A MARKET stall selling Venezuelan street food has been set up by a family from Venezuela to share their culture with Basingstoke.

Melania Bonilla, 33, and her husband Jonathan, 36, moved to Basingstoke in 2015 and now, along with their two children, Antonella, six, and Estella, 17 months old, have set up So Rico. 

In July 2023, Melania and Jonathan launched the market stall to introduce people who live in the area to a range of Venezuelan dishes including arepas, empanadas and tequeños.

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Melania says the name for the business came from her daughter, Antonella, who speaks both Spanish and English.

“Every time she tried one of our dishes she would say "so rico" meaning "so delicious," said Melania.

She added: “Business has been great, even better than we expected. We’ve had people from all different cultures enjoying our food, it’s for everyone."

The business is currently a part-time job for both Melania and Jonathan, with Melania working in childcare, and Jonathan working on a farm and in delivery, but they hope that they can make So Rico their full-time job in the future, with dreams of opening a restaurant. 

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“We love to introduce our food to everyone and spread our culture with people. We think our food is great, so please come along and try our dishes,” said Melania.

So Rico can be found at the Basingstoke market in the Top of Town every Saturday from 9am to 3pm, as well as offering delivery to Basingstoke residents on a Sunday, from 8 to 11.30am.  

The business also offers catering services, which Melania says are "very popular".

For more information, visit So Rico on Facebook, or email ricoarepa4u@gmail.com