Maria Uzcategui, who co-owns Rica Arepa in Hermosa with her husband, Kharim Rincon, invited the Chicago Tribune into the kitchen at Rica Arepa to watch arepa making in action.

Excerpt of Rica Arepa, article by Nick Kindelsperger, Chicago Tribune, May 10, 2018:

Maria Uzcategui, who co-owns Rica Arepa (4253 W. Armitage Ave.) in Hermosa with her husband, Kharim Rincon, has a similar story: "It’s really hard to be there right now. For young people, you can’t have a business."

Uzcategui and Rincon tried a number of odd jobs when they first came to Chicago a few years ago; she worked for a while as a cleaner, and he tried construction. But the two had a background in the restaurant industry in Venezuela and wanted to get back into that field. "He studied to be a chef, and I was a server in restaurants," says Uzcategui. "We have this knowledge, so we decided to sell arepas on the streets."

As Uzcategui explains, arepas aren't just popular in Venezuela; they are everywhere. "We eat arepas for breakfast and dinner," says Uzcategui. "(In Venezuela), your mom teaches you how to make an arepa when you are 5."

Squint, and arepas appear to resemble Mexican gorditas, though they differ in a few important ways. Gorditas, as well as tortillas, are made with masa, a ground corn mixture that is treated with lime (the process is called nixtamalization). Arepas are made from corn that has been soaked and then ground. These days, most people buy arepa flour, a dehydrated mixture that makes the cooking process much quicker.

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After visiting Rica Arepa, I became hooked and started looking for other arepa shops.