This story was originally published in español on La Opinión, L.A. TACO is proudly co-publishing it.
For many, Los Angeles is a city of opportunity. A place where the hustle never stops. Where a love story that began with two strangers meeting by chance resulted in a captivating blend of cultures and flavors that can only be found at a small food stand in a South Central parking lot.
Such is the story of Ziomara Quintero, from Quilalí, Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua, and her husband, Reza Saadati, from Tehran, Iran, who run the stand called Nicapersian, located inside La Chancla Night Market.
Their food stand combines Quintero’s Nicaraguan sazón with Saadati’s flavor-packed Persian cuisine, with some of his Turkish roots incorporated into the dishes.
“We sell everything,"said Quintero in Spanish. "My husband sells food from Iran, and I, being Nicaraguan, sell Nicaraguan food, and we have dishes where we combine the two cuisines."
From Thursday through Sunday, you can find Saadati managing the grill, where he cooks his yogurt-marinated chicken, a tender fillet mignon, and garlicky and savory beef koobideh kabobs, as well as his wife's carne asada, over an open flame.
With an “Hola, amor, ¿qué le damos?,” (“Hi, love, what are we giving you today?”) Quintero greets the curious customers who are drawn to their stand by the aromatic fumes emanating from it. Some shy away from what is sure to be a mouthwatering and memorable dinner, while others decide to give the food a try.
“Estaba delicioso,” (“It was delicious,”) said a member of a family who stopped by for the first time, eating the Nicapersian plate, which combines Saadati’s grilled kabobs with Quintero’s cabbage salad and tajadas, thin, deep-fried plantain strips, and gallo pinto (rice and beans). This is served with a side of hummus and chilero de Nicaragua, a topper consisting of a blend of finely cut onions, carrots, and pickled jalapenos.
However, this story goes back to when the couple met in 2016. Saadati walked into Quinteros' building seeking to rent an apartment. At the time, she was managing the building and was instantly struck by his presence.
“From the moment I saw him, I said, ‘Wow, I like that man’,” Quintero tells us, her cheeks turning rose pink as she remembered that day.
The 46-year-old mother of three said that when her husband, 44, arrived in her life, she had already been through a multitude of struggles that left her feeling depressed and having to work hard to regain her confidence and life.
“I had been in a very bad relationship involving domestic violence, and I have always said that 'Dios aprieta pero no ahorca,' and he sends you people when you need them,” said Quintero. “He sent him to me when I needed him most, when I was full of problems, and he has been an excellent husband. He loves me and my children and is a very good person.”
His kindness towards her and her children, as well as those around him, is what drew her to him. When he noticed that she wouldn't go to her second job because she didn't have someone to watch her kids, he offered to watch them along with his mother, who was living with him.
If he ever saw that she needed anything, he would get it for her without her having to ask. After dating for 6 years, they married and have been together for 9 years now.
Many people still ask them how they make it work, seeing as Saadati and Quintero only speak their native languages. Her husband understands Spanish but is still learning to speak it fluently, and she has learned some Farsi but cannot speak it fluently.
“At first it was difficult because of the cultural differences, but love knows no barriers, and look, here we are, we understand each other, it’s communication from the heart,” said Quintero. “Many people are surprised to learn that we are together despite being from different countries, but we have more in common than they think; we both came to Los Angeles for an opportunity and we continue to move forward, fighting together.”
She said that both of them have a special love and respect for the kitchen and the art of cooking a meal that others will enjoy. The idea to start their food stand came to them one evening while they were cooking dinner.
By then, she had already learned how to cook some of Saadati’s favorite traditional dishes, and she often mixed her food with his, so they decided to save up the money to open their first stand—serving all halal meats.
They’ve been open for two years now and their menu has expanded to include popular Nicaraguan dishes. One of them is mondongo, a tripe soup that resembles menudo featuring rich flavors and a medley of vegetables.
Their popular carne asada plate, made with thick, tender strips of ranchera and its traditional sides, including a fried and gooey piece of cheese, comes accompanied by a refreshing cacao de leche beverage. It is a must-try.
Aside from the delicious grilled meats, which provide a well-balanced meal of protein and fresh greens, her husband also serves what I consider one of his best dishes: lamb shanks, slow-cooked for four hours in a bath of Persian spices, including saffron, cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, and other aromatic flavors.
It comes with rice and purple onions; no knives are needed because the lamb is so tender that it falls off the bone and melts in your mouth.
“People have responded very well," said Quintero. "Thank God, they buy both meals from us. Some people like to combine them. They order my husband's combo but with gallo pinto and tajadas, which are Nicaraguan sides."
Both of them have big hearts and plenty of love to give. They treat their customers like family, and their greatest pride is seeing people from diverse backgrounds enjoy the food they cook.
They also make sure to help others. In the past, they have distributed 200 meals to communities in need, and when possible, they donate meals in Downtown L.A. to unhoused communities.
Their love story is a representation of L.A., a city in which people care for one another, feed each other, and embrace and honor each other's cultures with pure love and respect.
“Thank God we've done very well, and I'm so grateful to everyone who visits us because it's our pleasure to serve you,” she said. “Our dream is to open our own restaurant and I think we'll achieve that soon. In the meantime, we'll keep working.”
Nicapersian ~ 6121 S. Vermont Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90044.
