Adria’s “Notes on Creativity” is the first major exhibition dedicated to the visualization and drawing practices of this culinary master. The exhibition presents drawings, notes, notebooks, diagrams, pictograms and prototypes by Adrià and his collaborators. We caught up with Adrià at the exhibit, which is currently running at the Drawing Center in New York City.
The Road to Panca
Story1 CommentOne day I met with chef Ezequiel Valencia to find out the secret, but when he told me where he was from in Peru, I got caught up in the path that brought him to Panca and momentarily forgot my mission. He was born at the foot of the Huascaran, Peru's tallest mountain, in the town of Yungay, where terrible tragedy struck in 1970. An earthquake caused a debris avalanche, full of snow, mud and rocks, which buried Yungay and killed all but around 100 of its 20,000 residents. At the time, Ezequiel's family lived outside of the town and were unharmed. The town was rebuilt as Yungay Nuevo and his family moved there. When he was born in 1974, his father ran off with another woman. He grew up working on the family's chacra, a small farm, and helping his mother in the kitchen.
For Your Enjoyment
StoryCommentOne Sunday afternoon in the north most tip of the Miraflores district in Lima, Peru, I was hungry and looking for a place to eat. It was Sunday so it had to be ceviche, for Sunday is the day of the Christians and fish is the dish of Jesus and it is a personal rule of mine to eat ceviche for lunch on Sundays whenever possible.
The Arepa's Saving Grace
ArticleCommentAs a vegetarian, non-drinking gringo with poor Spanish language skills and two left feet, I tend to fall out of just about every ritual of warmth and welcome my Peruvian wife’s clan plans for my benefit, which tend to involve drink, dance, meat-centered feasting and fast chatter. Finally, here is a place where we can all share.
Superfoods to Restore, Revive, Reinvigorate
ArticleCommentThere are countless superfoods from all over the world, but the diverse micro-climates of Peru are home to some unique and powerful specimens. These superfoods have been used by natives of the Andes and Amazonian regions for thousands of years. We picked five Peruvian powerhouses in particular to explore how we can incorporate them into our diet today.
A New Sensibility for Radio en Español
ArticleCommentEmpire State of Mind, Miami
StoryCommentLila Downs concert at SummerStage
CommentIn New York, the summer is filled with music; and many concerts of the season, which feature outstanding artists, happen to be free. Musicians perform all types of music, from reggae to hip hop, with, this year, the Roots and Talib Kweli. Jazz is also part of the program with the likes of vocalist DeeDee Bridgewater. Every concert is usually a celebration: a celebration of the summer, of the history of a musical event, like for instance with the Saturday, August 17 Black Woodstock concert at Marcus Garvey Park; or it is the celebration of a specific musical genre, such as traditional Mexican music. Artists come from everywhere: the Caribbean, Europe, Africa…and Mexico. This year, Mexican American vocalist Lila Downs graced the Central Park SummerStage with the Flor de Capuali mariachi dance company as well as the mariachi band Angeles de New York. She also invited traditional costumed dancers which go by the name of Los Chinelos de Morelos.
Francisco Parreño: From Valencia to New York
Article1 CommentGrowing up in Valencia, Francisco Javier Parreño, current head chef of La Nacional Restaurant in New York, didn’t know he would grow to love cooking, travel the world and come back home every time with a new cooking book or magazine to add to his library collection. With 25 years of experience as of today, he started his profession as young as 15 and later on opened a restaurant in the center of Valencia that offers cuisines of the world. Currently, Francisco puts his experience, knowledge, and love of cooking in each paella, patatas bravas, and other traditional Spanish dishes, that he crafts for La Nacional Restaurant’s clients.
The Beautiful Belief of Candle 79
ArticleCommentPostcard from Rio
StoryCommentIn the air above the beach at Ipanema, there was a mist. The sun—low and setting—illuminated it. People glided past one another. Into slow starring reverie I sank, a stream that warmed and carried me along. For the first time, I felt part of Rio. At last I understood. Months after arriving from New York, I had arrived in the inward city inhabited by the native carioca.
Cebiche, Ceviche, Sebiche, Seviche A Latin American Kitchen Miracle
ArticleCommentAs plausible as this scenario seemed, I could not ignore the fact that cebiches are not “cooked” with anything of local origin, but with citrus juice from Old World trees brought by the Spaniards. This seems to indicate that the Spanish colonists either embraced an existing Peruvian technique, transforming it with familiar ingredients, or stumbled upon the method on their own.
De Cusco a Greenwich Village
Story1 Comment“No, actually I’m a cook. Do you know who lives in this building? The last Inka princess lives in Apart. 1. I’m her cook. Do you know something about the Inka culture?”, y ella me dijo “a little bit”, pero no parecía convencida. Entonces abrí mis bolsas que contenían wakatay, quinua, ají amarillo, papitas moradas diminutas -Peruvian purple potatoes- y hasta un cuy gigante que lo venden congelado, en una tienda ecuatoriana. Luego resumí: “I’m the Inka Princess’s cook, and I have to prepare the dinner for her”. Así, ella quedó no sólo convencida sino conmovida de mi insólita confidencia.
Mirasol's Food for the Soul
ArticleCommentWe continued chatting over tacu tacu topped with a seafood stir-fry, a slow-roasted goat shank, Mirasol risotto and shellfish in an herbed butter sauce. The sun started to sink into the ocean, as we ended our meal with Andres’ mother’s home-made ice cream. I walked to my car and headed home, my stomach, content, and my heart, full.
Mercados of Madrid
ArticleComment“Aren’t those the loveliest eggs you’ve ever seen? Plucked right out of a fairytale! If Humpty Dumpty had offspring, this is what they’d look like!” I exclaimed to my husband. After a year of living in his homeland I still gush over the novel discoveries I make, and he still chuckles at my enthusiasm.
Como en casa
StoryCommentPeru Homemade: Ají de Gallina
ArticleCommentAlthough going out and experiencing new restaurants in Lima has been extraordinary, there is something to be said about a good old fashion homemade meal. We’ve been blessed with the option if we ever we are in need of food we are always welcome to take a 15-minute walk over to Bae’s aunts’ house, and we will be met with food abundant. One such day we walked over to have a family lunch, and I was introduced to one of Peru’s classic meals, Ají de Gallina.
Porteñas – Empowered Immigrant Women Open Restaurant in Williamsburg
StoryCommentChef Fernanda has been making empanadas and other Argentine treats for over 20 years – and after decades of experience, she has been running her own restaurant, Raíces, in Buenos Aires.
Her partner, Carmen, is a true entrepreneur - she runs her own non-profit organization, Curatorial Program for Research, where they “create a socially-conscious network of emerging curators from around the world.”
Alpha’a from Brazil to the world, using the arts as a tool for transformation
ArticleCommentAlpha’a’s story began in Rio de Janeiro, at the end of 2014, the company launched the first version of the platform via a partnership with a group of major Brazilian galleries and artists. The partnership took place via a t-shirt initiative that funded 25 scholarships for up and coming artists.
Renata Thome and Manuela Seve
Edel Rodriguez: The Power of Illustration
InterviewCommentI think there are a lot of stories that magazines tell with photo essays that could have a different impact if they were told through drawings. I created an illustrated essay for Time magazine years ago, titled “A Vision of Cuba," a detailed accounting of stories I came across while driving around Cuba in the 1990s.