Victor Loja, building an Ecuadorian Dynasty in New York
- XIMENA HIDALGO-AYALA
- 1 ene
- 8 Min. de lectura
From Azuay to the world: a young man who carried a country in his hands.
By Ximena Hidalgo Ayala
Historian, founder and executive director of the Galo Plaza International Committee, and of its exclusive network of entrepreneurs and professionals, XHA Club, dedicated to promoting integration through history, education, and culture.
Victor Loja’s story begins in the highlands of Azuay, where at just fifteen he left home with nothing but determination, and a belief that he could build his own future.
In his first years of independence he worked wherever opportunity appeared: first on a banana‑transport company, maintaining irrigation pumps and keeping the machinery running. Later, he worked with Esteban Quirola, as a security guard, always saving, always planning, saving every dollar he could. Even then, he carried with him the flavors of his childhood and the pride of a culture that expresses love through food.
By his early twenties, Victor had already bought his own small farm in Nueva Unión, on the road to Naranjal in the coastal province of El Oro. He even purchased a Toyota 2200 pickup — a decision he laughs about today because the truck looked perfect on the outside but constantly broke down. Eventually, he sold it, mortgaged his farm, and used every cent to pursue the dream that had been growing inside him for years: emigrating to the United States.
A Dangerous Arrival and a Year of Recovery
When Victor finally emigrated to New York, the dream nearly ended before it began. He arrived in the United States in 2001, though he doesn’t remember the exact day — because he suffered a serious accident while crossing the border that left him unable to work for a full year.
But this is where the story turns: his cousin took him in, cared for him, and helped him recover in Peekskill. Victor often says that year taught him two things — gratitude and unyielding resilience. When he finally recovered, a friend told him about a job in Manhattan. Victor didn’t hesitate, he jumped and headed to New York City, knowing that over there he will find new opportunities.
Learning the Craft in New York’s Kitchens
Victor’s first job was in a Thai restaurant in Manhattan, working in two locations of the same restaurant group — one near Union Square and another on 2nd Avenue and 74th Street, where during six years, he washed dishes, worked as a prep cook and made deliveries.
He also worked in Brooklyn at Sea, a massive restaurant with a staff of seventy, where he eventually became a chef.
These years taught him speed, discipline, and the rhythm of a professional kitchen. He learned how to run a line, how to manage chaos, how to keep a place spotless. But most importantly, they also awakened something deeper: the desire to build something of his own.
The Opportunity that changed everything
In 2007, Victor heard that a branch of a well-known Hornado Ecuatoriano restaurant closed its Astoria location and was for sale. He didn’t hesitate. His entrepreneurial spirit — the same one that pushed him to leave home at fifteen — took over. Victor saw what others missed: a chance. A door. A beginning and opportunity to make his dream come true.
On June 14, 2007, he opened his first restaurant on 34th Avenue and 41st Street in Astoria. He took over the space, kept the traditional dishes, but added something new — a fresh image, a personal touch, and a signature creation that would become a neighborhood favorite.
Reinventing Himself — And Ecuadorian Cuisine
At first, he kept the same menu the previous owners had left behind. But sales were painfully low, so Victor did what only true entrepreneurs do: he studied, calculated, and reinvented. He counted every shrimp in a box, analyzed the cost of every cut of meat, and restructured the entire operation. Within three months, the business was rising.
Victor didn’t yet know how to cook Ecuadorian food but in the kitchen, he had the support of an experienced female cook who became essential to his early success — today she owns her own restaurant. Victor speaks of her with deep gratitude.
For five years, he worked without a single day off — opening at 7 AM and closing at midnight. After going home, he would sit in front of YouTube watching videos of Ecuadorian dishes from every region. That’s how he developed his own sofrito — a unique seasoning blend that became the foundation of all his restaurants. “It’s in every location,” he says proudly. “All unified.”
Victor has never received a B or C health grade from the New York City Health Department. Not once. Inspectors often asked him if he knew they were coming because they couldn’t find a single violation. He always worked with gloves, a cap, and strict hygiene — a discipline he learned in his early years in Manhattan kitchens.
