TOLEDO, Ohio — A local restaurant got a fresh start on Saturday after closing its doors a year ago.
Chosica Peruvian Restaurant opened on Hill Ave. and Byrne Rd. just a few months before the COVID-19 lockdown forced many small restaurants to close.
During the closure, Owner William Del-Rio and chef Mirtha Urcia, migrants from Peru, sought help from the Ohio Minority Business Assistance Center and received an EMRG grant from the city to reopen the business in a new location on Bancroft St.
At the grand re-opening of the restaurant Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz touted the grants in helping small businesses stay afloat.
“Part of the story of these EMRG grants is they go to micro-enterprises, which is our smallest small businesses - 5 employees or fewer. Three quarters of them ended up going to minority-owned businesses,” said Mayor Kapszukiewicz.
After surviving a hard year, Del-Rio and Urcia are looking forward to making the most of their second chance.
“We are feeling excited. Very proud because this the first Peruvian restaurant here in Toledo,” said Del-Rio.
Urcia says the food at Chosica is unlike anything else in the area.
“Our food is very diverse. It has fusion between Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Afro-Peruvian. It’s very special and delicious,” she said.
Chosica Peruvian Restaurant is now open on W. Bancroft St right next to the University of Toledo from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Sunday.
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