Alonso Franco and Ignacio Barrios, owners of Merka Saltao, the new Peruvian restaurant in Culver City, met in elementary school and became fast friends. As the years progressed, so did their careers — but in different directions.
Franco ran hostels, offering tourists 300 beds from Lima to Cusco, hosting 1% of all Peruvian tourism each year and reaching the rank of No. 3 hostel in the world by Hostelworld. Barrios was a celebrated chef in Lima who ran collaborative kitchens and appeared in his own TV show on a local food network.
When the pandemic hit, the two reconnected. Because people were not traveling as much or getting together as often, the two successful entrepreneurs decided to start from scratch and build something aligned with their goals and passions: Peruvian food in the United States. . . .
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Jessica Koslow 