Mama's in the kitchen

Lidia had raised her children by running a restaurant in a country torn apart by war.

“Mama” Lidia Perlera supervises the preparation of Latin American specialities at El Buen Gusto in East Boston, while her son Francisco and daughter-in-law Ingrid greet customers. (Richard Schultz )

Francisco Perlera opened El Buen Gusto in 2005 with his mother, Lidia, at the stove. "We always wanted to go back to doing what my mother used to do in El Salvador," he says. Lidia had raised her children by running a restaurant in a country torn apart by war. Now the brightly colored little place in East Boston still has Mama in the kitchen while Francisco's wife Ingrid greets customers, and their two-year-old son, Edgardo, acts as ambassador.

Boston's restaurant kitchens are filled with Latinos, many of them Salvadoran. But a Salvadoran-owned restaurant like El Buen Gusto with its lively ambience, stylish décor, and beer and wine license is still rare. The staff is all Salvadoran and the food is Latin comfort food, from grilled steak with pork rind, egg, rice, and fried sweet plantains to pupusas stuffed with cheese.

Like any talented chef, Lidia Perlera likes to try new things. "She's been working on the desserts," her son says, "trying to do the sweet cassava with chilates," a porridge-like sweet that is a cultural touchstone for the Salvadoran community.

Francisco Perlera is happy that his little restaurant is thriving and that his mother is creating her food. But like many immigrants, he doesn't rely on only one source of income. With a business degree from the University of Massachusetts-Boston, he spends part of his day as a manager for Triangle, a maintenance company. His wife is studying nursing at UMass-Boston.

The family owns the building the restaurant is housed in, and they live "above the shop" in Day Square. Although much of their clientele is local and Salvadoran, Francisco often talks with people from other parts of the city and even from other cities who have heard about the restaurant and stop by. The conversation often goes something like, "Oh, in my country we cook it this way," says Francisco, marveling at the connections made over food.

Still, restaurant life can be difficult. Speaking one morning with his son playing in the background, Francisco Perlera sounds wistful. "You sacrifice the most valuable time, and that's family time," he says. "And sometimes you wish you didn't do it." But, he adds, echoing many an immigrant who brings his food and culture to Boston and elsewhere: "I'm doing it for a better life, trying to secure a better life for my son."