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Date: 7/1/2022
WARREN- Picosso on Main will be celebrating its one-year anniversary on July 17. Chef and owner Vinicio Ayala has worked in the restaurant business since he was in high school and, last year, was able to achieve his dream of starting his own business.
Ayala was born in El Salvador and came to the United States when he was 16 years old. He lived in Los Angeles and developed a passion for food by working in local restaurants after school. His family eventually moved to the East Coast where they settled in Amherst.
“I was the last who came to this area and then I worked for 11 years at Blue Heron Restaurant in Sunderland,” said Ayala. “I always had a dream to open my own space and then I was looking around and found out this space was for lease and that’s how I ended up in this town.”
Picasso on Main serves Mexican and Salvadoran cuisine such as tacos, quesadillas, sopes, chicharrones and pupusas at their 2162 Main St. location.
The restaurant is currently open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and is expanding to offer breakfast.
Ayala said breakfast will be served on weekends from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. with the possibility of extending into the weekdays based on customer response.
According to Ayala, the restaurant has seen great community support since its opening.
“We have a good amount of customers. They come from all over, different towns, we even get customers that come directly from Boston. We get very good reviews as well,” he said.
Many customers have never tried this type of food and Ayala said he is always willing to explain it to them.
“We get a lot of customers who say that they’ve never tried something like this. What I do is I try to go step by step and explain it and I tell them if they have a question I am very glad to answer it,” said Ayala.
His favorite part of owning Picosso on Main has been getting to interact with the customers and see their response to the food.
He encouraged residents to come out and try something new. Each dish is guaranteed to be prepared with fresh, local ingredients and often with a twist.
Those interested in learning more about Picosso on Main are encouraged to visit their website at https://www.picossorestaurant.net/.