BUFFALO, N.Y. — It doesn't matter what time of day it is for Maria Hernandez, it's never a bad time for Puerto Rican food.
"In the morning when I walk in and the cook has just cooked some rice. I'm just like 'oh my god, that rice tastes so good,' I just have to have some," said Maria, one of the owners of Niagara Café.
"So here I am at 9:30 in the morning, having rice because it just smells so good."
Maria and her husband Raul are not afraid to try something different and wanted to share their culture with their community through good food.
"My husband always wants to try something new, he says, 'I am going to teach everybody how to eat rice and beans,'" Maria said.
They're celebrating thirty years in business on Niagara Street at Niagara Café.
Some people might think opening a restaurant is risky, but Maria and her husband knew they'd get plenty of support from the community.
"We survived the pandemic and we had to change a little bit, but that changed when we moved our dining table and we just took on to-go [orders]," Hernandez said.
People from all over the country come in to get a taste.
"One lady said she came from California and said she wanted to buy some frozen pastelillos to take back to California, but they have to be from Niagara Café."
Pastelillos is a small deep-fried pastry stuffed with meat. Their chicken or beef pastelillos are their big sellers.
"These our all time favorites, people come in and buy 10, 12, I have an order for 30 in a bit from now."
Hernandez describes Puerto Rican food in three words.
"Mucho gusto bueno," which means, good good taste.