By Chandler Inions

chandler.inions@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — Driving north on Hwy. 601, you’ll come upon a colorful building on the side of the road near the county line called Wow 601. Inside, you’ll find Oran Rojas and Wanda Barquero ready to make your day.

The couple opened Wow 601, a Venezuelan drive-thru, back in September. It was the culmination of a vision, a relocation and years in the food and beverage industry.

“The wow is because we believe in the wow effect,” Rojas said.

It’s also an acronym for the owners’ names and their dog, Whiskey.

Rojas has decades of experience under his belt in culinary preparation from his days in Miami. Similarly, Barquero spent years working in restaurants as a manager and trainer for front and back-of-the-house staff.

“Oran used to own a food truck in Miami,” Barquero said. “We brought part of his food, and we mixed it with wraps and bowls … we have some traditional Hispanic flavors to make it good for everyone.”

Wow 601 represents the combination of those experiences.

The couple moved to Kannapolis after having visited the area multiple times to see family.

“We had family in Asheboro, and we came about six times, and we decided to come to this state because of the people,” Rojas said.

Expanding on that, Rojas explained that people in the Piedmont were friendly and courteous, with even complete strangers asking about their day when crossing paths in public.

“After we came here, we are sure we made the right decision,” Rojas said.

Barquero agreed and added that they have had similar experiences since opening Wow 601. It has encouraged them to stay for the long haul.

“You get to know people by names,” Barquero said. “We have a lot of plans. We are not planning to go anywhere. Apparently, this place has been many different spots. We are planning to stay.”

Barquero said that when the couple first agreed to meet a real estate agent, that the GPS actually took them to the wrong place. Pulling up to North Hills Christian School, they were a little confused because they thought they were going to be looking at a restaurant location.

They sorted it out soon after and immediately fell in love with the location.

“I thought this location that this had a lot of opportunity because it is isolated,” Barquero said.

Now, they are working six days a week to provide Salisbury with a unique culinary combination they likely won’t find elsewhere.

“It’s a mix of Venezuelan and American food,” Barquero said. “We got the flavor, and some of the items are Venezuelan style, but we also wanted to have something that is going to be for everyone. Like we have regular burgers and then Wow burgers, which are Venezuelan style.”

Rojas said that so far, their vision had been well received.

“We are super happy with everything up to now,” Rojas said. “I am very happy. In my opinion, the thing that makes me happy is the people. The feedback of the people, where I go running to the car and they have the food in the back. They always say something like I have to try the arepas.”

An arepa is a type of food made of ground maize dough stuffed with a filling, eaten in northern parts of South America since pre-Columbian times, and notable primarily in the cuisine of Colombia and Venezuela. It is one of the authentic Venezuela dishes available at Wow 601.

“We are seeing how we are growing,” Barquero said. We have not been open for even two months. You see in the sales, you see the evolution. It is growing and growing and growing.

We are super happy with everything until now.”

With hope, as the business continues to grow, the couple will be able to expand beyond their current brick-and-mortar location.

“Once this place is completely running, we want to try and get a food truck,” Barquero said. We have the space, and we have a lot of plans. The plans are going to come where the business is growing. We have not had the opportunity to show the city what we are made of.”