Latin American restaurants around metro Atlanta are welcoming new and old customers during this year’s Latin Restaurant Weeks (LRW).
The event, which runs through Nov. 17, seeks to support Hispanic and Latino-owned small businesses with a two-week-long celebration filled with special festivities and offers.
At La Bodega in the Southwest corner of Metro Atlanta, owner Jeannette Flores-Katz washes her hands and grabs some masa — a corn flour dough. She stuffs the ball of dough with cheese and black beans before slapping it on a freshly oiled grill.
This place sells a variety of pupusas – a staple from El Salvador, the restauranteur’s home country, that resembles the signature New York City corner stores of the same name.
“Everything is made to order just for the day,” said Flores-Katz while preparing the food.
Ken Katz, co-owner and husband of Flores-Katz, says he’s excited to show people that Latin and Hispanic food is more than just tacos.
“The most interesting thing to me about Latin Restaurant Week(s) is the expanse of interest throughout Metro Georgia that we can’t reach on our own,” he said.
Katz also noted that he hopes the event will allow La Bodega and the other businesses that will be featured during Latin Restaurant Weeks the opportunity to gain new customers and recognition.
“The advantage of having the two-week window for the event is that you can find reasons to go to almost any of the restaurants over that time.”
With this being her first year working with the event, Luz Martinez believes that being a part of the event should help increase foot traffic to her establishment.
Martinez, along with her twin brother Luis, owns and operates Taqueria La Luz, which brings Mexico City street food to Atlanta’s Westside.
“The taco birria, the birria quesadilla. It’s one of the most popular tacos you will find in the market in Mexico,” said Luz.
Owning this restaurant with her brother was always a major dream, and, although she is no longer with them, their mother was their biggest fan.
“Every time that I [would] say ‘Mom, I’m on my way’. [She would say] ‘Okay, well, bring me a gordita, Aztec Pie, premium … bring me some flan,” the restaurant owner reminisced.
Karinn Chavarria-Luckett, co-founder of LRW, started the event in Houston back in 2019. Now, in only its second year in Atlanta, it is highlighting over 30 restaurants and food businesses throughout the metro area.
“We decided to expand from just restaurants to also include coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bakeries, and things of that nature,” said Chavarria-Luckett, whose husband Warren is also the founder of Black Restaurant Week, a similar design to LRW that helps to support Black-owned restaurants and culinary businesses.
The Lucketts and other organizers hope the exposure places a spotlight on the contributions of Latinos to Georgia’s culinary scene.
“If we haven’t helped the restaurants increase foot traffic, bring new customers in, or increase social media awareness, we’re not doing our job.”
