Puerto Rican and Mexican flavors come together in a shared kitchen, blending culture, tradition, and community in the Coastal Bend.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to celebrate culture and the communities that make the Coastal Bend strong. For Anthony and Liza Perez, that celebration comes through food, as they share the flavors of Puerto Rico with the region.
Thanks to support from a local Mexican restaurant, their culinary dream is back on track.
“We always love to cook, each of us,” Anthony Perez said. “Nobody was offering anything Puerto Rican-type cuisine here, or even Caribbean for that matter. It was easy to fill a void, so that’s why we took that chance.
The couple first brought Puerto Rican cuisine to the Coastal Bend with their business, El Taino, a food truck that quickly gained popularity. Success led them to open a brick-and-mortar location at Moore Plaza, but growth brought new challenges.
“It was just the two of us with someone working the front,” Liza Perez said. “It was just finding help that would do it how we would like or how our work ethic is.”
When El Taino closed, support came from an unexpected friend: Provecho, a family-run Mexican restaurant along South Staples. Years earlier, Anthony and Liza had opened their kitchen to help Provecho get started, and that kindness has come full circle.
“When we didn’t have a place and were looking for somewhere to cook, Anthony gave us the opportunity to use their kitchen, and that’s how it went from there,” said Krystal Branch, owner of Provecho. “Unfortunately, when they did close it was a little harder, but now that we are open here, we wanted to give back that same energy and let him know he can bring his family business to us and collaborate together as a team.”
Under one roof, Puerto Rican and Mexican flavors blend — not as rivals, but as partners.
“It’s the best of both worlds,” Branch said. “There is no need for negativity, no need for competition. We want to see each other thrive and grow. When we have that, we can just see each other move up and move up.”
El Taino is now looking for a new space of its own after getting back on its feet — thanks to Provecho. The Perez family says they’re grateful for the encouragement that has kept their dream alive and hope to soon welcome the Coastal Bend back to their kitchen, serving the vibrant flavors of Puerto Rico once again.