In Pandemic, Brothers Chase Arepa Dream

Alejandro and Andres Cordido dreamed for years of starting a restaurant of their own devoted to the Venezuelan recipes they grew up with. They never imagined that opening week would comes amidst a pandemic.

They never pictured tables spread six feet apart. Floor stickers spaced out to help customers keep their distance. Plexiglass barriers between employees behind the counter and the customers they feed. Surfaces sanitized extra frequently. Customers’ smiles undetectable behind their protective masks. 

That’s the new reality for many eateries across Connecticut, which received the go-ahead last week to revive indoor dining areas according to the state’s Phase 2 regulations.

Many restauranteurs, including in New Haven’s downtown dining district, have been hesitant to reopen yet. Or at least to reopen for indoor dining.

The Cordido brothers had the courage to open open.

They originally counted on opening a restaurant specializing in arepas back in March, after renovating their 63 Orange St. space in the Ninth Square.

The coronavirus pandemic had other plans. But after months of waiting and adapting, their new restaurant — Somos — finally opened its doors to customers this past week, including an indoor dining area.

Opening a restaurant — locating a place, finding the money to start up — was a tougher process than they had expected, Andres said.

“Once we built out, the whole coronavirus happened. A lot of years of planning and then suddenly …“ he started.

“… a lot of uncertainty,” Alejandro finished.

Despite the pandemic-era turmoil in the restaurant industry, Somos has had a successful first week.

On its first day open for business last Friday, the restaurant gave out free arepas. There was a line out the door.

“People have been dying to try something new,” said Andres. ​“We sold out the past few days.”

Andres had first proposed the idea of opening their own restaurant to his brother, who has experience in the industry. Alejandro used to work a few blocks away as a manager at Kitchen Zinc, a specialty pizza place.

The brothers said their goal was to share family recipes with the city.

Alejandro and Andres grew up visiting Venezuela, where their parents were born and raised, every summer. 

“Arepas were our meal, breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” Alejandro said. ​“These recipes that we’re doing are my grandmother’s recipe.”

Food can be a salve during hard times, the brothers noted. ​“We just want to share it,” Andres said.

On Tuesday, Melissa, John, and Alex Vamvakas (pictured) came out to try the food at Somos for the first time.

Melissa said she’s been cautious about going out to eat, as she is nine months pregnant. But the family is friends with the Cordidos. They wanted to support the venture.

John, whose family owns Patricia’s Restaurant, said he makes an effort to support other local restaurants.

The family ordered tequeños and shredded avocado arepas to go.

Array of Reactions to New Regulations

On Howe Street, Mamoun’s Falafel Restaurant has remained open only for takeout despite the option of reopening indoor dining.

Marawa Chater, an employee and the owner’s niece, said the restaurant has delayed indoor dining because it wants to be cautious about customers’ safety.

“Around town, we’ve noticed other restaurants getting shut down” for not following state regulations, she added, and Mamoun’s wants to be thorough in ensuring that it’s meeting all of Connecticut’s requirements.

Since the coronavirus hit New Haven, business has been tough. ​“We’ll make it, but it’s been difficult,” Chater said. ​“People have lost jobs, but we’re doing our best to give everyone some hours,” she said.

And in April, a robbery occurred at the restaurant. ​“It was sad, because we would give free food to those in need. You don’t have to rob from us,” Chater said.

The experience of working itself has entailed significant adjustments. ​“You constantly have to watch what you’re doing … It’s hard to hear customers through masks.” 

Still, Mamoun’s is pushing through tough times. The restaurant is preparing to open indoor seating in a few weeks. For now, customers have the option of eating takeout meals at a handful of outdoor tables if they choose.

At Jeera Thai on Crown Street, manager Foney Praekul (pictured) said the restaurant’s small space posed a roadblock for reopening indoor seating.

State regulations call for indoor tables to be spaced at least six feet apart from one another. Inside the restaurant, there is scarcely enough room for two tables six feet apart from one another, let alone from the employee taking orders behind the register. The restaurant currently accepts takeout orders from customers standing outside the door, communicating through an open window.

Only two employees can work at a time. So those on shift have to multitask. In addition to managerial work, Praekul herself has taken on other duties such as cooking and cleaning.

Jeera Thai hasn’t been seeing as much business as usual since the coronavirus shutdown, Praekul said, ​“but it’s OK for us to survive.” The restaurant has been receiving more orders from Uber Eats.

Praekul said she thinks that even restaurants with enough room to follow regulations should be more cautious than the phase 2 regulations require — such as checking all customers’ temperatures.

On Audubon Street, Koffee? has set up a takeout window surrounded by menus and community-generated Black Lives Matter chalk art. Several two-person tables sit outside the shop for customers who want to sit outdoors.

The coffee shop had closed for weeks after Covid become a concern in Connecticut, as staff brainstormed ways that Koffee? could safely adapt while maintaining financial concerns. It began serving takeout in May.

“Unfortunately, the space inside of Koffee? was always a big sell,” said Coulter Davis, a barista and musician. He described the indoor seating area as like a ​“living room” for customers.

The takeout window system has been going well, though, according to Davis. ​“We were worried that we weren’t gonna break even,” he said, but Koffee? has been generating enough revenue. ​“We slowly worked up.”

In nonpandemic times, Koffee? also often doubles as a space for live music performances and visual art. It has recently begun using online platforms like Instagram Live to continue to host artists.

“It’s a new normal,” Davis said. ​“We’re definitely getting busier.”

Most other downtown coffee shops have similarly resorted to takeout — or have remained closed entirely. But on Elm Street, Maison Mathis opened its doors to customers last week.

On one visit this week, two customers worked inside on their laptops, mask-free, from opposite ends of the restaurant. A slow stream of people wandered in from time to time to order takeout.

Barista Maunice Sherman said that business has been going even better than usual. ​“I feel like we never slowed down,” she said; in fact, she’s seen many new customers.

“Sunday was ridiculous,” she said, as many customers dined out for Father’s Day. ​“Every seat was filled.”

According to Sherman, the majority of Maison Mathis’ staff left; there are only two baristas now, she said.

Roderick Topping (pictured) and Rex Gilliland (who declined to be photographed) sat outdoors, having just enjoyed coffee and sandwiches. The pair said they had decided to eat outdoors not because they were worried about indoor dining, but because the weather was sunny and warm.

“It seems like there’s hardly anyone in there,” Gilliland said. ​“I’ll be more concerned in the fall when Yale students come back” from places with higher infection rates.

“I have to get out of the house at least once a day,” Topping said; for him, the refreshing experience outweighed the risk of eating out.