The Birth of the Bandeja Ecuatoriana
When Victor opened his first restaurant, Queens already knew the Colombian Bandeja Paisa, so Victor created an Ecuadorian counterpart: the BANDEJA ECUATORIANA. He kept the shared elements — rice, beans, chicharrón, avocado, fried egg, sweet plantain — but replaced the Colombian arepa with a deeply Ecuadorian symbol: tortilla de papa.
It wasn’t just a dish. It was a statement. A plate that said: This is who we are and it became a hit. BANDEJA ECUATORIANA became his breakthrough. “This was the plate that gave me popularity,” Victor says.
Expansion: A Second Restaurant
As business grew, in 2013 Victor opened his second restaurant on 36th Avenue in Astoria, just a few blocks away from his first location. But in 2014, he faced the most difficult moment of his life. He was diagnosed with diabetes and stepped back from the business. Without his leadership, both restaurants declined. He fell behind on six months of rent. He owed his workers nine weeks of pay. His debt reached $96,000.
The financial crisis hit. High rents. Bills rose but Victor didn’t close, he wasn’t alone, friends stepped in with loans — not because they expected profit, but because they believed in him. He survived. And then he expanded again.
When he returned to the kitchen and took control again, sales skyrocketed. What had been $800 days in both restaurants became $2,800 on Fridays, $4,200 on Saturdays and $6,000 on Sundays. He paid off every debt.
A Third Restaurant on Roosevelt Avenue and a Fourth in Williamsburg
Two years ago, Victor opened a third location on Roosevelt Avenue and 102nd Street: Dinastía Ecuadorian Food — a name that reflects exactly what he has built.
His most recent opening was at 394 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in one of the neighborhood’s most active areas, which is his newest restaurant, bringing Ecuadorian flavors to a new audience.
Each restaurant carries the same identity: traditional Ecuadorian flavors, spotless cleanliness, and Victor’s signature seasoning.
Victor’s restaurants attract people from everywhere — Americans, Asians, Europeans. He remembers Sundays when only two or three Ecuadorians walked in, while the rest of the dining room was filled with customers from all over the world. They all loved my food, he says with pride. They ordered shrimp dishes, the BANDERA ECUATORIANA , and the flavors that reminded Victor of home.
A Dynasty Built on Tradition, Discipline, and Heart
At his first restaurant for the first five years, Victor cooked from 7 AM until midnight. Now, he leads a team — but the spirit is the same. Today, Victor’s restaurants represent the journey of an Ecuadorian immigrant who refused to give up. An Ecuadorian who left home at fifteen. An Ecuadorian who survived an accident, illness, debt, and exhaustion, but over all, an Ecuadorian who built a culinary empire with his own hands, his own seasoning, and his own memories.
Victor’s restaurants have earned a reputation built on three inseparable pillars: an almost obsessive commitment to impeccable cleanliness, reflected in the A ratings he receives so consistently that inspectors often tease him—“Are you sure you didn’t know we were coming?”—because they never find a single flaw; a devotion to home‑style cooking, where natural ingredients, traditional seasoning, and the comforting flavors of his childhood define every plate; and a remarkable consistency across all locations, each one carrying the same warmth, the same pride, and the same unmistakable Ecuadorian identity that Victor has woven into his culinary legacy.
The Signature Dish: BANDERA ECUATORIANA
Across all his four restaurants, one dish stands above the rest: BANDERA ECUATORIANA (Ecuadorian Flag), that stands not only as national symbol of his native country but as the symbol of everything he has created — a plate that unites Ecuador’s most iconic flavors and natural regions: Ceviche de Camarón (Ecuadorian Shrimp cocktail); Hornado (Ecuadorian‑style roast pork, marinated and slow‑cooked in a wood or charcoal oven until the meat is tender and the skin is crispy); Mote (Boiled hominy corn); Tortilla de papa (Potato patty) and Seco de chivo (Ecuadorian signature Lamb stew).
BANDERA ECUATORIANA it’s not just a meal. It’s a flag, a symbol. A plate that tells Victor's story. A reminder of where he came from, and what he built.
102-02 Roosevelt Ave, Corona, NY 11368
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