The owners of Lacayo — the NewBo restaurant that was formerly Caucho — “boomeranged” back to Cedar Rapids with the dream of opening their own restaurant. Armina Grizak Lacayo and Daniel Lacayo lived in Chicago before moving to Daniel’s hometown of Cedar Rapids in 2015 to work for local restaurateurs Carrie and Andy Schumacher.
“It’s a story I hear a lot — somebody from Cedar Rapids brings their significant other back to live here,” Armina said. Originally from Orlando, Armina took a little time to get used to the pace of life in a smaller city. “People definitely go to bed earlier,” she said with a laugh.
But she’s grown to love the city because of the people she’s met and the closeness of the community. “The support the community gives small businesses and the way they value the hard work that goes into them; it’s amazing,” she said.
Armina has worked in restaurants for nearly 20 years, including at Caucho and Cobble Hill in Cedar Rapids. Daniel started out cooking at the Cedar Rapids Country Club in his early 20s and has worked at a variety of restaurants, including the Vernon Inn and Zeppelins, in addition to restaurants in the Chicago area.
In April of 2023, the stars aligned for the couple to finally open their own place when Caucho went up for sale. In November, the name change became official. The Lacayos hope to showcase a variety of Latin cuisine beyond Mexican food in their eponymous restaurant.
“We wanted to feature the cuisine of Daniel’s background and the places he’s visited,” Armina said. “Latin food is so diverse, and there’s something for everyone.”
The restaurant features Peruvian ceviche with citrus (Armina’s favorite), a Spanish-inspired grilled octopus dish with chickpea and radish salad, and choripan with house-made Argentine chorizo — one of their best-selling items. The fish, like the pescado with parsnip puree and pickled fennel, is flown in fresh. And true to a Caucho tradition, the organic corn tortillas are still house-made daily.
Diners can try something adventurous or something that might be more familiar to Midwesterners, like the white bean, pork, and potato stew. If one half of the couple is adventurous and the other is picky, this might be the ideal place to eat.
Guests can pair their meals with the Spanish and Portuguese wines on the menu, including a Chilean orange wine that Armina highly recommends. There’s also an extensive cocktail — and mocktail — menu. “We can make almost any drink without alcohol,” Armina said.
Additionally, Armina and Daniel make a point to accommodate dietary restrictions. The house-made corn tortillas in particular are ideal for gluten-free folks, which includes Armina.
Cedar Rapids has been super supportive of the restaurant’s transition, according to Armina. “The community cares about what’s here,” she said. Many people have reached out to the couple simply because they want to talk to the new owners and learn about their story and why they’re here.
“It’s heartwarming,” Armina said.
A group of businesspeople from Brazil came into the restaurant recently, and Armina said they greatly enjoyed the caipirinhas, a Brazilian drink with cachaca, lime and sugar. Armina’s pleased that there are a variety of new (or newish) restaurants in the area that can pleasantly surprise people from larger cities due to their diverse cuisine.
“We want to keep elevating the cuisine in Cedar Rapids,” she said.
One way the Lacayo’s are doing that is through events like their New Year’s Eve five-course Latin tasting menu. They also plan to continue being adventurous with their menu by adding new items they hope guests will enjoy.
“We hope people keep accepting us with open arms. We’d like to still be here in 10 years,” Armina said.
This article was originally published in Little Village’s January 2024 issue.
