eat me drink me

Get ready for the first ever Gourmet Latino Festival, which will hit restaurants and the Astor Center in June.  As they transform the Astor Center in to “a corner of Latin America,” the three Latina women behind the festival; Karen Uribe, Claudia Castro, and Mariana Suarez are giddy.  They have been planning and scheduling this event for two years, and, with the help of Centrico chef Aaron Sanchez and beverage expert Steve Olson, they are ready to go.

“We want to bring out the nuances throughout the different Latin cultures,” said Uribe last night during the festival preview.  “We really want to make it a cultural thing, not just about the food.”

Though, last night it felt all about the food.  As Phil Ward of Mayahuel served the Loop Tonic; a deadly mix of tequila, vermouth, Chartreuse, and lime; at one end of the room, Leo DeGroff from aka wine geek whipped up a light and fresh watermelon mojito at the other.  All the while plates of food made their way around the Institute of Culinary Education’s event room at record pace.  Every time I turned around some white clad waiter offered me one of chef Máximo Tejada’s savory, melt in the mouth duck arepas from Rayuela, which, topped with a tiny fried egg was hands down the best thing making the rounds.  I also liked Tejada’s delicate crab stuffed, raw tuna bite.  The other restaurants serving up tasty tidbits of sweetbreads, lump crab,  and bean tostadas, were Industria Argentina, Centrico, and Palo Santo, all of whom will be participating in the festival.

“Hopefully after this [festival] week we will all have a better understanding of Latin American food,” said Sanchez, who chose the chefs that would be participating.  “I wanted to make sure there was diversity in all the chefs and foods they offer.”

The festival will feature food, drink, and information on Latino culture from places like Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Ecuador, Peru, Columbia, Mexico, and more.  The restaurants participating thus far are Centrico, Fonda, Macondo, Rayuela, the Yerba Bueno family, Zafra, Paladar, Palo Santo, and Zarela.

It sounds so good, I might have to preview some of these places before June!