By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

The city of Cartagena, Colombia is located on the northern coast of Colombia, is a city of colors and festivals and streetscapes and architecture, brushed up against the Caribbean Sea.

and if a visitor is ever in the immediate need to absorb its culture, he or she would be wise to immerse in the food coming from the street stalls that line its plazas and sidewalks.

From nearly any vendor, one can tuck into a fried fish plate, or try the Cazuela de Mariscos, the Camarones al Ajillo, the Arepa de Huevo, the Posta Negra or of course, the country’s signature empanada. While all of these dishes are served in restaurants, the street vendor culture becomes a veritable and moveable feast of tastes in what has come to define the city for its sazón, which when translated applies to a blend of spices used in Colombian cooking that when used well, lead a cook to reach a perfection in flavor.

When Margarita “Margie” Perez was a child growing up in Cartagena, she learned about cooking from her grandmother, Elina. 

“My grandmother was an empanada maker in a plaza in a small town in Colombia, and that’s how she provided for her 11 children,” Perez said from Margie’s Cuisine, a restaurant and café in Chadds Ford that she has owned for the past two years. “When I was growing up, I never knew that I would grow up to become an empanada maker, because it was a lot of work, but it takes me back to my roots. I grew up with my grandmother’s sazón. She was a master in the kitchen, and with just a few ingredients, she would prepare a huge main dish full of flavor and love.” 

In 2012, Perez arrived in the United States as an exchange student in Philadelphia, with plans to return to her home country after a one-year visa and become a journalist so that she could use her communication skills to assist impoverished communities in Colombia. Her career path, however, became happily side-tracked when she met her future husband in Philadelphia and settled in the U.S. With no prior culinary experience and just the talents she absorbed from her grandmother, Perez joined Kampar Kitchen, a Philadelphia-based concept that promotes the city’s diverse and under-represented food scene.

“They took me under their wing, tried my product and from them, I began to making pop-up appearances under their platform, selling empanadas,” Perez said. “They made me believe in my product, held my hand and told me, ‘You have a great product.’ It was an amazing experience, and most importantly, they encouraged all their members to talk about their dishes. We became storytellers, so I wasn’t just selling empanadas. I was telling the story behind empanadas, which in a way became the story about my heritage.”

‘A Colombian ambassador’

In October 2022, Perez, having had her skills as a chef cultivated by her experience at Kampar Kitchen, opened Margie’s Cuisine on Baltimore Pike. It was a tremendous leap of faith, she said.

“I was beginning to see the lovely reactions of the people who were enjoying my food and wanting to know more about what I had to offer that gave me the push to take the plunge to start my own business,” Perez said. “My grandmother was certainly an influence on the selection of my menu, but so was the influence of my culture. I always say that Colombia is very diverse in its cuisine, and everywhere you go there, you will experience a different sazón.

“With Margie’s Cuisine, I feel like a Colombian ambassador here in the United States, and the best way to represent my country through my art is through my food. Being able to talk about Colombian food and the culture has given me a responsibility that I love sharing.”

From the Soul of Cuba sandwich to baked empanadas to entrees like Desgranado, the Corrientazo Bowl and the stuffed Arepas, Margie’s Cuisine captures the true essence of Latina flavors – served hearty and plentiful among an ambience reminiscent of a Colombian café.  If there is an intangible asset to the restaurant, however, it is experienced far beyond the delicious food and the décor, Perez said.

“I want the people who come here to have the same feeling that they have when they are walking into someone’s home and about to be served a homemade meal,” she said. “It’s a place to come and be yourself. They can be loud They can be quiet. They can be themselves. They can be comfortable, because this is the dining room table at grandma’s house.”

Elina travels to see Perez and her family in Delaware County during the holiday season and has visited her granddaughter’s restaurant several times. To this day, Perez will frequently call Elina in Colombia to get advice about recipes. 

“She always tells me, ‘Keep trying. You have to keep trying. Put your heart into it,’” Perez said. “When I begin to put my heart into it, I become more and more inspired by her, and I know that I have made her proud.”

Margie’s Cuisine is located at 880 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford, Pa. 19317. The restaurant is open Wednesdays through Sundays. To contact Margie’s Cuisine, call (610) 228-0405. 

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].