[upbeat drumming]
♪ Hey ♪
♪ Ya ♪
[upbeat music]
- We opened, oh, during the pandemic,
so everything's a blur! [chuckles]
Oh, I'm trying to think.
I think it was sometime in June that we opened up.
So it's been interesting,
but it's been also great
just seeing how the space allows for the social distancing.
It's, you know, so it was good timing
to open a place like that.
[upbeat music]
- [Narrator] Among the many vendors
at Camp North End in Charlotte
is La Caseta,
an open-air food stall that serves
mother-made Latin American street food,
using recipes passed down from generation to generation.
- So, La Caseta is part of our restaurant groups.
The parent company is Raydal Hospitality,
so from there, you know,
we have 17 Sabor locations that we manage,
and we have Three Amigos,
which is the original restaurant that we opened in 2010.
With La Caseta,
we wanted it to take it back to our own roots.
The recipes are inspired from different countries,
and from our employees.
- [Narrator] Inspired by the diverse immigrant families
of Raydal Hospitality,
La Caseta's menu does more than list items
that customers have long requested.
It tells stories.
[upbeat music]
- You know, we have employees from Mexico,
and they're the ones who really perfected the carne asada,
and for the al pastor that we have.
[meat sizzles]
One of our employees, he's from Venezuela,
and he was part of the team to put the recipes together,
so he inspired the arepas that we have.
My husband is from Dominican Republic,
but he's always liked Argentinian empanadas,
so, you know, it was kind of
something that he just enjoyed eating.
This one is baked, as opposed to fried.
The pupusa was inspired by my mom.
[woman speaks Spanish]
- My shirt, if you see the logo,
it's a picture of my mom,
and she's been running her own store
in Queens, New York, for 23 years,
so we've used some of her recipes in our foods, as well.
That's, you know, the main thing we brought into La Caseta,
this whole thing of mother-made.
You know, just thinking of
what makes you feel like home?
What is something your mom cooks
that you enjoyed and you like sharing with friends,
and you kind of brag about?
Like, "No, my mom makes the best pupusa."
You know, "Like, you have to try it."
[women speak Spanish]
[mellow music]
- Thinking, you know, of back home,
or back, Latin American countries,
on street food,
people just opened up, like, their house on the weekend,
and that's where you get your fix,
you know, for some of the foods we have.
And La Caseta, literally, that's what it means.
Stall. [chuckles]
- [Narrator] Aside from creating
multiple culinary destinations in Charlotte,
co-owners Miriam and Dalton are bringing social work
to the hospitality industry.
Miriam is also a licensed clinical social worker,
and is constantly working on innovative ways
to support employees.
At La Caseta,
the work environment that uplifts employees
motivates and inspires them,
which is reflected in the love and time
they put into their food.
- Food is always important for us.
Biting into something and feeling,
oh my gosh, this is just how my mom makes it,
or this is what I had when I visited this country.
That's very important for us,
to kind of bring that experience
to other people in Charlotte,
and, you know, hopefully people
that are immigrants in the community
feel comfortable coming here, too,
and have that same experience,
so it allows people to come together.
- [Narrator] Food stalls definitely have
the upper hand right now,
and La Caseta's open-air design
naturally lends itself
to current public health safety measures.
You can enter the pedestrian entrance at Keswick Avenue
and order at the counter,
or place your order online.
Their simple menu makes it easy to decide.
[women speak Spanish]
[women laugh]
[upbeat music]
- You can find La Caseta
at Camp North End in Charlotte.
That's at 1801 North Graham Street.
La Caseta is open Tuesday through Saturday
for lunch and dinner.
Visit them online at lacasetaclt.com.