A new street food spot and café in the east end of Newcastle is bringing the city's first taste of Chile.
At La Chilenita, murals show some of the country's most famous landmarks, including the Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley), Atacama Desert and Valparaíso - a hilly city which has inspired poets and artists for centuries. But it's the food that is offering a real taste of South America, with its owners serving up breakfasts, hot dogs, sandwiches and a signature dish of Chilean empanadas.
The café is the work of mother and daughter Jessica and Blanca Gonzalez, who arrived in the UK as refugees in May 2018 after violence in their home region of Chile and threats to their family's safety. The pair started cooking together during the Covid pandemic as a reminder of home, alongside Jessica working full time for a charity in Newcastle.
But now, Jess is able to concentrate fully on La Chilenita, with her and Blanca wanting to share their recipes and love of food with the North East. Jessica said: "We come from a big family of bakers and chefs and we have so many recipes from back home that we want to introduce from my mum and my grandmas.
"My mum has always been a chef, she missed being able to cook her recipes when we arrived in the UK and she feels like she's being useful and it's made her really happy. In lockdown, we would say that we missed marraquetas (a Chilean bread) so we cooked that.
"Then we made some pies, some empanadas, and then we started trying more food. Doing that always felt like a reminder of home."
Realising they were onto something unique in the area, they started selling their empanadas and spiced hot chocolate at pop-ups in Whitley Bay - which Jess says went well. But it was when they went to a Spanish language exchange at the established Mexican restaurant in Byker that having their own café became a possibility.
After opening on January 20, Jess says that it's "empowering" to own her own business after coming through the UK asylum system. She said: "It was so hard to get a job at first, I was volunteering a lot and working with lots of charities.
"I did get full time work but being in a job and having to work 40 hours a week wasn't letting me care for my family, and it was such a big thing on my conscience that I wasn't fulfilling my role as I should. Having my own business and the support we've had from Chucho's has allowed me to be a lot closer to my family and look after my mum."
Jessica's mum was seriously injured in an attack in Chile, one of the reasons that they were forced to leave the country, and it has had a lasting effect on her health. Despite this, she loves cooking at the shop and said: "If you're not working, you're not part of society - I feel like I'm not being useful so I'm so happy to be making our food for people in Newcastle."
Despite feeling welcome in the UK now, it hasn't always been easy for Jess - especially after working as a chemical engineer in her home country. She said: "There's always a misconception that people come to the UK because they want employment or to take advantage of the benefits that are here, but people don't know about any of those things beforehand.
"What people want is just to be safe.
"I studied in Belfast and that's why I thought the UK was a place I could run to, it was never about anything else. What people don't realise is that there's a lot of shame and when you tell people you're an asylum seeker, they look at you differently and you're treated differently - the things that you experience aren't always positive and it wasn't very welcoming to begin with to be honest."
But their food has found a place in Byker and is also aiming to provide a home from home for the area's Latin American community, as well as Geordies, students and anyone else who may pass through their doors. Jess continued: "A lot of asylum seekers and refugees from Central and South America are placed in Byker so sometimes during the week it's really nice when all the Latinos come here and they listen to their music and we speak Spanish, it feels like they're at home and it's a little piece of Latin America and Hispanic culture here."
And it's also won over the hearts of people who live and work in Byker too. Jessica continued: "People recognise the form of a pasty so they feel they want to try empanadas because of that.
"It's really nice when people come here and sit on the little stools over there and try an empanada are a cake and their faces are so joyous. We feel like they like it and someone feels happy for a minute and we're so happy we can bring that bit of joy."
At the moment, La Chilenita just has four stools and a counter but Jess hopes that it won't be that way for too long. She finished: "We have a lot of things we want to introduce, and eventually we want to get more of our cakes in and maybe expand to a bigger café.
"We just want people to be able to try more of Chilean cuisine!"
For more information on La Chilenita, visit the Facebook page.
Where is your favourite spot for street food in Newcastle? Let us know!
Read next
