In January, Gina Buchanan and her partner, Shane Rivera-Buchanan, officially launched Encanto Kitchen, offering Puerto Rican catering and thrice-monthly Saturday takeout meals. Served from the kitchen at the Mill Market at 1580 Dorset Street in South Burlington, the meals for two might consist of pinchos of pork or chicken marinated and grilled with guava barbecue sauce and skewered with tomatoes, served with rice and beans for $28; or empanadillas — savory turnovers with a choice of meat or vegetarian fillings — served with seasoned yellow rice for $22. Orders for Saturday pickup must be placed by Wednesday at encantokitchenvt.com.
Buchanan, 51, moved to Vermont in 2003 but was raised in “a very traditional Puerto Rican household” in Brooklyn, N.Y. Like many young people, she said, “I loved the stories, but I never appreciated the culture.” As an avid home cook, however, she absorbed the traditional recipes constantly simmering in the family kitchen.
The idea for the business grew from what Buchanan calls her “empty state” situation — the empty nest left by her two twentysomething kids moving out of state. In December, celebrating her first holidays without her son and daughter at home, Buchanan decided to cook seasonal Puerto Rican favorites and offer takeout meals to friends.
Her specialties include the slow-roasted, citrus-and-garlic-marinated pork shoulder called pernil; arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas); Puerto Rican-style empanadas; and mofongo (mashed, seasoned fried plantains). They received such a positive response that she decided to gauge broader interest.
So far, “Vermont has taken very well to a Puerto Rican kitchen,” Buchanan reported.
This article appears in May 3-9, 2023.
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