If there is one thing Richmond knows how to do well, it is definitely food. From burgers and fries to soul food, and from Vietnamese to every food truck you can imagine, and everywhere and then some in between, we try our best to cover the gamut and do it in style. However, we were missing something pretty delicious. Arepa, which is made of ground maize dough that can be baked, boiled, grilled, steamed, or fried. 

Bocata Latin Grill owners, Eduin Serrudo and Alejandro Loreto, noticed the lack of Venezulan cuisine on the Innsbrook side of the river and decided to open Bocata Arepa Grill. While Bocata Arepa Grill, which is also gay-owned is not the first focused areperia in Richmond, it is currently the only one. 

“There have been a couple in the past but unfortunately haven’t lasted long,” said Serrudo. “Right now there are more Venezuelan places opening up, or some places adding arepas to the menu. It’s always important for any immigrant community to have a little taste of home in their new home.”

When asked how Bocata Arepa got started, it was almost impulse. When Serrudo and Loreto saw the opportunity to bring Arepa to town, they went straight for it and thought about it later. It is a good thing that they did, because one thing that is clear is how well received Bocata has been, and Serrudo and Loreto contribute that to consistency. 

“We make everything from scratch so it’s literally in our hands to make sure everything tastes the same every time you visit,” said Serrudo. 

Immediately upon entering Bocata, one of the first things you notice is the calm, relaxing energy. It feels like you have come back home. One of the most important inspirations that Serrudo emphasizes is home.

“That’s how I want to feel when I go into a restaurant,” said Serrudo. “You make people feel how you want to feel. So, I think that’s just our vibe. When you go to somebody’s house, you want to feel welcome and comfortable.”

The dishes you enjoy in Bocata are the same dishes you would enjoy if you were invited to the Serrudo home for a dinner on a Tuesday evening. The food you eat there are dishes that are Serrudo’s own form of comfort food. These are dishes he grow up making and his grandmother made for family and friends. There is certainly the secret ingredient of love in Bocata’s food, and that is undeniable.

“The food on the menu is what I eat at home,” said Serrudo. “I have always been around this food. I eat arepas almost everyday. You can have them for lunch, dinner, breakfast. We haven’t changed anything, we haven’t Americanized it, and we don’t want to do that. That’s changing how we feel about the food.”

Bocata Arepa Bar’s menu is extensive. Even with such offerings as empanadas, a pabellon bowl, arepa nachos, a fried green plantain sandwich topped with beef, chicken, pork, or a fried egg, just to name a few things, Serrudo and Loreto still struggle to pick a favorite. 

“This is the hardest question I get,” said Serrudo. “I would say arepas because of our name.  Every dish we serve is literally made how we eat back home so it’s hard to decide on just one!” 

Representation will always be important, and it is such a different answer as to what it truly means depending on each person. Ultimately, Serrudo believes that path begins with your own journey of self love and acceptance, and what that means to you.

“I’m a gay Latin immigrant and those are a lot of boxes to check,” said Serrudo. “I will never fit in completely because I’m not ‘gay enough’, ‘Latinx enough’ or ‘American enough.’ Representation is important but we should inspire self love, self acceptance and self respect so we can highlight all those little boxes to make one big one. One big box that only you can represent, and that’s all the representation you really need.”