A new restaurant seeks to bring global flavors to the Charlotte community.
Panko is under construction now in NoDa. The new concept from owners Luis Soleno and Efraín Aguirre will serve Peruvian-fusion cuisine.
What Now Media Group recently caught up with Soleno to learn more about the concept and how things are going as they prepare to open.
Q: Tell me about you. Where did the idea for Panko come from?
A: I’m from Colombia and I just turned 28 years old. Here in Charlotte, I’m in love with the city. I moved here two and a half years ago. My favorite food is Peruvian food. I have a friend back in Colombia that has four restaurants, all Peruvian. There’s one chef for all the restaurants. I’ve been in love with the food for many years, so I decided, why not bring that experience and food to Charlotte? I took that vision and started building it to materialize it here. I signed a contract with the chef, from Peru. I’m lucky to include him in this project. I’ve known his food and his menu for many years.
Q: How is everything going?
A: We’ve got a space under construction. Panko will be a unique fusion restaurant with Peruvian and Japanese. We’re gonna have sushi, nigiri. Our menu is already designed. Our mission is to bring the flavors of the world closer to every person here in Charlotte. When each customer enters the restaurant, the food, ingredients, materials, music and design are from other countries. The designer that I used is not from here, they’re from Colombia. What I want is to bring a different concept that is not here in Charlotte. I want people to be transported to another country when they come to the restaurant.
Q: What’s the most challenging part of opening a restaurant?
A: The hardest part of opening a restaurant is finding the space. You can have the money, you can have the experience, but there’s a couple things you’ve got to pull together to find the right space. That for me is the most difficult part of building a restaurant. That’s the tough part. I’ve put this project in God’s hands. This is going to be a successful project. And when I open a second restaurant, it will be easier. We will have a name in the city. It shouldn’t take us more than two years to open a second restaurant.
Q: What are your hopes for Panko?
A: What I’m looking for with the restaurant is firstly to be successful, and to benefit the community. That’s what I want. I want this business to be a blessing for all the people who work with this business.
Q: When do you expect to be open?
A: We’re planning to open by the end of the year.
Follow on Instagram @pankoperuvian for updates.
This feature comes from What Now Media Group’s Accelerate program. Click here for more information about how to attend our upcoming Accelerate events for a chance to be featured.
