Food is a great way to learn about new cultures.

And this weekend, the pots and pans in the kitchen at Akron's pop-up restaurant in North Hill will be brimming with the scents and flavors of Ecuador, El Salvador and Chile.

Folks from these Latin American countries will be cooking up native at NoHi on Friday and Saturday.

It is all part of a weekend of activities for Proyecto RAICES to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.

The Akron-based group works with families from Latin America to bridge the cultural gap of living here with an emphasis on working with the youngsters to hold on to and embrace their cultural roots.

While the food is being served up at NoHi on North Main Street, there will be an outdoor fiesta from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday across the way in the "People's Park," where there will be music, displays and crafts.

Rita Aggarwal, co-director of Proyecto RAICES, said the event has been months — if not years — in the making.

She said the organization has held smaller gatherings in the past but wanted to do something on a larger scale for everyone in the Akron area — not just those with Latin American roots.

"We want to share our culture with the community," Aggarwal said. "We want everyone to come."

Food is an important part of any culture.

Volunteers have spent several days preparing the food that will be served at NoHi over the weekend.

The appetizer comes from Chile. The bun-like empanadas are made from scratch and include a hearty filling of seasoned ground beef and onions and are served with green or red sauce.

The entree selections include pupusas from El Salvador that are made from corn flour mixed with pork, cheese and refried beans. The entree comes with a side of curtido (spicy slaw) and green or red sauce.

From Ecuador, there will be hornado con llapingachos that consists of slow roasted pork with fried potato patties, served with hominy, eggs and chives. It comes with a side of curtido.

The desert offerings include tres leches — three-milk cakes topped with homemade whipped cream — or a fresh fruit salad tajin.

The drink menu will include mango and mandarina Jarritos, Inca Kola, Fanta and margaritas.

The North Hill Community Development Corp. has taken over the kitchen of the former Mexico City Restaurant — before that the Office City Tavern — at 778 N. Main St. and  invites a new budding chef and menu or organization to take over the place and offer food for the weekend.

Proyecto RAICES “La Cocina Internacional” will be open for business for just one weekend from noon to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Aggarwal said there might be a surprise menu item or two added at the last minute.

"I can't pick my favorite menu item," she said. "They will all be wonderful."

Craig Webb can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com.