Colombian restaurant operator puts focus on plantains, a Caribbean staple, at two locales

RIVERTON — Steven Rodriguez, originally from Colombia, says plantains are a regular part of the daily diet in the South American country.

His family eats plantains "almost every day in different ways as a side dish to the main course," he said.

They aren't as common in the United States, though, and sensing a potential niche in the restaurant market in Utah, he launched a locale last November in South Salt Lake, Oh! My Plantain, that centers its varied offerings on the plantain, grown in tropical climates. He opened a second location in Riverton on Aug. 26.

"We realized it was something they didn't have in Utah so we created the brand, My Plantain, because there wasn't anything 100% dedicated to the plantain," he said. "Many Venezuelan and Colombian restaurants will have some dishes with plantains, obviously because it's very common in Latin America. But we're the only restaurant specialized in plantains."

Business was good enough to prod him to open the second site at Mountain View Mall in Riverton in a standalone food court, and he's optimistic. Customers have included Venezuelans and Colombians, more attuned to the plantain, as well as others looking for something different, dishes like plantain lasagna, plantain burgers and marranitas.

"People have liked it, liked our concepts, and that's important for us," he said.

Plantains resemble bananas, also grown in tropical climates, including the Caribbean and parts of South America. They belong to the same plant family, and both are long and curved. Bananas, though, are sweeter and can be consumed raw, while plantains are more starchy and are typically boiled, baked or fried before eating.

Rodriguez said he imports all his plantains from Colombia, two varieties, as well as the fruits used to make the varied juices Oh! My Plantain offers. Colombia is one of the top producers and consumers of plantains behind several African nations, according to the Plantain Council, an industry group, and Harvest Plus, a nonprofit public health organization.

"The plantain is a key food in the diet of Colombians, who are the main consumers of national production," reads the website of Bancolombia, a Colombian financial services company. It's also a key part of the Colombian agriculture industry.

Plantain aficionados in various places around the world celebrated World Plantain Day last June, underscoring the passion many feel for the foodstuff, technically regarded a fruit.

"Plantain is more than food," reads a social media post to promote the celebration, held on varied days in June at different locations. "It is a shared cultural language connecting people across Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe and North America."

'Trying new things'

The varied offerings at Oh! My Plantain are based on traditional dishes from Colombia, but Rodriguez, originally from Bogota, the Colombian capital, puts his own flourish on them. He has long worked in the food industry as a cook, preparing Mexican, American and Central American food.

"Everything is made here by us. The plantains arrive whole. We let them mature, we cut them, we fry them and we process them in our own way. Same with the sauces; we make all the sauces," he said.

The plantains are typically cut and converted into a dough, of sorts, that's then shaped and fried or cooked according to the dish. Patacónes are one of the best sellers, which feature a plantain base topped with the ingredients of the customer's choosing — protein, guacamole, corn, quail eggs or other options.

Read more:

Voces de Utah

Looking for more news from Utah's Latino community? Visit our Voces de Utah section for more stories, events and features.

Instead of pasta, the lasagna features layers of specially prepared plantain. The plantain burgers feature buns made of plantain dough. Marranitas, another good seller, are fried balls of plantain dough with a filling in the center.

"Many give it a try and end up being our customers. They like it a lot. People like trying new things, and that's what we're trying to do: bring different things from what's already here," Rodriguez said.

Related topics