Puerto Rican restaurant to open in former Halal Pros building in DeKalb

DeKALB – For as long as he can remember, Victor Rodriguez has enjoyed the finer makings of what authentic Puerto Rican cuisine can offer.

Originally from Puerto Rico, the DeKalb resident said everything he knows about cooking, he learned it from his grandma, Santia “Mama Chanci’s” Rodriguez, first.

“She was born and raised in Puerto Rico as well,” Rodriguez said. “She still lives over there. She’s the one that basically taught me how to cook at a very young age. ... She’s the reason why I’m doing it basically, [to] try to do something new to this area.”

Rodriguez is the owner of Mama Chanci’s, a new Puerto Rican restaurant, eying a projected mid-March opening in the former Halal Pros building, 817 W. Lincoln Highway, Suite H., in DeKalb.

At Mama Chanci’s, patrons will find a mixture of traditional recipes and modern-style dishes.

Rodriguez said his main goal is to make authentic, affordable Puerto Rican food.

“I feel like everybody’s definitely going to enjoy that not only because it’s something new but also because of the pricing,” he said.

When in Puerto Rico, Rodriguez would often go to his grandma’s house. It is there she could usually be found either cooking for family or big events.

“She was the one that was always cooking,” Rodriguez said. “She came to be known as a really amazing cooker and an amazing person throughout the whole neighborhood. Everybody knows the neighborhood in Puerto Rico, of course. Everybody knows her, if not they know of her and her amazing, delicious cooking. So, I’ve just devoted this restaurant towards her – all traditional recipes and a little bit of newer ones.”

As for experience, Rodriguez said he has what it takes.

“I’ve been a sous chef for the last on and off eight years,” he said. “I cook really delicious food, make sure everything is up to point.”

Whenever Rodriguez has needed some added inspiration, he said draws upon memories of his many travels to his native land.

“I have all my family over there, if not the majority of my family,” Rodriguez said. “I’m very family-oriented. ... I always go visit my family. I always see that there’s something new when it comes to flavor, when it comes to tradition. So it’s kind of like bringing a mixture of tradition and modernized culture.”

Rodriguez said he’s hoping to draw in crowds from NIU as well as families that may not have had Puerto Rican food so they don’t have to drive all the way to Elgin or Chicago to get it.

He said people who have already heard the news about his restaurant coming to town seem receptive to the idea.

Once it opens, Mama Chanci’s hours of operation will be from 11 a.m. to 12 midnight Monday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday, and from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.