A photo story of “La Chiquita”
In 2007 Dora Hilda Escobar and her husband opened a restaurant in the Takoma Park neighborhood of Maryland. Dubbed “La Chiquita” – also Dora’s nickname – the restaurant has become a mainstay of the diverse community in southern Maryland.
Having arrived to the United States in the 1980s, La Chiquita got her start selling “pupusas” (a traditional Salvadoran food made from cornmeal, cheese, beans, and sometimes pork) at soccer fields and along busy streets in Southern Maryland. She now owns numerous businesses in addition to her trademark restaurant. In the greater Washington DC area she is well-known, and not only for her entrepreneurial drive. She’s also on the board of various community organizations, coaches a local soccer team, and acts as a liaison with law enforcement officers. She lives in Annapolis, Maryland with her husband and two sons. Click on the photos below to watch the slide show.
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- La Chiquita helps put orders up in the kitchen of her restaurant. She has a hand in every aspect of the business, from cooking papusas to serving customers sweet, milky Salvadorean beverages to handling money.
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- Ever the businesswoman, La Chiquita is sometimes referred to as "La Reina de Langley Park" or "the queen of Langley Park." There is seldom a moment where she isn't greeting and mingling with one of her customers or acquaintances.
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- Embracing one of her players before the game begins. La Chiquita coaches a men's soccer team each Sunday in Langley Park, MD.
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- La Chiquita calls out to her team from the sidelines during a soccer match.
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- Enjoying some ice cream and a few laughs after a long, busy day with her husband and business partner, Jose.
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- La Chiquita, Jose, and Alex enjoy some fun with sparklers. After doing business all day, La Chiquita displays a love of fun and mischief once she is home with her family.
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- La Chiquita enjoys some hammock time with Jose, while their youngest son, Alex, 12, goes inside to get more fireworks.
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- At day's end, La Chiquita becomes Dora at home. She enjoys spending evenings lying in the hammock in the family's back yard with Jose.
