Emblematic Porteño restaurant J. Cruz has been in operation for more than 40 years, serving diners from all over the world and Chile. They claim to be the creators of the traditional chorrillana, a recipe that has made them nationally known for their contribution to gastronomic culture.
Today the J. Cruz brand has grown, apart from the original store on Condell Street, they have another one on Freire and Independencia Streets. Both stores have a museum-like atmosphere where you can see old jars, ceramics, masks, sculptures, among others, as well as a spectacular photographic collection on the walls that visitors have left behind. Memories that make their premises a unique experience.
Here we talk to Sonia Guzmán, owner of the classic restaurant, about the history of her business, chorrillanas and Valparaíso. "I moved to work here because I am from the port, because I love Valparaíso and because we have to give this city a boost...", says Sonia.
- Sonia, how did the classic J. Cruz come about?
"I started working as a waitress in the alley, then I got the concession from J. Cruz, together with my husband we started from the bottom, selling whatever we could during the day to survive, until one day he began to decorate the place with things and the premises as we know it today were assembled".
- And it is a very nice place and has an exquisite chorrillana, tell me, how did the dish that we all love, the classic chorrillana, come about?
"University students would come to drink at the restaurant and they couldn't afford to eat a plate each. Then one day my husband told me to prepare a dish to share, because at that time I was in charge of the kitchen, where I put french fries, meat, eggs and onions for the price of a plate, and that's how the chorrillana came about, and it's been more than 40 years since then".
- A long time... Why do you think the J. Cruz brand is so well known?
"I am grateful for that business, because it has something special, it is always full and all the people eat crammed together but it is always full, it is the Chorrillana but it also has mystique and a lot of history, that is why we opened our second store because the one in Condell became small and I also wanted to have my own place".
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