“Everybody liked my meals.” When Maria Duran first got here to the United States in 1995, she sought a greater life by her ardour and launched into a journey that led to feeding members of Congress.
(Courtesy Maria’s Cafe)
Courtesy Maria’s Cafe
(Courtesy Maria’s Cafe)
Courtesy Maria’s Cafe
(Courtesy Maria’s Cafe)
Courtesy Maria’s Cafe
(Courtesy Maria’s Cafe)
Courtesy Maria’s Cafe
(Courtesy Maria’s Cafe)
Courtesy Maria’s Cafe
When Maria Duran first got here to the United States in 1995 from El Salvador, she was looking for a greater life, and she or he launched into a journey that might finally assist her attain her American dream.
“I began making meals at dwelling and promoting it exterior,” Duran mentioned.
Duran developed a ardour for meals and flavors when she was younger, and was in a position to flip that keenness into alternative when she settled into her new dwelling in the D.C. area.
During the day, Duran would go to small companies, salons, shops, soccer fields and just about wherever else folks needed her meals.
In many instances, Duran would simply park her automotive, open her trunk, placed on gloves and serve plates.
It was that keenness that helped Duran domesticate local connections, together with some on Capitol Hill at the Dirksen Senate Office Building the place she was ultimately employed.
“I labored in the cafeteria for the senators, so I cooked for them,” Duran mentioned.
Duran spent about six years working at the Dirksen cafeteria, and she or he was in a position to speak with lots of the senators. She mentioned all the lawmakers she interacted with “had been very good.”
“Everybody liked my meals,” Duran mentioned with a smile.
She even had an opportunity to put together meals for the White House.
“One day, we cooked for a celebration for President Trump,” Duran mentioned. “We had a Spanish dinner.”
While Duran liked her time on Capitol Hill, she couldn’t move up the likelihood to open her personal Silver Spring, Maryland, restaurant in 2019 known as “Maria’s Cafe,” the place she now sells genuine Latin American delicacies like lomo saltado (sirloin stir-fry) and pupusas.
Her restaurant first opened in 2019.
“It’s my dream,” Duran mentioned. “It’s not straightforward to get a business and to keep right here from early in the morning to late at evening, however I do it with all my love.”
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