My wife and I opened Claudy’s Kitchen on June 12, 2020, driven by a passion for opening a restaurant in our neighborhood that offers healthy, affordable and delicious Peruvian food. Running a small business is not for the faint of heart. Even on a good day—without the added challenges of a pandemic or nasty storm that knocks out our power—it demands your time, energy, resilience and the support of your community, including family, neighbors and, importantly, our elected officials. If we want to have vibrant local businesses, we need to champion them. Competing with big brand eateries and fast food restaurants like McDonald’s, Chipotle and Wendy’s is tough—they have deeper pockets and can undercut prices, but they will never have the heart, diversity and cultural richness that local restaurants bring to our communities.
Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson gets that. She’s not only shown up for small businesses—she’s backed us with real, financial support. Her office partnered with the Bronx Economic Development Corporation (BXEDC) to launch a low-interest microloan program tailored for small business owners like me. Personally, Ms. Gibson helped our business with a grant that helped us hire an employee full time to expand our operations. The funding was a lifeline, but just as valuable was the way her team treated us like partners.
And that’s just one example. Vanessa has provided plenty of other opportunities for local shops across the borough—from relaunching Savor the Bronx Restaurant Week to securing a $20 million grant through the Governor’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative for the Greater Morris Park community. That investment is already being put to work. So far, 32 projects have been identified, including revitalizing parks, pedestrian plazas and public spaces—bringing more people to our neighborhoods and more customers to our doors.
Vanessa understands the real-world challenges Bronx business owners face. Her vision for the next term isn’t vague or performative—it’s actionable policies and programs shaped by the needs of business owners like me. Her plans for the next term build on a proven track record of making capital more accessible, fostering entrepreneurship and creating opportunities so that small businesses can not only survive—but thrive.
If you care about your favorite Peruvian restaurant, neighborhood deli, local café or go-to mom and pop shop, I urge you to support Vanessa L. Gibson for Bronx Borough President. She’s had our back—and together, we can keep building a stronger Bronx.
Richard Berroa is the owner of Claudy’s Restaurant located in Riverdale.
