CLEVELAND — West 25th Street is where Peggy Cruz grew up, and today it's where she makes a living cooking at her restaurant, Cha'Piro.
Now that a new development could bring even more business to West 25th Street, Cruz is ready to tap in and open another new restaurant.
"It's actually something that I've dreamed of since I came up with the concept of Quarter Grill; I said I wanted Quarter Grill to be on West 25th, that was before I even knew about CentroVilla25," said Cruz.
Centrovilla25 will be a hub for local Latino-owned businesses by transforming a warehouse at 25th Street and Clark Avenu.
The operation will be an incubation center for people to get their businesses off the ground, a grocery store selling Latino products, commercial space and much more.
The Cleveland City Council just approved $1.7 million in ARPA funds for the market, which Councilwoman Jasmin Santana said is the last bit of funding the $12 million project needed.
"We've had a lot of Latino businesses leave Ward 14 because of the lack of space; they've gone to Parma, they've gone to Brooklyn, they've gone to other suburb areas, and they've not been able to stay in the city of Cleveland, so this project will help keep them in the city of Cleveland," said Santana.
Cruz said she plans to open a Puerto Rican-style restaurant in the space.
"It's important for my kids and my grandchildren to have somewhere to go that people look like us and talk like us," said Cruz.
The project will be like the Asiatown Center near East 30th Street and Payne Avenue. Santana said developers plan to break ground this summer, and the project will be finished within a year.
"I'm proud," said Cruz. "We have so much love to give through our food and culture, but we have nowhere to really showcase it at, so this gives us an opportunity to showcase our culture and our love through food."
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