THE QUEENS
JUNE 2021
Authentic Puerto Rican restaurant acts
as a ‘lifeline’ for the Astoria community
BY JULIA MORO
jmoro@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
A former Bergdorf Goodman
Dior makeup artist left his career
to pursue his dream of opening
an authentic Puerto Rican restaurant
in Astoria. He has cherished
the support his community
has shown and now focuses on
giving back.
Derick Lopez knew he wanted
to open Th e Freakin Rican —
now located at 4306 34th Ave. —
since he was young. As a child,
he was happiest going to a carnival
with his family in the south
Bronx, where he could fi nd traditional
Puerto Rican food.
“I always wanted to feel that
sense of happiness and family,”
Lopez said. “It’s just a feeling that
comes with the customers, they’re
an extension of my family, and this
is why I work so hard.”
Lopez started to save up money
for Th e Freakin Rican while working
at Bergdorf Goodman. He
then began selling food at street
festivals with his husband, Victor
Vargas.
“I started ordering the equipment
and Victor was like, ‘What
the hell is going on?’” said Lopez.
“We were doing 60 festivals from
April to October and before we
knew it, a lot of people were following
us. ”
Aft er a couple of years of selling
his food out of his RAV4 at
street festivals, Lopez was able to
quit his job as a makeup artist
and open his restaurant. Not long
aft er, Vargas quit his job as a coff ee
shop manager to join his husband.
Since the couple has been successfully
running their restaurant,
they never forget to give back the
support their community showed
them as they were getting their start.
Lopez said his restaurant serves
as a lifeline for the community.
Last week, the restaurant gave out
over 100 free plates of food to the
community.
Rice with pigeon peas (arroz con guandules) with fried boneless chicken chunks
(chicharron de pollo) and salad.
“I’m really passionate about
helping,” said Lopez. “You never
know when it’s your turn, sometimes
you’re up, but sometimes
you’re down. People come here
and feel like they’re home and feel
like they belong. It really is a place
where people come and unite.”
Lopez also didn’t hesitate to
help Puerto Rico aft er seeing the
devastation caused by Hurricane
Maria two years ago, which the
island is still recovering from.
“I was at home crying,” said
Lopez. “I will do anything for my
people. I said, ‘I have to do something,
I can’t just sit here and do
nothing.’”
And that’s just what Lopez did.
He started a GoFundMe, matching
any donations given. He then
went down to Puerto Rico to
cook, supply bedding and go door
to door to help.
Th e Freakin Rican needed help
themselves at the beginning of
the pandemic, as did thousands
of restaurants that were struggling
fi nancially.
“In the beginning, there was
absolutely no business,” Lopez
said. Th e restaurant was able to
Photos courtesy of The Freakin Rican
get grant money from Local
Initiatives Support Corporation
(LISC NYC), a national nonprofi t
that invests in marginalized communities.
Valerie White, an executive
director of LISC NYC, said that
helping Th e Freakin Rican was a
great way of putting money back
into the community.
“Th e key diff erence between
just a business and a small business
is being anchored to the community,”
said White. “It’s critically
important for the sustainability of
these underrepresented communities
to have that anchor, and a
lot of that comes from these small
businesses.”
Th e Freakin Rican now serves
tens of thousands of patrons
weekly. Lopez said he will always
help his community, support others
and welcome everybody into
their restaurant and family.
“Me and Victor have been married
seven years, we employ gay,
Black, straight — doesn’t matter
where you come from,” Lopez
said. “Th is is a place you feel at
home, doesn’t matter who or
what you classify yourself as.
We’re like a big, diverse family.”
The Freakin Rican in Astoria
Derick Lopez is the executive chef
and owner of The Freakin Rican in
Astoria.
link
link
