About us

Theron and Chloe Loizos didn’t anticipate when they first began visiting Anguilla over ten years ago that they would someday own one of the most popular restaurants on the island and would play a part in thousands of great memories of Anguilla in the process, but that’s just what happened when they decided to open Picante, the island’s only Caribbean Taqueria.

Raised in Marin County, California, Theron and Chloe both had good taste in their blood from the start (Theron’s parents once owned a Greek Restaurant and Chloe’s mother has been a private chef on Anguilla for over eight years). Theron and Chloe attended High School together in Marin and eventually both began working at high end restaurants in the Bay Area where, in addition to expanding their love of great food, they experienced what it took to operate a successful eatery. Together for over ten years, Theron and Chloe recently celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary.

Theron and Chloe began to visit Anguilla during the six years that Chloe’s sister was the Executive Chef at Cerulean. During that time, Chloe’s mother moved to the island as well, built a house and began working as a private chef. Then, in June ’03, Theron and Chloe came to Anguilla for a family vacation; craving Mexican food one day, they realized that there were no Mexican restaurants on the island. From that day forward, they decided that what Anguilla needed was a good Mexican food restaurant.

Originally planning to open a simple take-away Mexican food taqueria, Theron and Chloe began scouting locations to realize their vision. Eventually they found the perfect spot to accommodate their idea for a straightforward, counter-service only place to grab a burrito – Rafees, overlooking Sandy Ground. With only two weeks to go until their planned December ’03 move to Anguilla, the deal with Rafee’s fell through and left Chloe’s mom hustling to find a new location for the taqueria that they planned to open in January ’04. What she found was not necessarily what Theron and Chloe had in mind; a run down little place on the West End (formerly Leduc’s). As Theron and Chloe quickly shifted their vision from taqueria to a full service restaurant and bar, they began work on Picante. From upgrading the building and all of the amenities to designing a welcoming atmosphere with the character that they envisioned, Theron and Chloe had their work cut out for them. With the help of Chloe’s Mother and Sister, they created original menus and recipes and established a fun and inviting environment where everyone could enjoy good, fresh food and have fun.

Now in their fifth season, Theron and Chloe have maintained the vision for Picante that they had in the beginning – a fun, inviting environment where everyone can enjoy good, fresh food and have fun.