If you’re looking for a refreshing dish, the ceviche at Antojitos del Peru in Lenexa is a perfect match.
Chef and owner Norma Palomino offers two types of ceviche: a fish ceviche, and a mixed seafood ceviche. Both dishes are marinated in fresh lime juice to “cook” the seafood, and are served with Peruvian corn, sweet potato, and a house-made chimichurri sauce.
“Our ceviche is a very traditional dish from Peru,” Norma says. “In the summer time, this is a dish everyone should be eating. It’s very refreshing and very light. It’s also very good if you have a bit of a hangover.”
Norma moved to Kansas City in 2003, and she began cooking for friends and family when her husband suffered an accident and was unable to work just a year later. What started as a way to make a little extra money quickly turned into a viable business model. Her friends began encouraging her to open a restaurant where she could bring Peruvian food to the masses in Kansas City.
“I saved as much money as I could, and finally I had enough to open a restaurant,” Norma says. “So I opened the restaurant and people came pouring in to try the food. They loved it, and my friends were bringing their friends, their customers, friends of friends and so on. So in the beginning, it was a challenge to push my family forward, to take care of our responsibilities, and now it has become a way to share amazing dishes from our land, Peru.”
Norma hopes that everyone who walks into the door of her restaurant gets a feel for Peruvian culture. The menu, décor, and even music has been carefully curated to transport restaurant guests to Norma’s hometown.
“What we want people to experience is that we have a little piece of Peru in the Midwest in the United States. “
Hear more of Norma’s story on the Open Belly Podcast. Follow Danielle Lehman @openbelly.
