Posted on July 19th
“Carolicious” serves up delicious Venezuelan eats in Union Square Wed., July 20th
Swing down to Union Square tomorrow at lunch time, 12:00 – 1:30, to enjoy a traditional and healthy Venezuelan dish: Arepas. These tasty treats consist of ground maize dough cooked on a grill; they are then split in half and stuffed with a variety of fillings and topped with various sauces. Trust us, they are… riquisimas. Tomorrow’s community picnic or sorts is part of the weekly Union Lunch series, run by Union Square Main Streets and US2; this is the only Wednesday to feature the culinary talents of two of our Nibble culinary entrepreneurs.
A successful Arepada!
Last Saturday slews of people tried Arepas for the first time at ArtBeat. This innovative art festival brought dozen of bands, artists, craft vendors and food from around the world!. The chefs behind the arepas are “Las Carolinas,” a dynamic duo of Venezuelan woman originally from Caracas, who are enrolled in the Nibble Culinary Entrepreneurship Program (NEP). They call themselves “Carolicious.”
As part of NEP, Carolina Salinas and Carolina Garcia are learning how to start a food business in Somerville. After dishing out their arepas at past events, including Nibble’s Flavor Lounge, they proved on Saturday that the Somerville community is eager to eat more arepas. “It was really rewarding to see the big line of people waiting for their arepas,” said Carolina Salinas. “The best part was to notice that people came back after eating an arepa to buy more, or to ask where our restaurant was.”
“Carolicious” doesn’t have a restaurant — yet. But the goal of NEP is to offer Salinas and Garcia the necessary skills, information and support as they do move forward to open a business. Over the past six months, they attained ServSafe certification, took a series of entrepreneur workshops, wrote a business plan, and received menu feedback from local chef and restaurant owner Alberto Cabré of Casa B — all through the Nibble program.
Tomorrow’s arepas: what to expect
Tomorrow at Union Lunch the fillings will include shredded beef, plantains, black beans, and cheese. Top off your arepa with a variety of sauces (you’ll likely come back for more sauce half-way through!). If you want to order your arepa like an expert, find below the common combinations and their Spanish names:
- Pabellon: shredded beef, plantains, black beans, and cheese
- Pelua: shredded beef and cheese
- Domino: black beans and cheese
- Duo dinamico: plantain and cheese
So come out tomorrow and order like a pro, eat like a Venezuelan, and support two local culinary entrepreneurs as they strive to achieve their dream of opening a restaurant one day.
