Street Food was born. The couple adorned their new food truck with pictures of their homeland and family. “We wanted to share our culture and our family with everyone,” Socorro said. From the beginning, they knew that this mission would involve Arepas. “We grew up with Arepa,” Socorro said. “In Venezuela we eat more Arepas than bread. We eat them all day, breakfast, lunch, dinner, anytime. We eat them with everything.”
Now located at the intersection of 4th Avenue and Plum in Olympia, the food truck also serves some of the best Latin American street food from Central and South America and the Caribbean. These dishes are diverse, yet share a basic culinary palette. “We use plantains, yuccas and all those great things that you find in South America,” Socorro said. “We wanted to give a voice to all of Latin America. It’s about all of us.”
To this end, Arepa Latin Street Food imports the best and freshest Latin American foods for their customers to enjoy. “In this area you cannot find anything from there,” Socorro said. “So I like to bring these foods to people so they can know what we are really all about.” New customers will especially enjoy the sweet fried plantains and Queso de Mano, a special handmade Venezuelan cheese.
Of all the dishes, the Moderna with Pork is Socorro’s favorite. “I used to eat it when I was a kid,” Socorro said. “It gives me a flashback every time I eat it here. The seasoning that we put in the pork is the same as when I was a kid. After being away from my country for so long, it reminds me.”
This connection is important to Socorro, as is sharing her culture with others. “We put our hearts into our food,” she said. “It’s a lot of work but in the end we feel really great. It’s really cool seeing people eat Arepa. I see my country in there. I admire all the things that we did and all our traditions and to see somebody eating our food and appreciating the way that we make it, it’s very sweet.”
Socorro also finds joy in sharing the work she loves with her family. “We have been working together very well,” Socorro said. “We make a really good team. My husband loves to make food. I do too, but I’m more attracted to people and talking to them. It’s really cool that you could be with your partner and do all these great things.” The couple’s daughter, Nicole Amengual, helps out occasionally as well. “The other day the three of us were working together and she was being the cashier,” Socorro said. “She loves talking to people.”
Socorro and Amengual recently opened a second food truck which will be utilized as a mobile unit around town and for catering weddings and parties. “We needed to open the second truck because we were doing so well at the downtown location that when we would leave to go to an event people would be disappointed,” Socorro said. “They wanted to eat here and didn’t like to have us gone. We wanted to respect the people that always come here so we got the second truck to do events so this one can stay.” In the future, they would like to open a commercial kitchen and a cafe, affording them the opportunity to further expand their menu. “I’m dying to start serving chicken and rice,” Socorro said.
Of Arepa’s success, Socorro said, “It’s amazing. It’s a dream come true, actually. When you really put your heart and mind into something everything comes together in the right place and time. I love the people that have supported us. I am so grateful for them. They were open to trying different things.”
For more information on Arepa Latin Street Food, visit the food truck on Facebook or Instagram.
