This interview conducted by journalist Maria Esther Cáceres aired Sunday December 28th 2025, on El Zol 107.9 FM. Translated from Spanish by Phyllida Paterson. Translation approved by Maria Esther Cáceres. Scroll down to end to listen to the interview.

Host: In this community affairs program, Tu Familia Zol, we regularly feature how members of the Latino community are forging ahead. On this occasion, I have the pleasure of presenting Danny Chavez, a young entrepreneur originally from El Salvador, who has achieved his dream of opening his own restaurant here in the area. His restaurant is named Lime & Cilantro and we were able to see Danny’s pride in the support he receives from his community, (and) his neighbors, and through this program he hopes to share his story, his experience, his restaurant. Welcome, Danny Chavez.

Danny: Thank you, thank you for inviting me, it’s a pleasure to be here with you. I’m from El Salvador, from (the city of) San Miguel. I came here to the US when I was 14. I grew up with my father in Connecticut. My father is a chef as well. Obviously when you immigrate to this country, you do what you have to do and start working. That was my story. I began by washing dishes, and then continued growing (professionally) by opening my mind to exploring other stations in the kitchen, and thankfully I got to where I am today.

Host: Danny, when did you first begin to enjoy cooking?

Danny: I think it was something organic. I saw how my father managed his (restaurant) kitchen, and developed dishes for the menu. I think it was things like that which attracted me. I didn’t know if I was going to support myself this way, but (in fact) that is what happened (laughs). I did three months of internship in one of the culinary schools in New York, called the CIA (Culinary Institute of America). I was there three months and learned some things, the basics, but traveling from Connecticut to New York was a journey of two to three hours, and due to my limited income the commute prevented me from doing what I needed to do (to survive.) My father is still in Connecticut. He works in a restaurant called The Mill on the River. It’s one of those restaurants that everyone knows where it is, it’s a “staple”(breaks into English) as they say, and the food, obviously, is excellent.

When I came here to Washington DC I began by working in hotels; later I worked with chefs who inspired me to take my passion for food a little further. I worked for Michelin restaurants too and that is when I learned to take flight and said okay, let’s go for this 100% because it’s what I’m passionate about doing.

I read lots of cookbooks to help me understand what to use to create a dish, what flavors can I invent to make it taste distinctive; reading and watching other people, watching cooking shows on television, everything together (inspires me). Every day is different and new. When we are dealing with a menu, or a dish, we (often) have to tweak one thing or another, that is to say that I never get bored. I’m always coming up with new ideas.

Host: Danny, when did you decide to begin this culinary adventure? We’ve heard that you now have your own restaurant. Tell us about it.

Danny: Well, I’ve worked for a lot of other chefs, in Michelin restaurants and so on, so one day I said to myself, you know what, if I know how to cook at this level, why don’t I try to find a way to open my own restaurant? That was the idea, at the end of the day, to open a restaurant, so we opened Lime & Cilantro here in Silver Spring and we’ve been here for about two years. I’m grateful for the community around us, because we feel their support daily.

Host: What types of dishes do you offer in your restaurant?

Danny: We are a Latin American restaurant so we have a little of everything. We have dishesfrom El Salvador, like my mom’s tamales. People come and say “I want those tamales” and this is one of the dishes we sell the most of. We have a short rib too which comes with a mole (sauce) and this is another that when people come (and taste it) they say “Wow.” Our vision is always to be different from the rest, to bring something new, something fresh, so that people will come and say “This is something I haven’t had in other restaurants.” We make the Salvadorean tamales with masa de maiz (maize dough from ground nixtamalized corn). We have the traditional elote (corn) as well as chicken. We serve them with tomato sauce and queso fresco. We also add a sauce with lime zest (lime crema).

Host: Your father also works in a restaurant. Have the two of you shared any culinary secrets?

Danny: Yes. Now he’s the one who calls me to ask how he can make a dish (laughs). Yes, he and I are in touch: we talk about menus, if he needs help with something, if I ask for the favor of helping me develop something new.

Host: Could you highlight some of the features of your restaurant, with regards to the space itself?

Danny: It was something we planned carefully, because obviously at the beginning when we arrived the space wasn’t what it is now. We didn’t want it to be cluttered, but we didn’t want it to be too sparse either. We needed to make it cozy, so that people would come in and say “Wow, yes this restaurant is Latino, it’s elegant, and at the same time it serves food that we haven’t seen elsewhere.” You should enter and not feel pressured, everything should flow organically, from the table service to when the food comes out to the presentation of the food. This is something (that makes us) different because yes, we take the time to develop menu items but at the same time we want this to be a Latino restaurant, but a little elegant. We work with local farmers. All our food is local – the vegetables (for example)…. The vision of our restaurant is always to offer the freshest products to our diners.

Host: Talk to us about the challenges that you have faced?

Danny: Running a restaurant isn’t something about which you can say “This is the easiest thing ever.” Obviously not! The air conditioning can break down. The heating can break down in the winter. A pipe can rupture. And much more. These are the kinds of challenges that you can’t predict, and when they happen all you can do is keep going and figure out the best solution. Patience is the number one necessary quality for being an owner or being a chef. Things are never going to be perfect; there will always be obstacles. The only option is patience and to push forward.

Host: What satisfactions or rewards do you get from your work?

Danny: My reward is that because we are a family restaurant, I have my family around me and we work together, exploring something that we hadn’t expected to do, this is the greatest reward that we have received. Apart from this is that since we opened we’ve had an impactful presence in our neighborhood. We came out on the front page of The Washington Post in our first year. We were also in Tom Sietsema’s guide, which named us as one of the forty best restaurants in Maryland.

Host: What are your future plans?

Danny: Our hopes at least are to open a new restaurant at the beginning or middle of 2026, I think. That’s the idea at the moment – to showcase something different.

Host: You are located in Silver Spring.

Danny: Yes, we are at 1909 Seminary Rd in Silver Spring, sort of in the direction of Wheaton (if coming from DC.)

Host: Do you have enough parking?

Danny: In front of our restaurant we have three or four parking spaces, but across the road there is a parking lot where you have to pay, but I think it’s about 25 cents. There’s plenty of parking there.

To people who are listening to this interview on the radio, visit us! Like I said, we are at 1909 Seminary Rd here in Silver Spring. We are open from Tuesday to Sunday. On Saturdays and Sundays from 9 AM – 2 PM we offer brunch. We have tamales with eggs, we have pancakes made with tres leches…. Our menu is varied and you won’t be disappointed. We are here, and hope to remain here for many more years.

Host: Can people find information about your restaurant online?

Danny: Yes, we have our website. You can also follow us at Lime & Cilantro on Instagram or Facebook. We are on all the platforms.

Host: Thank you for informing us about your venture, your restaurant, and we hope things go well for you, Danny.

Danny: Thank you very much for the invitation. Have a good day.

Listen to radio interview: