Magaly Ponce

East Village kitchens run on bold flavors and quick pivots, and Magaly Ponce keeps that tradition alive as a caterer storing recipes in her rolling kit rather than a storefront. Near 2nd Avenue’s low-key storefronts and jazz bars, a fresh pot of mojo can land on a banquet table within hours. Menu sketches lean on the pulse of the neighborhood—think crisp plantain bases, roasted pork with citrus edges, and sides that toggle between black beans and charred corn. Other weeks the boards flip to vegan mofongo towers or whole fried fish laced with ají amarillo. The Latino-owned and women-owned table makes appearances at loft openings uptown and park-side weddings downtown, curating menus that read like a street corner menu but taste like a family cookout. Delivery logistics stay light—skids, coolers, and a van that fits two roasting pans at a time—so drop-off orders rarely clash with evening subway crowds along 14th Street. To arrange your next drop-off—or to have Magaly herself sketch out a month-of-Sunday dinner list—reach Magaly Ponce at (646) 732-0410. Directions to the prep kitchen sit on the map: 16 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003.