Casa Chaski’s in West Long Beach is the result of Chef Agustín Romo’s dedication to Comida Peruana and the mighty west coast country of South America. Home to the equally mighty Andes, the food of Perú reflects its mountainous terrain—where hundreds of varieties of potatoes alone exist—but more importantly, the love of its community.
Casa Chaski’s? Well, it’s not much different, bringing West Long Beach one of its most loved spaces.
Casa Chaski’s is the result of years of persistence, serendipity, and the love of Perú
When Agustín was 17, he wanted a cell phone like every kid in North Long Beach. And like many kids in North Long Beach, he came from a family of little means, so he had to get a job.
“And it wasn’t just the cell phone,” Agustín said. “It was also about paying for school and helping my parents. I’m the oldest of five, and in a Mexican household, we support each other. It was gratifying to be able to support them. It was important for me to keep working.”
And that he did: He first began work at the now-shuttered Aunt Val’s restaurant at 56th Street and Atlantic Avenue as a dishwasher. Work at this bistro was his first experience in any food business—let alone a Peruvian one—and from there, his experience exploded. He went on to work at (the also now-shuttered Peruvian space) South Village in Bellflower; Wakatay in Gardena, a Peruvian Nikkei space that is like our current Sushi Nikkei; Charles at the Towne Center; Dqeko in Santa Ana…
“I fell in love with Peruvian culture and food,” Agustín said. “It was something that was so new to me, and it piqued my interest—and I figured, especially as my siblings grew older and they were contributing more to the household, that I could make more money if I decided to step into the kitchen fully.”
Stepping head-first into Peruvian food meant many trials and many errors
Chef Agustín’s experience in Peruvian food wasn’t just vast but deep: He began looking for other jobs in the kitchen with better pay. He launched a heavy-spirited (but alas unsuccessful) spice blend for people and restaurants to easily make lomo saltado, the famed fried potatoes, and a beef dish highlighting Peruvian food. And yes, he could sell some in Washington and Pennsylvania, but not enough to be sustainable. He began catering parties for Peruvian families, garnering constructive criticism and simultaneous praise, allowing him to hone his craft.
In his own words, Peruvian food chose Agustín—but of course, that wouldn’t happen without a bit of chiding from his Mexican family.
“You know Mexican families: They bully you—with the most love that a bully can give you. It was everything: ‘Oh, you want to become Peruvian.’ Or, ‘You won’t touch a tortilla again,'” Agustín said, laughing. “But ultimately, Peruvian food chose me. And now they understand why I love it so much.”
That understanding began when Chef Agustín began selling his dishes via Instagram.
“Once I saw that these families loved my food, there was an instinct within me that I knew I could turn this into a business,” Agustín said. “I mean, I had this mini-catering business I had already built through doing these private Peruvian parties. And I am not sure what it was—a little instinct, a little drive, tired of this early hour, late night gigs—and I just quit. I was tired; the restaurant industry is beyond stressful. And I wanted to be my own boss.”
The formal birth of Casa Chaski’s in West Long Beach
Harkening to a Peruvian custom of selling pollados—pawning off bits of fried chicken—when families or communities need to fundraise, Chef Agustín began selling pollados off of Instagram. To bring a bit of money in. Slowly but surely, Sunday stew and breakfast popups combined with his selling online would become steady enough to where he began looking for a formal space.
By the end of 2018, Chef Agustín found the space now known as Casa Chaski’s.
“I knew when I started the seasoning packets that I couldn’t afford a restaurant,” Agustín said. “I had no experience in marketing, no branding—but in the back of my head, like every chef, I knew it would be amazing. But I knew I had to work my ass off.”
And work his off he did: Casa Chaski’s offers up some of the region’s best Peruvian grub. His lomo saltado? Fries remain beautifully crisp, even after a bath in its beef juices from the charred bits of beef. Empanadas? Crispy pastry shells covered in blistered arrays of air pillows stuffed with picadillo or marinated chicken. His huancaína, the cheesy, brightly pastel yellow sauce served over potatoes and boiled eggs? Deliciously savory and cream; worthy of being slathered onto anything, be it chips, bread, or…
And his tallarines? They have always been excellent. But when paired with his perfectly fried fish, it becomes profoundly warming. His batter is marvelously crispy to the satisfying point: Your fork hits the crust’s crunch before the fish’s tenderness. Savory as can be—no heat, no sweet, all salt in the best way possible, with a bit of umami—this dish is as homey and Peruvian as it comes.
The future of Casa Chaski’s: Going more regional while uplifting the Westside
Chef Agustín’s first menu for Casa Chaski’s was exact if not outright succinct: Largely fried rices, versions of saltados, and tallarines verdes, there was little need for him to explore beyond the Peruvian basics when he first opened his doors.
“When I started working at my place, I knew there would be the best-sellers, right?” Chef Agustín said. “The lomo saltado, the tallarines… I knew these were going to be the sellers. I was admittedly hesitant to do a lamb stew like seco de cordero or cau cau, a hearty beef tripe dish.
But he could explore once he had a patronage that understood his food. Much to his shock, this shift happened when he realized nearly every other table ordered huancaína. A direct contradiction to his experience at other Peruvian restaurants—where it was largely left to the Peruvian families ordering huancaína—Agustín has seen plenty of American tables proudly order huancaína without hesitation.
The result? He can now enjoy specials like taco tacu, a leftover rice-and-beans dish that is as underrated as it is rare to find.
“Make no mistake: the saltados and whatnot keep this business going,” Agustín reminded patrons. “But it’s genuinely great to see our customers warm up to things that are off the menu and more regional to Peruvian food—and hopefully, we can keep heading in that direction so specials will become a more regular thing.”
Casa Chaski’s is located at 2380 Santa Fe Ave.
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