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.

“Hasn’t aged a day in all these years!” Bart Potenza exclaims, indicating the small Buddha statue that presides over the entrance of Candle 79, the upscale Upper East Side restaurant that he and his partner, Joy Pierson, opened in 2003. Tongue in cheek, he adds, “Must be the food.”

In 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.

As 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.

Latin America has a long tradition of written non-fiction narrative, known as crónica—think Gabriel Garcia, Elena Poniatowska or, more recently, Gatopardo and Etiqueta Negra magazines—but that tradition has never made the leap to radio. Until now. 

We 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.

November 2009 was a good time to come to Miami. That fall, the country was in love with hope. Obama had won the presidency. The economic free fall had halted just shy of collapse. Hurricane season had come and gone, without the usual havoc. It was time to look up again.

Crónica de una entrevista de verano a Robert Sanfiz, director de La Nacional, en la antigua “pequeña España”

Although 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.

Alpha’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

Another characteristic of the festival is how international it is. It brings in artists from all over the world: Australia, Austria, Spain, Cap Verde, France, Japan, Belgium, Israel and Congo…and the list continues. And unlike the Newport or the Detroit Jazz Festivals, Montreal features non-jazz acts. This year, rock artists such as Jethro Tull or pop singers such as Charlotte Gainsbourg and Finley Quaye were invited. Finally, on top of featuring the world’s most famous musicians, the eclectic Montreal Jazz festival is also a place where one can discover new artists, who, in turn, are given a chance to present their work in front of a rather large audience. Colombian vocalist Lido Pimienta is one of these breathtaking talents the festival scheduled this year. She performed at the Club l’Astral. In spite of being 8-months pregnant, she brought tremendous energy on stage. She also spoke very openly about having been abused in past relationships, because she believes women have to tell their stories.

Chef 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.”

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.

Cecilia Collantes is an artist in touch with the mysticism of creation. Her abstract works invoke a universal mantra, one that connects the viewer to the energy movement and the volatility of form. Cecilia hopes to continue her artistic journey in New York, and the big city is lucky to have an artist with such a sense of depth.  A Matter of Dust presented a great success in capturing the audience; engaging a fluidity of motion through dancing, a cosmic atmosphere, and a universal soul.   

The Trade Commission of Peru in New York organized a 'friends of Peru' lunch to honor one of Peru's best friends, Nobu Matsuhisa. Nobu has over 30 restaurants worldwide under the same name, that honor Japanese and Peruvian fusion cuisine. Some even say he invented the tiradito back in the day...

I 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.

How does one pay a cinematographic tribute to an icon such as Mexican singer Chavela Vargas, who embodies utter simplicity and utmost complexity at the same time?  This is what filmmakers Catherine Gund and Daresha Kyi achieved with their documentary Chavela, a moving and thought-provoking portrait of the enigmatic singer who helped change the way we see ranchera music and who redefined what it means to be a female singer in the macho world of Mexico. As one of Chavela’s friends explains in the film, in order to survive, Chavela had to be more macha than the most machos. Photo © Excelsior / Imagen Digital

The great Johnny Schuler from Pisco Portón chatted with LatinLover Magazine about his most recent trip to NYC. Thanks, Johnny! 
"Regarded as the foremost pisco authority, Johnny Schuler has dedicated his life to excellence in the pisco industry. As a pisco ambassador, he has travelled the world to educate spirit industry professionals and the public alike about the culture, heritage, and craftsmanship of pisco. In 2011, Pisco Portón founders Bill and Brent Kallop approached Johnny to develop the finest handcrafted pisco. From here, Pisco Portón was born. "

“The first thing I need to talk about is the chivito, because it’s the best sandwich I’ve tasted in my life, including the venerated & thousand times described pastrami sandwich of New York and the mortadella and cheese sandwich from the market of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Really, the chivito is too good to be true…”—Anthony Bourdain