Have you heard the one about the Venezuelan woman who married a Lebanese man with a Polish surname before starting a business with a British woman?

If you have, then chances are you’ve probably been to one of the most remarkable eateries in East Hampshire.

Tucked away off Petersfield’s High Street is a little place called Cantina Rosita. This little gem down Folly Lane offers a taste of life from both sides of the Atlantic with its Latin and Eastern Mediterranean dishes.

Cantina has become one of the town’s biggest little secrets since owner Andrea Kowalski and “super-manager” Anna Bennett opened its doors 14 months ago.

The pair became friends pre-pandemic when they both worked at Cloisters – now called the Courtyard Bistro – off The Square, and reunited when Andrea decided to start her own business.

“It had been my dream to start my own place but I couldn’t see it ever happening,” said head chef Andrea.

“We then moved to Petersfield and thought seriously then about setting up this small community-based diner. It’s neither a café nor restaurant, it’s something in-between, hence it’s a cantina which is a Latin name.

“And when I started looking at this properly I had only one person in mind and that was Plan A – and that’s ‘A’ for Anna because of the time we were together at Cloisters.”

Cantina Rosita Petersfield specials
The food is either Latin or Eastern Mediterranean (Tindle/Paul Ferguson)

Andrea is well-travelled as she was involved in projects around the Middle Easy while working in an educational department at the BBC World Service.

Yet there’s big similarities between the region and her homeland as there’s a huge Lebanese and Syrian refugee community in Venezuela.

“Venezuela is very tolerant and has embraced everything Arabic,” said Andrea, one of 7.2m million Venezuelans who has fled the country since 1992.

“I’ve travelled a lot, so I’ve got a good palate, but when I was thinking about what kind of food to serve, it made sense to have both Latin and Eastern Mediterranean.

“The spices are very similar and they both use cinnamon a lot, and of course, there’s chilli and bread.”

Many dishes involve the staple Venezuelan corn bread Arepa stuffed with fillings ranging from black beans, plantain and pickle to cod goujons and corn. The menu also includes Lebanese arayes, Arabic bread and sweet treats like coquitos.

Cantina Rosita Petersfield coquitos Pic4
Who doesn't like a good coquito? (Tindle/Paul Ferguson)

“We’re not fusion, we just have Latin or Eastern Mediterranean things on our menu,” said Anna, who worked at a pub and Cowdrey Park in between teaming up with Andrea.

“I think we’re a hidden gem of Petersfield, but we like that.

“I think week by week we’re seeing more and more people. We are getting more returning customers, but a lot of people are still finding us which I quite like.”

“I wouldn’t want this cantina to be on the High Street,” said Andrea, adding: “We want this to be part of the community and we encourage people to bring a book to swap and play scrabble, which is very Latin and Arabic.”