Rotisserie chicken is a delicacy in Peru. Mariela Maya is bringing it to Des Moines

If you told Mariela Maya two years ago that she would be where she is today — running a thriving Peruvian restaurant and set to open one more — she would not have believed you.

Maya opened Panka Peruvian, located on 2708 Ingersoll Ave., Suite 200, in Des Moines in February 2019. She had grown up in a family of restaurateurs in Lima, Peru, and vowed it was her dream to join in on the family business when she moved to America in 2001. Grounded in her family's experience and her love of Peruvian culture and cuisine, Panka Peruvian opened as the first Peruvian restaurant in Des Moines to a strong reception from the community.

Maya said it felt like she was accomplishing her dream. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

"I didn't think that I was going to be able to survive," she said.

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Through a combination of Maya's hard work, her loyal customers and support from government loans, Maya was able to keep her dream intact.

Since then, the success of Panka Peruvian has inspired Maya to take on yet another challenge in the restaurant world. Panka Rotisserie Chicken, Maya's second restaurant, is set to open at 3018 Forest Ave. in the Drake Neighborhood in October 2022.

'A little Peru'

Panka Rotisserie Chicken's casual approach centers on what can be interpreted as a Peruvian delicacy, or perhaps, obsession: rotisserie chicken.

"It's huge in Peru," Maya said, "you will find everywhere there are rotisserie chicken places." In fact, across the country the entire month of July is "the month of rotisserie chicken," Maya said.

But Peruvian rotisserie chicken is no ordinary rotisserie chicken.

To make the treasured meal, Maya seasons the chicken with a Peruvian spice mix that uses the Peruvian yellow pepper ajillo amarillo. She then waits up to 48 hours for the spices to fully marinate the chicken before she cooks it in her specialty charcoal oven, imported from Peru.

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The result, according to Maya, is a delectable bite that brings her right back to the streets of Lima.

To further transport customers to South America, Maya chose to decorate her new restaurant with original Peruvian chicha posters. Used as announcements for upcoming chicha music shows — a Peruvian mix of traditional sounds with modern-style Latin cumbia — the multi-colored neon signs became a staple of the streets of Lima back in the 1970s, Maya said.

Maya said she hopes the traditional food combined with the colorful chicha decorations will give customers an opportunity to immerse themselves in Peruvian culture.

"They can come to a little Peru," she said.

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Following her dream

Every person who walks through her restaurant's doors, from the employees to the customers, is family, Maya said.

That's just the way Peruvian culture is, she said.

"In Peru, everything is around food," Maya said. From celebrating birthdays and special events with family and friends to learning from her mother in the kitchen, Maya said food in Peru is the magnet that draws everyone together and creates community.

That is why it has become Maya's mission to share her culture with others, she said.

When she's not in the kitchen, Maya said she is out on the floor chatting with customers at every table. With each customer, she takes the time to tell them the stories behind the food they are eating, such as the healing powers of the chicha morada, a Peruvian drink made of purple corn that dates all the way back to the Incas, or the origins of chaufa, a Peruvian rice dish inspired by Chinese fried rice.

Maya said she also hopes she can serve as a role model, not only for her three children, but for all immigrants coming to America with a dream.

"It's not easy in the beginning," she said. Throughout her journey, Maya faced many roadblocks. She first arrived in America without knowing English. She said she faced discrimination and discouragement along the way. Ultimately, she succeeded in keeping her dream alive, even during a global pandemic.

Looking back, she says, she finally feels like she has accomplished the American dream.

"I think that if you have a dream, and you followed your dream, you can do it," she said.

Francesca Block is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at FBlock@registermedia.com or on Twitter at @francescablock3.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Panka Peruvian owner to open new rotisserie chicken themed restaurant