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Editor’s note: Made in Tarrant is an occasional Q&A series on small businesses started in Tarrant County. Submit your business here. Jenna Zamora had never eaten Peruvian food before meeting her husband. Now, she runs a restaurant with him dedicated to the country’s diverse flavors. After moving to Texas, she and her husband, Diego, opened Inti Poke on Fort Worth’s West 7th Street in 2024. The couple-turned-business partners wanted to deliver the unique and bold flavors of Peru to Cowtown. Both dedicated to health as former collegiate tennis players-turned-coaches, the self-proclaimed foodies developed a fresh menu that fuses traditional Japanese flavors with Peruvian influences.Poke (pronounced poh-keh) is a traditional Hawaiian dish that gained popularity on social media. Essentially a disassembled sushi roll, a bowl contains cubed raw, marinated fish with rice and vegetables that are topped with umami-based sauces. Inti Poke offers a variety of options for rice, fish and sauces — all cooked by Diego. Sweet potato, avocado, edamame and chickpeas are some of the toppings available. The restaurant’s goal is to deliver a nutritious and convenient meal to Fort Worth that caters to a diverse set of tastes.Company name: Inti Poke Location: 3020 W. 7th St. #224, Fort WorthPhone: 817-876-3800Website: intipoke.comInstagram: @inti.pokeEmail: dzamora236@gmail.comThis interview has been edited for length, grammar and clarity.Kathryn Miller: Why did you decide to open Inti Poke?Jenna Zamora: Diego is from Lima, Peru, and, in South America, poke bowls are a pretty common food option. After visiting a couple times, we were talking back and forth about creating something like that here in the U.S. That’s where we got our inspiration from.Diego Zamora: We developed the menu in Peru and are trying to see if it is a hit or not.Miller: Since Inti Poke is inspired by Peruvian flavors — what kind of food do you have?Diego: We have the same concept as every other poke place besides all our signature sauces have a Peruvian ingredient — that’s where we differentiate. We have salmon, tuna, tofu and two different types of chicken. We’re trying to make different flavors than what’s normal from other poke bowls.Jenna: It’s both Peruvian- and Japanese-inspired. Peru has a lot of Japanese-inspired cuisine. Poke bowls are typically made with raw fish, but not everyone likes or can have raw fish. So we added chicken and tofu to our menu. Our goal is to really have something for everyone and be family friendly.Miller: What was the process of opening the business together like?Jenna: A lot of the work initially fell on Diego. I also have a full-time job so I have other priorities that take up my time. He started out with some other partners, and it just ultimately didn’t work out. I can’t always be there as much as I would like to, but I try to help out as best as I can social media- and marketing-wise. It’s definitely a very busy time of life, but it’s been really fun to get to do it together.Diego: I would never be able to do something like this alone. She’s been taking care of the company at a level that I never expected. Miller: What are some challenges that you guys have run into running your business — both as a couple and as business partners?Diego: I think the mental toughness of the day-to-day operations, like when things don’t go your way and you’re trying to cheer each other up. It’s not always the prettiest, but we believe in the product and do as much as we can to make it happen. We’ve been open for less than a year and I feel like we’ve grown so much in nine months. It’s like having a little baby. Jenna: Also, getting our name out there and opening a brand-new restaurant that’s not a chain yet that no one’s ever heard of before has been a challenge. Ideally, we’ll be well known in the future — that’s been one of our goals.Diego: The biggest challenge that we have in Fort Worth specifically is not many people know what a poke bowl is. It’s obviously been trending all over the world for how quick and healthy it is, because you can go in-and-out and buy an actually well-balanced meal. But here in Fort Worth, it’s not as traditional yet. Jenna: We get a lot of questions sometimes like, “What is a poke bowl?” It’s super fun to explain that. We spread awareness about them.Miller: What is the best part of running Inti Poke?Diego: Seeing the reaction of the people after not knowing what it is. Many people like sushi in general and eating a whole bowl worth of it, they’re like “Wow.” I see some online orders that come and they order four days in a row, or I see the same person coming at least once or twice a week.Jenna: All of our customers are super friendly, happy to chat. We do have a lot of repeat customers, which we’ve been super happy about.Miller: Is there anything else you’d like to add?Diego: The name sounds like nothing, but it means “sun” in Quechua, which is the language of the Incas, the main empire in Peru. Jenna: In the end, we’re really passionate about bringing different flavors to Fort Worth, to Texas and to the U.S., in general. Growing up, I never really heard about Peruvian cuisine, and I ended up dating someone who was from there. After many trips to Peru, I’m blown away every time by how delicious and fresh the food is. We think others deserve to taste it, too.Kathryn Miller is a reporting fellow at the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at kathryn.miller@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.