Guillermo “Lalo” Villanueva spent a decade in Passaic, N.J., owning and running his own restaurant, but decided in 2001 that he wanted to move somewhere with less competition and nicer weather.
Villanueva tried Miami. He didn’t like it. He’d visited Charlotte before. He saw that it was a growing city with an expanding Latino population and very few eateries specializing in cuisine from his native Peru. He made the move. It’s been good to him.
He now owns Mily & Lalo, a Peruvian restaurant that occupies a yellow cottage on North Sharon Amity Road that used to be a Thai restaurant; the dividers in the vestibule still carry images of elephants. But the food is strictly from Peru – rich in fish and other seafood dishes from the Pacific coast; potatoes, chicken and beef from the inland regions; and even some Chinese dishes with Peruvian twists, reflecting a surprisingly large Chinese population in the South American country.
Among the dishes Villanueva brought out for a sampling: Sudado de Mariscos, seafood – mussels, octopus, crayfish – steamed in a mix of tomato, onion and spices and served over rice; Ceviche Mixto, fish and other seafood marinated in seasoned lime juice and served with sweet potatoes and corn; and Papa a la HuancaiÅLna, halved potatoes with cheese sauce.
Villanueva said he uses fresh ingredients and recipes he inherited from his parents and grandparents from his hometown, the coastal city of Callao. He met his wife, Milagros (nicknamed “Mily,” thus the restaurant’s name; pronounced MEE-lee) in New Jersey, when she was working on other restaurants; she’s from the Peruvian capital of Lima. They got married and decided to build a life and business together in Charlotte.
It took them a while to settle on a location, though. The restaurant was on South Tryon Street for several years before its lease expired. The Villanuevas went to Fort Mill, S.C., before running into more lease problems.
Then the Sharon Amity location opened, and they were back in business. Lalo said he prefers Charlotte to Fort Mill because he’s closer to his friends and family – and repeat customers.
- Profile written by Greg Lacour