Today’s Press Herald includes an article about René Emilio Peña and the two business he runs: La Bodega Latina in Parkside and Cabana in the Old Port.
“When he speaks about either of his businesses, you can feel how passionate he is,” Cabana general manager Brigid Litster said.
The bodega has provided essential support for the Latino community in Portland for more than two decades and recently passed from Peña’s father to him. The restaurant opened last month and celebrates the diversity of Latin America – and Maine – that has always been visible on the bodega shelves.
Between the two, Peña works long days. But he focuses on the pride, not the struggle.