In his chronicle “Literatura y Cocina” (“Literature and Cooking”), Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío said cooking can be considered one of the fine arts. These words encapsulate the passions of many, and they can also be a livelihood. Such is the care of two Omaha entrepreneurs Elie Berchal, the owner of Elie’s Chinchorro, and Zonia Villanueva, the owner of El Torogoz, who each focus on doing what they like — to cook.

Elie Berchal: Elie’s Chinchorro

Elie Berchal smiles in Elie’s Chinchorro, her restaurant located at 3020 S. 32nd Ave. Photo by Karlha Velasquez.

Originally from Puerto Rico, Berchal left the island due to the economic situation. She told El Perico that when she first went to California, she realized that she wouldn’t get a job and contacted an uncle in Omaha. In 2009, she embarked on a journey of entrepreneurship.

Berchal looked in her abilities for the best thing she can do — cook. She began to share her gift by preparing Puerto Rican plates and dishes in her home.

“I did it first without knowing how the legal process is, I am not proud of that. They told me, ‘You are not in Puerto Rico, that can’t be done.’ That’s when I decided to form my LLC and pay for the insurance and legal process to sell food,” Berchal said.

She debuted with some delicious pinchos in South Omaha’s Cinco de Mayo event. With this success, together with her family she began to distribute dishes. Through promotions, public relations, and suggestions for dishes from clients, all that has built Berchal up to owning her own restaurant today, located at 3020 S. 32nd Ave.

Photo by Karlha Velasquez.

“I acquired the location with my own money,” Berchal said, adding that although its difficult to be an entrepreneur, especially in an industry as competitive as gastronomy, one should always maintained a positive outlook and be ready to learn from experience, especially with all the comments from diners.

Five months since the opening of her restaurant, Berchal attributes a big part of her success to her passion for cooking and her determination to help her business, Elie’s Chinchorro, grow. Ultimately, she wants the people of Omaha to share a little corner of Puerto Rico.

Zonia Villanueva: El Torogoz

Zonia Villanueva, the owner of El Togoroz, smiles in her Salvadorian and Central American restaurant located at 9539 Q St. Photo by Karlha Velasquez.

Zonia Villanueva is from El Salvador and, like Elie, she loves to cook. She had her first restaurant, Legacy, which offered typical Salvadorian and Central American food. It closed for three years and has now returned as El Togoroz – the name of El Salvador’s national bird — and is located at 9539 Q St.

Villanueva also started her business with her own savings, claiming she’s invested more than $90,000 in the restaurant.

“This place didn’t even have a floor. My family and I had to work to make it pretty,” she said.

Zonia focuses now on Salvadorian cuisine and is proud to offer a wide variety of traditional dishes such as pupusas, tamales, fried yuca and banana empanadas. She says her goal is to share the culture and food of her country and create a welcoming place where people feel at home.

El Torogoz opened its doors on February 8 and since then it hasn’t had a day without clients. Villanueva says she has a secret in her kitchen that makes her unique, her specialty is stews, among other things.

Photo by Karlha Velasquez.

In short, Elie Berchal and Zonia Villanueva are two notable women entrepreneurs from Omaha who have turned their passion for cooking and culture into successful businesses.

We want to highlight more stories of entrepreneurs. Contact karlha@el-perico.com.

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