Eight years after its initial closure, Cholo Soy, a Peruvian restaurant specializing in Northern Peruvian cuisine, is back in business at a new location at 2801 Folsom St. at 24th Street.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started cooking at that age,\u201d said its owner, Yarel Caldas pointing to a six or seven-year-old-boy dining with his mother at Cholo Soy on a recent Wednesday. \u201cI could already make stews, soups and rice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cholo Soy has strong roots. Caldas\u2019s father had been a fisherman in northern Peru before he moved inland to the Andean highlands and opened a restaurant. Caldas\u2019s ceviche recipe comes from his father.<\/p>\n
Cholo Soy\u2019s beginings date back to around 2010. Caldas had just gone through a divorce and he seriously considered returning to Peru, where most of his family still resides. With no clear path forward and his daughter in this country, Caldas decided instead to take a shot at his dream of opening a restaurant.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said to myself, \u2018I\u2019m gonna do what I cherish and love so much. I\u2019m gonna follow my dream and open my restaurant,\u201d said Caldas.<\/p>\n
Caldas worked a full-time day job at a restaurant downtown and collected bottles and cardboard at night for two years to save money to open the business. Finally, in 2012, Cholo Soy opened its doors in 2012 at Plaza Adelante, the incubator run by Mission Economic Development Agency at 2301 Mission St. at 19th. <\/p>\n