A taste of home

Almojabanas for sale at Parceros. Photo: Devon Henry.

Awnings that sport yellow, red and blue Colombian flags beckon customers along Woodhaven Boulevard in Queens – including a new one at Parceros Café, which opened about two years ago and repeats the same color scheme inside. “Since we opened two years ago, we’ve seen a lot of new trends as people from different nationalities come here to shop,” says Javier Molina, 41, who owns the shop with his wife Beatriz, also 41. They’ve also seen the arrival of food franchises, but Javier is not too concerned about the Dunkin’ Donuts across the street.  “None of them can serve home-cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner like we do here at Parceros,” he says.  “We have our own bakery, and a talented chef who helps to keep our shop vibrant with Colombian foods and baked goods.”

The café, whose eight employees include the Colombian chef and his Mexican assistant, has quickly built a loyal following in its Middle Village neighborhood. Jay Ortiz, 44, says “I have been living in Middle Village for 42 years and I recognize that this strip where Parceros is located in is one of the best commercial areas in Queens. The taxes are insanely high and that’s what is making it hard to bring diversity into the area. But thankfully Parceros is here so I can get my chicharron and arepa game on.”

Starting at 59^th Ave and Queens Boulevard, Woodhaven Boulevard serves as a connector to the Latino populations of Jackson Heights and Elmhurst and the Asian and Eastern European communities that dominate Rego Park, Glendale, and Middle Village. Henry Machado, 59, drives for 20 minutes to Paceros from Woodside every morning, just for a cup of Colombian coffee. “I love it here,” he says. “I wouldn’t eat breakfast had it not been for this business. They’re really a great family.”

Javier and Beatriz’s family is central to the development of the restaurant. “People from our generation really believe in manners,” says Javier. “But the kids today lack respect for elders. My son, Felipe is a great example of the type of love we hope to bring to this community. Felipe is only eight years old but respectful to his elders enough to come in to help us out during the weekends. We are so grateful for the kindness and respect he shows to us, in return for the respect we show him as his parents and business owners. He and my daughter Valeria really understand what we are doing and how difficult it is to run a business.”

Based on the 2010 census, Middle Village is 83 percent white, with many residents of Italian, Russian, Polish or Irish descent; about one percent of residents are black, and about four percent are Asian. Latin Americans represent about 14 percent of the community, a six point increase from the 2000 census.

Paceros also offers imported grocery items, most of them from South America. “We get them from the wholesale markets who import the products directly from Colombia,” says Javier. Popular Latin American foods and drinks like Milo (from Australia), and sweets like figs in syrup and guava caramels, as well as “tres leches,” which is the cake of “three milks,” are stocked alongside copies of El Diario. The café’s most popular items, according to Beatriz, are the almojabana, a soft ball of wheat dough stuffed with mozzarella and baked, and empanadas, which are corn turnovers filled with beef or chicken and potatoes. At breakfast, customers like the calentado (meaning “heated” in Spanish), a Columbian dish of mixed rice and beans cooked with Colombian sofrito that gives it a spicy flavor.

“I think food is the best way to connect people, to talk to one another,” says Javier, “and I opened this business because I was tired of being a waiter and a server,” which he had done for over a decade.  “I came to America because I had a dream of my own, not because I wanted to work for someone else,” he says.

The couple wants to expand Paceros, although some day he hopes to return to Colombia. “We love it here. It’s been almost 17 years now,” says Beatriz, “But we never wanted to be in America forever. There is so much left to do back at home.”

After the recession, many of the business along Woodhaven and Cross Bay closed; there are numerous “for rent” and “for sale” signs, providing opportunity to businesses like Parceros. New restaurants have popped up along Woodhaven Boulevard, and a Thai restaurant is about to open just two doors away. “It’s rough out here,” said Javier, “but we are proud of our country and we are proud of the work we have done here in America.”

Devon Henry