As Roanoke emerges into its “new normal,” the Star City is strong, resilient, and ready for what’s next – home to a diverse set of entrepreneurs, creatives and community-builders from around the world … and right down the road. In each installment of our blog series, you’ll meet a new face who’ll share their spin on the Star City – their favorite places to eat, drink, connect or get inspired.
Courtesy of Dr. Elda Stanco Downey
Dr. Elda Stanco Downey
Dr. Elda Stanco Downey never expected to make home in the Roanoke Valley.
Raised in Venezuela by an Italian-born father and a Venezuelan mother, she spoke English at school and Spanish and Italian at home. “Travelling and being in different places was home for me,” she says.
It seemed natural for her pursue an academic career, so she moved to the United States to earn a bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago and then an MA and PhD in Hispanic Studies from Brown. After teaching domestically and abroad, Dr. Stanco Downey finally found her way Roanoke, where she came to teach at Hollins University … and discovered a culture that felt both surprisingly familiar and totally new.
“I consider this the South. What I’ve found is that there’s so much in common [between] the Southern way, if you will … [and] Hispanic or Mediterranean cultures,” says Dr. Stanco Downey. “For example, when I first moved here, I moved from New York City. I was very much a Northeastern person, so I was very efficient – all the stereotypes of Northeasterners. And I remember going to a bank or the grocery store and trying to do efficient, everyday sort of quotidian activities, and it would take forever.”
She still can’t help but laugh about her acclimation process.
“I would go to deposit a check … They’d say, ‘Oh, how is it going?’ I’d go to the grocery store and it’d be, ‘How have you been, hon?’ I’d be [thinking,] I just need to pay for my milk. And then I realized, wow, that’s just like being back home. … There’s a pace of living that you can relax in and form these beautiful interpersonal relationships … Now I love it.”
These days, Dr. Stanco Downey leverages her knowledge as CEO of Roanoke Spanish, a consulting firm that trains corporations and individuals in Spanish language and Latinx/Hispanic cultural intelligence. The name of her company speaks to both her commitment to make home in Roanoke and to her comfort as a student of the world.
“[The name] hasn’t kept us from having clients that are statewide or having clients that are more on the national level … Sometimes, to those clients, it really speaks to them that we’re a company that has roots and a commitment to where we are,” she says. “It’s very hometown-y, from someone who’s the antithesis of a hometown dweller.”
As Dr. Stanco Downey celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month, we sat down with this global citizen to chat about her favorite spots in the Roanoke Valley. Here’s what she said…
Q: As Roanoke begins to adapt to new rhythms, you’re probably excited to get back to a few special spots. What’s a restaurant or two you’re happy to visit again, perhaps for patio dining or takeout?
ESD: Red Jasmine in Vinton… We know the owner; the owner knows us and our kids; the food is amazing – it’s like going to visit family! {Try} the Masaman Curry, definitely, and the Crying Tiger Salad … if you like spicy foods!
… If I’m out and about, definitely Taco Riendo is so good, and there’s an ice cream truck that’s there on Sundays … homemade ice creams that are to die for!
… Leonore downtown is Venezuelan food, and it’s the stop to feel like [I’m] in the home country. I love the arepas … They’re a cornflour pocket of goodness that can be filled with your choice of fillings, from cheese to meats to vegetables, and [it’s] comfort in a hand, really… And the fried plaintains! I can’t think of a Venezuelan who won’t say, yes, I need plantains!
Q: How about a spot for something to drink?
ESD: Cuban coffee at Cuban Island – Estela [Gonzalez-Perez] makes it perfect every time.
For fresh fruit juices, La Michoacana on Williamson. It’s amazing! It’s like being in a market in the home country. She literally takes out a cantaloupe and chops it in front of you, makes the juice … It can’t get any fresher than that!
Q: Is there anyone locally who inspires you to be and do more … to hustle harder?
ESD: The first is Joyce Waugh [President and CEO of the Roanoke Regional Chamber] … I admire Joyce. She’s a friend and a mentor. It’s always exciting to me that that place of leadership is held by a woman… She’s a huge asset to Roanoke.
[The second is] Vivian Sanchez-Jones [longtime school and community liaison with Commonwealth Catholic Charities.] Vivian is my hero. She’s somebody who will roll her sleeves up and do the nitty-gritty work … who cares from the bottom up, top down, for the community.
[And] I’m going to say, Kat Pascal [co-owner of Farmburguesa]… Kat is such a strong, self-made individual … She’s always in tune to everyone around her: her family, the Hispanic-Latino community, the community at the school where her children go. She’s such a champion and cheerleader for Roanoke, too.
Q: Do you have any best-kept secrets in the city … special spots other Roanokers may not have discovered yet?
ESD: There’s a little grocery store … Reyna Produce … The space for me is like walking into a market in a different country … There’s produce you might not be familiar with, drinks you might not be familiar with, [and] the people are always super friendly… It’s a fun place to explore!
Another best kept secret, keeping with the food theme: Ike’s [Kitchen] … You walk in and people are going to think, “Oh, Japanese sushi,” but it’s not. It’s ramens, it’s the street foods … I think that makes it unique in Roanoke.
… And I would say a drive down to Franklin County, getting an amazing cup of coffee and pastries at the Whole Bean in Rocky Mount. The coffee is perfect… In terms of sweets … there will always be one or two items that are very traditional European pastries … It’s that hidden treat! Want to find out more about Roanoke Spanish? Go to roanokespanish.com.
Stay tuned for our next installment of Roanoke According To …
About the Writer:
Ashley Wilson Fellers is a writer, educator, self-taught painter and contemplative photographer in Roanoke, Virginia. When she isn’t teaching writing at Virginia Western, she snaps photos of sidewalk cracks, rescues wet leaves from windshield wipers and leaves poems hidden under park benches. She has a Master of Fine Arts degree from Virginia Tech.