Born and raised in Bayamón, Wilmarie Cotto Ruiz always gravitated towards television productions. However, a leap that seemed risky at the time led her to the gastronomic industry as the owner of Chaplin’s Café, a concept that has been operating in Lomas Verdes Avenue since 2018.

Cotto Ruiz worked on successful productions such as “Objetivo Fama,” “Anda pa’l Cará,” and “Dando Candela,” where she served as the right hand to Producer Soraya Sánchez.

“One day, she (Soraya) told me that I was going to be the manager of ‘The Latin Roots,’ and I said, ‘Why me? I don’t know anything about restaurants, I come from television.’ And she said, ‘Because you make everything I give you work, you know how to run it and defend yourself, so you’re going to run it.’ When I started, it awakened a part of me I didn’t know about, which was gastronomy, and I started to like it,” recounted the 49-year-old woman.

Her former boss and friend’s restaurant closed down after three years. However, this experience sparked Cotto Ruiz’s interest in owning her own food establishment. With the help of her father, family, and her business partner Yaritza Suero Vargas, who also works in the media, she began to strive to make this new dream a reality until she opened the doors of the coffee shop.

The establishment is inspired by the British actor, producer, and comedian Charles Chaplin. Upon entering the premises, numerous black hats hanging from the ceiling with lights inside can be seen, along with photographs on the walls of the dining room depicting the famous performer from the silent film era.

“Many people thought I was crazy for wanting to open a brunch spot in Bayamón. Now that I’ve done it, people say, ‘When you’re outside, you can’t imagine what it’s like inside,’ which is very impressive,” she shared.

Cotto Ruiz has taken care of every detail of the concept. Without a doubt, the main attraction, the food, had to stand out. To guarantee this, she hired the distinguished Arecibo Chef Sabdiel Cortés to prepare the menu.

Cortés then adopted a creative style of cuisine, deviating slightly from the traditional offerings of brunches on the island.

He started with the two house favorites: El huevo a la Chaplin, a combination of sweet and savory consisting of cornbread, carnitas, avocado, tomato, and eggs Benedict with hollandaise sauce; and the baked egg, prepared in a pan with Spanish chorizo, sautéed potatoes, egg, cheese, tomatoes, scallions, and an avocado sauce with a hint of jalapeño.

They introduce new offerings seasonally, such as ‘el golpe,’ a Dominican-style breakfast with mangú (mashed plantains), salami, fried cheese, onion, avocado, and poached egg with hollandaise sauce and a hint of hot sauce; and the coconut arepa (stuffed maize dough) with shredded beef, avocado, and eggs Benedict.

Traditional breakfast options like scrambled eggs, pancakes, French toast, oatmeal, cornmeal, farina, sandwiches, and wraps are also part of the menu. They also prepare lunches such as grilled salmon with risotto, skirt steak accompanied by mashed plantains and seasonal vegetables, and the Chaplin burger.

“Many customers tell us, ‘I had this dish today and I haven’t had it in two months, but it tastes just as good as I remember,’” emphasized Cotto Ruiz about the consistency of the recipes.

“The formula is secret. We have the formula. For example, the cilantro aioli, garlic aioli, chimichurri, béchamel, pancakes, and French toast are all recipes he created and only I have them. I lock myself in here, and when I’m mixing, nobody can interrupt me. I make my blends, and I don’t give them to anyone... that’s the heart of my business and the winning formula to me. They’re like treasure to me, and I won’t let go of them for anything in the world,” she explained.

The vast majority of their products, such as fruits, eggs, and coffee, are purchased from local suppliers, even if they are more expensive.

“Local eggs are a thousand times better. We’ve even conducted tests to confirm it... I always prioritize buying as much as I can from Puerto Rico. Why? Because we support each other,” she reiterated.

“I have to say that I feel extremely happy and grateful to God because we have really lived through difficult times. The pandemic has been very challenging, but I believe that God is not finished with us and has carried us through, and we have been able to survive... the motto is ‘seguir pa’lante’ (keep moving forward), because God will never let go of us. If you have a lot of faith and entrust it to Him, believe me, things will move forward,” concluded Cotto Ruiz.

The restaurant is located in front of Parque Lineal and is open Wednesday to Sunday, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. You can contact them on Facebook and Instagram. You can also call 787-979-9149.