Feb. 2, 2011

To the Editor:

I was truly heartbroken upon hearing the so-called ‘controversy’ surrounding my new favorite restaurant, El Korita. Shame on neighbors to automatically assume the worst! I had the pleasure and honor of first dining at El Korita in Oct. 2010. I had lunch there with two artists from Homeboy Industries, based in Los Angeles. After lunch, the two artists told me they truly felt at home and could feel the love and passion the owner put in her food and business. They returned two days later and made El Korita their last Kansas City meal. As for me, it has become my weekly Sunday meal after church. I am always greeted with a smile and witness other families enjoying themselves. It is a place my niece and nephews have come to love as well.

Furthermore, do El Korita neighbors know that the owners have been part of the community for more than 30 years? Or that they have been members of Our Lady of Peace Parish for more than 20 years? El Korita is not just some random restaurant opened by outsiders. It is a Northeast resident’s lifelong dream come reality.

As I look forward to my Sunday meal, I invite any of its neighbors to join me, so they may experience firsthand what El Korita truly offers – a great meal and a home away from home.

Cristina Ruiz
Historic Northeast