About

Some say the legend of the Arepa Lady started on the northwest corner of Roosevelt Ave. and 79th St. in Jackson Heights, Queens. Her golden, buttery, cheesy arepas have satisfied cravings on warm summer nights since 1990. But before she was a street food celebrity, María Cano was born in La Estrella, Colombia, where she was a lawyer, a judge, and one of the founders of the Universidad Autonoma de Medellin. And most importantly, she’s mom. When political unrest came to a boiling point in the 1980s, mom moved our family to Queens. She had to start fresh, but like everything else she does, she makes arepas with love. It’s the love that made the legend.