Bruce is a political economist, writer, and investment analyst specializing in global themes and emerging market economies. He has a special love for Latin America, and particularly Brazil, where he lived for several years in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, while researching the politics of sustainable development. While he would never be caught cheering for Argentina over Brazil in a futebol match, Bruce has been known to enjoy a tango while his Brazilian friends aren’t looking.
Renan started taking black and white pictures at the age of 11. In 1996, he initiated the collective exhibition, Arte de Portas Abertas and the associations, Chave Mestra and Association of Visual Artists of Santa Teresa, both in the neighborhood where he maintains his atelier. Cepeda has been recognized for his artistic research on unusual photographic techniques such as infrared photography and light painting.
Benny is a Peruvian journalist currently based in New York City. He reports for newspapers and magazines in his country and is finishing his first novel. He also teaches Spanish in prestigious New York institutions, such as NYU, Cervantes Institute and Queen Sophia Institute.
Rocío is a poet, editor and travel writer. Her books of poetry include Basalto, which received the Gilberto Owen National Literature, Soma, Imperio, Imperio/Empire and Tiento. She is a frequent contributor to The National Geographic Traveler, Latin America edition. Her books and poems have been translated into English, Finnish, Swedish and German. Currently, she is a grantee of the Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte.
Spreading the word about the wealth of unique offerings and ingredients in Jose’s home country—from wines to cheese to olive oil—has always felt instantly second nature to Jose. He currently lives in Barcelona.
Kaethe Butcher is a young illustrator in Germany with an attraction to provocative, erotic renderings. Kaethe was born in Leipzig and now lives in Berlin, where she studies fashion design. She wants to go to London some day soon—and Disney World, of course!
Ryan is an artist. In 2006 he was invited to participate in the European Exchange Academy in Beelitz, Germany. Ryan Brown has participated in multiple solo and group exhibitions, including “Peekskill Project,” organized by The Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art; “Ex-Libris” at Adam Baumgold Gallery; and “Bibliomania,” at The Visual Arts Center of NJ. He is currently participating in “Storytellers,” at The Stenersen Museum in Oslo, Norway.
Born in communist Poland, and having lived many years in Germany and the U.S., Andrzej is a globe trotter, permanent student at the University of Life and enthusiastic photographer. His travels have made him understand that roots can be anywhere.
Michael is a food-focused photographer and writer whose work has appeared in the New York Daily News, The New York Times, and the Edible magazines of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens; as well as in advertisements and materials for PNC Bank, Peter Luger Restaurant, and Pio Pio restaurants. His photography can be seen at www.msbphotography.com. His food blog is www.pizzacentric.com.
Danielle Bell is a Louisville, Kentucky native who came north by way of Sarah Lawrence College. Bell and her Lima-born boyfriend, Pablo Osorio, together run de Porres, a Brooklyn-based dinner series and catering company featuring Peru-centric small plates and desserts inspired by the American South. Bell fills her alfajores with buttercream and ganache and believes manjarblanco is even better with Maldon sea salt. More about de Porres can found at www.de-porres.com.
Veronica describes her illustrations as fragile, feminine and dreamy. Travelling and simple everyday things are mainly where her inspiration comes from. Veronica is from Stockholm, with a Swedish dad and a Spanish mom. She lived in Barcelona for the past eleven years, where she studied graphic design. Since 2008 she is represented by the Swedish agency VOL.
Brothers Gabriel and Mateo are artists based in Lima, Peru. They own and operate Hermanos Magia, a graphic design and illustration business. Their work has been featured in various magazines and newspapers, including Dedo Medio, El Comercio, and Cosas. They have also illustrated a number of books. Gabriel currently works as a professor of art at La Pontifica Universidad Católica del Perú and El Centro de Imagen, and Mateo is the lead singer of the salsa band Mambo Glacial.
Javier is a Spanish journalist. Born in Pamplona, and having lived in Spain and Germany, Javier currently resides in New York City, where he contributes regularly on lifestyle, the arts, and food for Spanish media, such as Expansión, Telva and Gastroeconomy. A flamenco and bullfighting aficionado, you can find Ansorena hunting the latest eatery in Brooklyn, or hanging out at a fishermen’s dive bar somewhere on the Mediterranean coast.
Bryan is a writer from Carolina del Norte who teaches in central Virginia. He is also a father and husband, a graduate of the Appalachian Trail, a reformed lawyer, and an occasional swamper. Bryan is currently at work on a novel about a Vietnam veteran, set in the early 1980s in eastern North Carolina and Honduras.
Patricia is an architect and urban planner with a focus on affordable housing development. Born in Peru, she now lives in Philadelphia, with her husband and two young children. In between trips to Peru, she keeps nostalgia at bay by bringing the flavors of home into her kitchen , thereby transforming her husband into a true Latin lover.
Pako is a photographer specializing in event documentation. He takes enormous pleasure in being part of weddings and other special events, in order to produce candid, lively, artfully-crafted images.
Sem is a cultural trend analyst based in New York City and Rio de Janeiro. She works through Popular Operations, a company she co-founded. Throughout her career, Sem has supported clients like Christian Dior, Camper, Daimler, L’Oreal, Johnson & Johnson, Pepsico, Philips Design, the BBC and Deepak Chopra. She is a founding faculty member of the Masters in Branding program at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, where she teaches cultural analysis.
Brian is a social entrepreneur. Most recently, as Managing Director at Institute of Play, Brian explored play as a powerful creative force and context for learning and engagement, with young people, adults and communities. Brian was trained as a poet and has worked as a management consultant, a literature professor, a cook and a gardener. He divides his time between New York City and Rio de Janeiro.