Freakin success story: Q&A with Derick Lopez, chef who is bringing his unique brand of Puerto Rican food — The Freakin Rican — to Teaneck

Let’s start with the name: The Freakin Rican.

Derick Lopez, the owner and operator of the restaurant that has received much acclaim in New York City, said it came after his first restaurant in New York City failed and he was back at his other career — working as a makeup artist at Bergdorf Goodman.

“My friend who was working there said, ‘You should call your next restaurant, “The Freakin Rican,”’” Lopez recalled. “I loved the name, so I trademarked it.”

Now, he just needed a restaurant — a place to serve traditional Puerto Rican dishes such as alcapurrias, bacalaitos or his specialty: pasteles.

He turned to his Toyota RAV4.

“I didn’t even have a food truck,” Lopez said with a laugh. “I started by just putting three tables out with one fryer, and working out of my beat-up RAV4. Little by little, I just kept branding myself. Soon, I had two fryers and a van.”

And hope.

That was more than a decade ago. After years of growing his brand at food fests and other events around New York City, he opened the first Freakin Rican restaurant in Astoria, Queens, in 2018.

Thanks to a cult following of fans from his weekend efforts and food events and a terrific honor by the New York Times in 2019 — his pasteles were selected as one of the Top 10 dishes of the year — Lopez hasn’t looked back. Even the pandemic could not slow his progress.

This fall, he’s opening his second location, in Teaneck, where he moved a few years back.

BINJE caught up with Lopez during the soft opening. Here’s more of the conversation.

BINJE: What makes Puerto Rican food special?

Derick Lopez: It’s the way that it’s made. We put so much soul and love and flavor into our food, because that’s how our mothers and grandmothers did it. That’s why it’s labor-intensive. A lot of the process is done by hand. We grate and we peel everything — we don’t cook from boxes.

BINJE: Speaking of labor-intensive, tell us about your signature dish, pasteles.

DL: They are like a tamal. They’re made with green banana wrapped in banana leaf, roasted pork inside, roasted peppers, olives. We make them in an assembly line; everyone has a job. They take so long to make that people usually only make them during the holidays. We make them all year round.

BINJE: And to much acclaim. Tell us about the New York Times honor.

DL: It was incredible to be recognized and really helped grow our brand.

(Then, the pandemic hit. The restaurant survived and continued to thrive. Lopez moved to Teaneck after a marriage that didn’t last. His love of the community did. When he saw a storefront open on Cedar Lane a few months back, he jumped at it.)

I knew I had to open here. I’m excited to bring my energy here.

BINJE: The store still is working through its final approvals. When it opens, it will be one of the few Puerto Rican restaurants in New Jersey — and few that were made by a Puerto Rican native (Lopez was born in Mayaguez before moving to the Bronx, New York, as a child). Talk about creating a greater Puerto Rican community in New Jersey?

DL: That’s what The Freakin Rican is all about — in addition to the delicious food.

I think everything today has to be about community. At a time when everyone’s so separate and everyone’s on the phone too much, The Freakin Rican is known for community, for family. Most of my customers end up talking to each other.

The Freakin Rican has delicious food and great drinks, but it’s definitely about family — and I think when you have that, it separates you from the pack.

For information about The Freakin Rican, go to thefreakinricanrestaurant.com