The owners of La Taguara in Red Bank developed their business from food trucks to a permanent location on Monmouth Street. ALLI TRETINA
By Alli Tretina
RED BANK – After starting with a tent at a local food festival more than a decade ago and then expanding to three food trucks, two local partners have opened their first restaurant for Venezuelan cuisine, bringing gluten-free empanadas and arepas to a community hungry for something new.
La Taguara, 166 Monmouth St., officially opened June 16. The name, a Venezuelan colloquial term for a cozy, casual spot, marks an evolution from the owners’ previous venture, Sweet Pepper, which operated food trucks known for authentic empanadas.
“We started 12 years ago with our food truck business,” Daiana Padilla, one of the owners, said. “We started with a little tent, selling empanadas. Our very first event was the Belmar Food Festival. And then from there, we started going to different events.”
In the years that followed, the owners, including partner Rafael Rey, grew the business, acquiring food trailers and building a loyal following. Demand for year-round access prompted the move to a permanent location in a space that previously housed a lighting service showroom.
“A lot of people started asking, ‘What’s your store-front? I want to visit you all year round,’” she said. “We were looking in a lot of towns around, and we were lucky to find this place because we live close by. I live in Red Bank, and my partner Rafael lives in Holmdel. So, it’s close, and we’re very happy.”
The business is like a family, the partners say. Rey is from San Cristóbal in Venezuela’s Andes region. Padilla is from Caracas. They make everything from scratch, using traditional corn-based dough for empanadas and arepas.
“Many of our products are gluten-free because we use a lot of corn,” she explained. “The empanadas and arepas – we have to make this all from scratch. … That’s a very difficult Venezuelan empanada.”
Popular items include lobster empanadas, garlic shrimp, black bean and sweet plantain empanadas, arepas (flat corn cakes) filled with chicken and avocado salad, and the Venezuelan national dish pabellón criollo, a bowl with rice, black beans and stewed meat. Signature sauces feature a garlic-cilantro mayo that customers eat by the spoonful, along with garlic-jalapeño and pink sauce options.
Many recipes draw from family traditions. The pork dish comes from Padilla’s father-in-law, while she developed the shredded beef recipe, which Rey has refined.
The partners said they hope La Taguara adds diversity to Red Bank’s dining scene. “Red Bank is a wonderful town. People come here to eat, but almost everything … they’re Mexican or Italian,” she said. “Many people come here and say, ‘Oh wow, something different finally.’”
The owners reflected on their journey from loadin cars with tables and fryers for festivals more than a decade ago to realizing their dream of a permanent spot.
“After four years, our dream was having a trailer … and well, so we did. And we started growing, and it feels good.”
And she knows the recipe for success: “Success? I think it’s when people come back. … More than money or anything, I think is making people happy,” she said. “I love feeding people. I love serving people and feeding people.”
Customers can learn more about the restaurant at sweet-pepperamaizeing.com.
This article originally appeared in the September 17-23, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
