“Holaaa señores y señoras, ven aqui por comida deliciosaaaa”- these words reverberate and drown out all other noises echoing throughout the stretch of 82nd street, Jackson Heights. Amid the honking cars and loud shouts of the busy intersection, stands Mr. Luis Lozano. Barely 5’6, the short statured man with the wide smile and grey beard commands attention and draws in everybody that walks by him.
His ear to ear grin and smooth talking skills make it very hard to just simply walk by him without at the very least stopping to see what he’s all about. “Loudspeaker Lozano”, as he is known among the locals is a cooking sensation, serving up all kinds of Hispanic favorites on a daily basis. Although his cart, situated on the corner of 82nd and Roosevelt avenue, may be small, his flavor is certainly not.
His traditional Hispanic delicacies have been a big hit among the people of Jackson Heights for over 15 years now. Children and adults alike love the sense of flare and spice Lozano brings into his cooking. Ecuadorian favorites such as juicy beef hot pockets- marinated tender steak stuffed in freshly made dough and slowly baked on the charcoal grill, are crowd favorites. Freshly pressed fruit juices with colorful umbrella straws sit atop the counter and add to the bold images of the red and yellow cart.
Small children run up to Mr. Lozano, as he graciously serves them big heaping’s of empanadas and churros in little brown bags. Christmas has come early for them, as their eyes light up upon receiving bags of freshly fried chifles, or green plantain chips. “My kids love them, its all they ask for when we come here” says one customer who makes the trip from Corona just to get a taste of Lozano’s food. “He’s great just look at the way those hips move” jokes another customer, as he nudges Mr. Lozano, sending the crowd into a wave of laughter.
When the day gets a little slow, the loudspeaker side of Mr. Lozano kicks in, as he throws on his oversized straw hat and colorful vest, sending the radio blasting with native Hispanic music. “It doesn’t matter to me that I look crazy, we all crazy” he says as he pours a fresh batter of fried plantains onto the sizzling hot oil. He breaks into little dances and footwork here and there, vibrating a true Hispanic flare all throughout the area. While his booming voice attracts the customers, his hands are the true money makers. With the speed of sound, he hastily dices and chops up the cooked chicken chunks, douses the beef strips with green and chili sauce, and squeezes the fresh mango pulp with one hand all while collecting money and shaking hands with the other hand.
Traditional Ecuadorian Hot Pocket
Born in Quito to an Ecuadorian mother and Peruvian father, Mr. Lozano moved to the United States when he was just 20 years old with the same hopes and dreams of many immigrants just like him. “I wanted to be a chef”, he says when reflecting back on his childhood dreams. It wasn’t long till the reality of immigration to the United States set in for him. Faced with the burden of taking care of his younger siblings and paying rent, he took matters into his own hands and decided to give cooking a shot. “The recipes were always in my head, in my heart, I know them from Ecuador- the hardest part was saving up enough money to buy this cart.” Working almost 15 hours a day in an Italian Deli in Corona was what it took to make Mr. Lozano’s dreams come true. The Lozano stand, as it is commonly referred to by the locals, made it debut in 2001 and has since passionately catered to the Hispanic community of Queens.
“This cart helping me connect to my roots and with (my) community everyday, I used to cook with my madre and this reminds me lot of her”, he says with a smile as he shows me a wallet sized photo of his family. Also, with his wife passing away 8 years ago, cooking has become of even more importance to his heart, as it is a way for him to remember her as well. Now 59 years old, Mr. Lozano has three children who are all grown up and established in the workforce. Between managing his busy cart and taking care of his little grandchildren, its fair to say that he’s a loudspeaker both at home and on the streets.
“I’m very happy with my life here, I love what I do” he says in an endearing tone before once again blasting the music, and shouting “comida fresca y delicioso aqui!!”. The footwork starts picking up again and the food goes flying up in the air, making the final landing into their designated brown paper bags. “Everyone here knows if they want to find me, I always be here” he says with a wink as he hands me a churro and gets back to busting his moves.
