Authentic El Salvadoran cuisine can be enjoyed on the dock at the Courtenay Slough, where twin sisters Janeth Recinos and Lorena Ticas operate the Pupuseria Las Gemelas food truck.
A pupusa is a thick tortilla made from corn flour and filled with meats, cheeses, refried beans, zucchini or spinach. Since opening last year, the sisters have been serving their gluten-free specialty to a steady stream of customers, many from out-of-town.
“People try them and they always come back, and say how good they are,” Recinos said.
Along with their parents and siblings, the sisters moved from El Salvador to the Comox Valley in 1990. Recinos said Canada is “totally different” from her home country, in terms of safety, and learning a new language and culture.
“We came as refugees,” she said. “We were sponsored by the Catholic Church…God gave us a second chance. It’s a paradise.”
Recinos attended high school in El Salvador, but Ticas was educated in Courtenay.
“I graduated from Vanier in 1995,” Ticas said. “At the time I had five children.”
Recinos attended chef school at North Island College, and now works at Glacier View Lodge in Comox.
Their food truck is stationed next to the Phat Parrot food truck, which sits next to the parking lot of the former Courtenay Car Centre on 5th Street. The owner of the building, Cameron Yee, hopes to create a community space resembling Vancouver’s Granville Island, if the dock comes up for sale. He has installed a covered area with three picnic tables.
READ: Business owner envisions Granville Island concept at Courtenay Slough
Another food truck, Churro Chica, is also operating at the site.
Pupuseria Las Gemelas is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday to Sunday.
Follow the business on Facebook and Instagram: pupuseria_las_gemelas
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Lorena Ticas, left, and Janeth Recinos operate the Pupuseria Las Gemelas food truck on the dock at the Courtenay Slough. Scott Stanfield photo
