Lechon asado – slow-roasted pork – accompanied with a side of rice and pigeon peas was among the culinary favorites offered at the 52nd Aurora Puerto Rican Heritage Festival Sunday in downtown Aurora.
Wilfredo Feliciano slowly roasted two whole pigs marinated with a special seasoning over coals at the festival.
“The marinade is my secret,” he said as crowds began to form a line to get some of the lechon asado.
The pigs weighed 123 to 126 pounds each and took about five hours to prepare for the festival, he said.
“When you bite in the meat is juicy and flavorful,” he said.
Feliciano founded El Puerco Loco De Pancho about two decades ago to share his passion for his Puerto Rican culture.
“One by one we serve those who come,” he said.
He also prepared arroz con gandules, a Puerto Rican rice dish, in a 23-pound pot at the fest.
He left Puerto Rico at age 17, he said.
“I still have family in Puerto Rico. My mother mainly cooked for our immediate family. We enjoyed the same dishes. I didn’t have to change the recipes,” he said.
Elba Jasso brought her food truck for Ponce, a restaurant in Chicago, with a second location to open in Berwyn, to the fest Sunday in Aurora.
“I like this festival because it’s well attended yet it feels rather intimate,” Jasso said.
Her mother founded the restaurant about 26 years ago and she’s been one of the vendors at the Aurora fest for about the past 10 years, Jasso said.
While the family restaurant is well-known in Chicago, being part of the Aurora Puerto Rican Festival is a way to reach out to more people in the Fox Valley area, she said.
Specialties of the restaurant include alcapurrias made from shredded root vegetables stuffed with ground beef and deep fried, Jasso said.
Jasso was born in Chicago but returns to visit family on Puerto Rico.
“I love Puerto Rico’s food, music, beaches and climate,” Jasso said.
Janette Rosario, in her second year as president of the Aurora Puerto Rican Cultural Council, was excited for this year’s festival.
“This is a once-a-year event for people to experience Puerto Rican culture – the music and authentic food,” Rosario said.
The festival is also a great time for families and friends who may have not seen one another for a while to come together as a community, she said.
“Last year we had just over 5,000 participants,” Rosario said.
Some well-known entertainers were brought in to attract bigger crowds this year, she said.
“We are bracing for more people,” Rosario said.
Johana Aguilar was born in Honduras and now lives in Aurora.
“We have a lot of plantains in Honduras, that’s why I like Puerto Rican food,” Aguilar said.
She has relatives who are part Puerto Rican and friends who were born in Puerto Rico.
“I am Puerto Rican by association,” the Aurora woman said.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
