MILWAUKEE — A new food bus is serving up authentic Puerto Rican dishes in New Berlin. 

Luis Diaz said his journey to becoming a business owner led him to Wisconsin. La Promesa food bus is offering a unique spin on their dining experience. When you hop on board, you’ll find tables and seats built in for a “dine-in” experience. 

Diaz owns the bus with his wife Katherine Quiles. 

“It’s an open kitchen so they can see me, but at the same time sit on the bus where they can eat,” said Diaz. 

Diaz is originally from Puerto Rico. He’s been living in Wisconsin for two years now. He said he’s no stranger to the kitchen and his experience in the hospitality industry prepared him to run his own business. 

“Our goal is to bring what we have already in Puerto Rico to Wisconsin,” said Diaz. 

He said when the pandemic started to affect many workers, he was also impacted. 

“When Covid came, it hit me hard,” he said. 

After losing his job in hospitality because of the pandemic, he became a private chef for people in their own homes in Florida. 

Diaz said he wanted to do more. He and his family packed up, moved to Wisconsin and opened the food bus. 

“This was my dream,” he said. “It was pretty much a blessing in the middle of the pandemic.” 

La Promesa is serving up island classics like chicken pinchos (skewers), tostones (fried plantains), alcapurrias (plantain dough deep fried and filled with ground beef), carne frita (deep fried pork chunks) and more. 

Diaz said the family is just getting started.

They hope to continue serving up delicious food to their visitors, while keeping their culture alive in the dairy state. 

The food bus is located at Iglesia Casa de Restauracion, 21300 West Greenfield Ave., New Berlin.