The Arepa received its name from the word "erepa", the indigenous word for corn. It wasn’t until the 1950’s that arepas began its rise in popularity, before then arepa bars were few and far between. Originally these were side dishes, complimentary to meat or main dishes.

When arepas started becoming popular, innovative fillings came to place.

Arepas are cornmeal pockets made from maize – corn meal flour in various round shapes and sizes. This when these take a life of their own, chefs use different ingredients based on the their taste

The Arepa originated hundreds of years ago, and was a staple in the diet of various indigenous tribes across the areas that are now Venezuela and Colombia

A daily masa bread, a staple across various socio-economic groups, it has morphed into a trendy, savory sweet and all around treat which foodies have accepted as a staple alongside the ubiquitous quesadilla, burrito and tacos, here to stay

Q’Kenan

Owner is Adi M Acuzero

A family owned restaurant, frequented by locals in the Orlando Florida area. We discovered this from asking the locals where their favorite arepas restaurant was

And it didn’t disappoint, the staff was friendly, atmosphere homey and the food freshly made and generous servings.

Q’Kenan has been voted several times as the Best Latin Restaurant in Orlando Florida

We were hosted/served by  Juan Carlos who, in this huge metropolis of Orlando, shares that he went to school with several Filipinos who he says has the warmth and affection of Venezuelans.

When I showed him Chef Reggie’s blog, he immediately recognized her because he at one time was looking for healthy diet alternatives, found her blog and since then has been a follower. (what I call six degrees of separation)

Jerms Estrada – a banker working for a Fortune 500 Financial institution for the past 24 years in Risk Management. His passion is food blogging and photography. I am a certified chef instructor trained in New Mexico, a Personal Chef who has shared his fusion and traditional recipes with food enthusiasts in team building groups and cozy gatherings to learn how to cook and present popular dishes. www.sanfranciscosecrets.com   www.sanfranciscoinquirer.com