Luis Liceaga was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico—where his family was pioneers of great food. His great aunt, Carmen Aboy Valldejuli, is the author of one of the first Puerto Rican cookbooks ever published, Cocina Criolla. Luis came to Philadelphia in 1977 to attend college and after graduation settled down in this great city to raise a family. Over time, elementary school cook outs transitioned into catering Eagles tailgates, then birthdays, graduation parties, weddings and bar mitzvahs! Before he knew it, Luis’s weekend hobby became a venture. The opportunity to cook side by side amongst some of Philadelphia’s most recognizable food merchants was impossible to pass up! Luis looks forward to bringing his food cooked with “Amor y Sabor” (love and flavor) to the renowned Reading Terminal Market.

Rafael Nieto, or Rafi, as he is known to those around him, was born to a Puerto Rican mother and a Cuban father and raised in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. Rafi’s culinary passion for flavorful food was cultivated at a young age by both his maternal and paternal family who taught him the Puerto Rican and Cuban way of cooking. Upon relocating to Philadelphia in 2013, a chance encounter with his current partner, Luis Liceaga, lead to helping cook at the Eagles tailgates. What started as a passion for great food and good times, lead to the development of their current partnership Loco Lucho’s Latino Kitchen. Today, Rafi is still driven by those values and, as he continues to embrace a wide array of culinary influences, he hopes to continue to bring you the best of traditional Puerto Rican cuisine. ¡Buen Provecho!