Nearly Two Years After Opening, Madre’s Looks to Grow

The retail fashion world was Wendy Peralta’s first love.

Originally from New York City, Peralta worked for years in retail fashion shops in the Wall Street area after studying the trade in both high school and college. “I loved fashion,” she says.

So, why make the jump to restaurateur and open Madre’s Cuban Cuisine on Cedar Lane?

“Well,” she recalls with a laugh, “it’s a funny story. When I opened, I thought it would be a good idea to put a Dominican restaurant on Cedar Lane.”

Interesting choice of location. The strip is home to Italian, Chinese, Kosher and Kurdish eateries, so why not add a Cuban establishment to the variety of choices?

“We opened in a tough economy, and so far, I haven’t seen it be what I’d like it to be,” Peralta explained.

What Peralta envisions is her restaurant being the go to spot for Cuban cuisine, not only on Cedar Lane, but all of Teaneck and Bergen County.

“I would like it to be where everybody is talking about it.” And the name? “Madre means ‘mother.’ I like people to think that their mother is back there (in the kitchen) cooking.”

That’s definitive, but how do you get to that point? “You have to have an energy, a passion.”

Both are evident in Peralta, who did the décor for Madre’s Cuban, creating a sleek, long, thin eatery of varied colors, and she also created her establishment’s menu. This upcoming August, she and her staff will celebrate a two year anniversary.

Executive Chef Nelson Alceqiez Is in the kitchen, and that’s a very good thing. He certainly has credentials, having worked at five star hotels in the Dominican Republic prior to his United States arrival. His most popular menu item Cuban ropa vieja, a flank steak stewed and shredded, served with bell peppers and onions in a white wine sauce, accompanied on the plate with rice and black beans. The menu also features many appetizers, soups and salads, entrées of all kinds, and a vegetarian menu.

“You know,” says Peralta, who is also a mom to seven-year-old Michael, “I come from New York City, where there are so many cuisines. I moved to Teaneck because it’s so close to the city. To me, there’s not a lot of variety here, so there’s a need to mix it up a little bit more. For Cuban cuisine, Teaneck residents and residents of the surrounding towns don’t have to drive to Union City anymore.”

As for future plans for Madre’s, Peralta would like to look at expansion, make it bigger, perhaps to have more space for more private parties.

Most if all, though, she wants that awareness. “I want most of all to let people know about it.”

Madre's Cuban Cuisine Restaurant, 477-B Cedar Lane, Monday - Saturday 11 am - 10 pm (Friday & Saturday 11 pm), Sunday 3 pm - 10 pm, www.madresnj.com