Mayor Arunan Arulampalam joined Parkville Market developer Carlos Mouta and others Wednesday at the market to celebrate the opening of new grilled chicken restaurant Piri Piri Q.
Piri-piri chicken is a spicy dish with roots in both Africa and Portugal. The dish was created in Angola and Mozambique when Portuguese settlers arrived with Chile peppers, which are called “piri-piri” in Swahili.
The Parkville Market brings a diverse array of food vendors together, each with a stall in a bright, walkable space with indoor and outdoor seating. Mouta opened the market in 2020, following a $5 million conversion of a former lumber yard.
Piri Piri Q, the latest addition to the market, is a partnership between Mouta and veteran chef Rui Correia, a native of Portugal who attended the New York Restaurant School and has worked at a series of top-tier restaurants. The partners aim to create a healthy, casual food concept that will translate into a national franchise.
Mouta, at Wednesday’s ribbon cutting, joked he had spent years trying to lure Correia to Hartford before giving up. Then Correia dialed him seeking a collaboration.
Arulampalam said the Parkville Market is reflective of, and taps into, the strength of Hartford’s diversity. It brings together people of every age, ethnicity and income bracket to enjoy diverse food offerings, he said.
“This really is a melting pot of this city,” Arulampalam said.
