A Taste of Sunshine and Colombia at Patio Tropical in Williamsburg | Eater NY
"A new cafe born from a long history of pop-ups and community collaborations, run by a Colombian chef who calls the space her “culinary studio.” Breakfast is a highlight: she serves a chorizo — “a blend that was custom made by her neighborhood butcher” — with arepas and eggs, and offers dishes like Colombian beef stew sancocho and pastries made from scratch. She explains the personal importance of chorizo on the menu: “My grandfather and my father used to make chorizos from their hometown as a way to keep tradition and culture so it was important to have them on the menu,” she said. The cafe occupies a back atrium with lots of natural light (it “took work to heat properly”) and has been transformed with a colorful, tropical aesthetic — tassel fixtures and pink walls — by partners from the adjoining artisan shop; in summer she plans to host outdoor cookouts. She describes the labor behind the food bluntly: “I’m making something super elaborate. My preparations can take easily two days — there are no magic powders. There are no magic recipes. Just slow cooking,” and frames her practice as both culinary and cultural exploration, saying “I like to call myself a self-taught ethnographer.” Menu items explicitly signal the region’s layered influences: a Middle Eastern–tinged plate with plantain chips and baba ghanoush, an empanada arabe with currants, almonds, and olives, and a celebratory Caribbean rib stew (a short-rib take on costilla) finished with a tamarind-and-panela syrup emulsified with demi-glace. She’s made the space available to fellow pop-up chefs for residencies and collaborations (including a recent event with chefs from Japan), negotiated equipment partnerships (convincing a brand to give her a combi oven and hosting demonstrations — “My other chef friends are so jealous”), and plans to wholesale pastries like a pan dulce scented with cardamom and sour orange. The cafe operates as a casual, order-at-the-counter spot where everything is made from scratch and the menu will rotate frequently as she balances ambition with what a small team can handle; it also serves as a launch pad for ongoing experimentation and community-focused programming. She situates her work in a personal narrative of migration and identity: “I’m a Caribbean woman from Colombia. It’s a popular subject right now, that is being an immigrant in this country. You know, you don’t belong anywhere…When I go back to Colombia, I have tattoos, I don’t look like the traditional woman — and I’m split between both worlds,” and recalls the practical pressures that shaped her path: “It’s important to remember I come from a country that was at war for years, your families will indoctrinate you to find a degree that you can make some money with.”" - Emma Orlow
