First Bolivian Parade in NY

Hundreds of  Bolivians, some coming all the way from Virginia, went to support the first ever Bolivian parade in NY on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011. The floats and dancers demonstrated the very distinct dances of various areas in Bolivia - performing all along 37th Ave. in Jackson Heights, Queens.

Where are the Latinos?

On Saturday, the Occupy Wall Street protesters moved from their home of almost a month, in Zuccotti Park, to Washington Square Park - but for just for the day.

I searched and searched for some Latino representatives of the 99 percent, who are supposedly the hardest hit in the recession, but was only able to find one in a multitude of approximately 2,000.

Julio Rolón doesn't even live in New York. He asked for two days off at his culinary arts instructor job and flew from his home in Puerto Rico to protest for us. He's going back on Monday he told me.

Rolón speaks perfect English and Spanish, as he says he used to live in the Lower East Side area of Manhattan. "There used to be a housing development, but now you go there and see it was taken down." He explains that it was taken over by banks and other large corporations.

He says that some protests have already started in Puerto Rico and that Occupy PR will officially begin on the 15th.

His message was, "Si los de abajo nos movemos, los de arriba se cayen."

So come out Latinos wherever you are hiding, and stick together like arroz pegao...

For updates on Occupy Wall Street events, go to http://occupywallst.org/ or www.occupyitnews.org

Peruvian Cuisine Takes Over NYC

Just two weeks ago, world-famous culinary mogul, Gastón Acurio, opened his first restaurant in NYC. He handed the reigns of La Mar to executive chef, Victoriano López - his right-hand man for the past two decades.

Peruvian cuisine has been flooding NY this year with Miguel Aguillar, Lima-born chef of Park Slope’s Surfish Peruvian Bistro, winning the Food Network’s cooking competition on Chopped, and the new pisco bar, Amaru, by the same owners of the uber-successful Pio Pio chain opening in Jackson Heights this July.

According to the Consulate General of Peru, the number of Peruvian restaurants in NY has grown significantly from approximately 20 to 50 in the past five years alone. Before we know it, Peruvian cuisine might be as readily available in NY as Chinese and Italian.

La Mar raises a notch in the Peruvian food ranks in NYC though. The interior of the restaurant, designed by famed Stephanie Goto, is an oasis from the city. She transformed the two-level space into a sea-haven of white walls and splashes of turquoise, and a not-to-miss chandelier spewing bluish transparent beads through the center of the two floors. A hanging mosaic made of Peruvian corn by Brent Kanbayashi adorns two of the walls.

López says he doesn’t have a favorite dish, while he demonstrates how he makes a traditional Chinese-influenced lomo saltado (juicy flame broiled hanger steak chunks stir fried in oyster sauce with onions and organic blue potatoes from the Union Square market) in a flaming wok in 1-minute, with precision, and most importantly, with potent flavor and color.

“We make 10 of these every five minutes,” says López.

Besides the delicious food, one can choose from many cocktails made with 18 different pisco varieties, ranging in price from $12 - 15. Some options include Chicha Tu Ma, a combination of chicha morada (a Peruvian juice made with purple corn that is slow-cooked for eight hours on-site with pineapple skins, apples, quince, cinnamon, and spice), and then mixed with organic passionfruit, and pisco quebranta; and Pisco Punch which is made from a recipe from 1860 with La Mar's own twist - house-made punch syrup, fresh-squeezed lemon, and pisco acholado.

The head bartender, Saul Ranella, who has come to NY’s La Mar after bartending at the San Francisco location for the past three years, is now a pisco connoisseur who enjoys pairing pisco with Peruvian food. He says, “The kitchen to the bar is as authentic to Peru as possible.”

Read more of my coverage in the NY Daily News here to learn more about Chef López, who says his wife originally was against him coming to NY and leaving her and his three kids behind in Peru. As he speaks though, you can almost hear his heartfelt smile as he raves humbly about his new project and how it all started.

Chilean Independence Day Celebration in Williamsburg

Unlike what one girl thought when she walked in, this was not a Texas-themed party (she got confused by the similar flag). This Saturday, hundreds of Chileans gathered to celebrate their country's day of independence (which falls on September 18th), from 4pm to 4am Sunday at Gordon Bennett Pub & Grub in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Vinto tinto, piscoladas, and Chilean empanadas were sold for $5 each, and cueca and rock en español was danced and sung along to. Some Chilean celebrities were in attendance, including the actors Marcelo Alonso, Diego Muñoz, and Mane Swett. There were so many people, the party flowed out into the street!

Ecuador in photos

One of the many waterfalls in Baños...

                                           ...the natural hot springs...

                                                                                                          ...the volcano

La Virgen de Quito by day...

                                             ....La Virgen de Quito by night...

                                                                             ...La Iglesia San Francisco...

...a little of Lima's taste in Quito

                                           Farewell from above...

Is There a Future for Vegan Latino Cuisine?

I have been wanting to write about this very topic, as Latinos/as are very passionate about their traditional recipes. I saw this piece today. What do you think? Is there a future for vegan Latino fare, and should they even attempt it for health/environmental reasons?

Read more here.

Rest of Summer "To Do" List

August is fast approaching, and the necessity to finish my summer "To Do" list is in order. In fact, I'm resuming what I didn't finish last summer...(NY summers are too short!)

Last summer, I read about a surfer who sleeps on a roof by night and makes tacos by day (when he's not surfing the waves of Rockaway Beach, of course).

His taco shack is a favorite of many locals and is located on 96th Street in Rockaway Beach. See video here.

While I'm at Rockaway Beach, I must also try some Venezuelan arepas at the new Caracas Arepa Bar boardwalk location on 106 Street. I heard that DJ Afro from Los Amigos Invisibles spins there on Wednesday evenings - so this is a must.

I also want to learn how to surf and tango. If I don't have time, with all the spontaneous and fun things that happen to pop up during the fleeting summers of NY, I guess there's always next year...

3 Chefs Reinvent Argentinian Cuisine in the Lower East Side

Stefano Villa (of NYC’s Industria Argentina and Novecento) wanted to reinvent his restaurant, Azul, which is about to turn 10-years-old. His plan of attack? To bring an army of three young, unrelenting gauchos with fresh culinary ideas, straight from Argentina, to start an Argentinian food revolution.

His blue-washed brick bistro on the corner of Stanton and Suffolk Streets in the lower East Side is now the second home to these three bright-eyed chefs who all already have almost a decade of experience back in Argentina. Nicolás López, 27, from the city of Salta in northwestern Argentina, was the staple chef at Azul for the past year. He was recently joined just over 30 days ago by his former cooking school classmate, Hernán Simesen, 27, also from Salta; and a friend of a friend, Matías Romano, 28, from Buenos Aires. It is within the sea of these decade-old blue bricks and Argentine memorabilia where they dream up their next menu and use their unequivocal skills to produce comestible works of art on a plate.

The team agreed that New York is the place to take a chance, because in Argentina people are less likely to accept alterations in their traditional fare, and their aim is to change the menu about every three months, depending on the season.

What won me over is when López said, "Ceviche is not ours, but we love it so much that we make it."

And then shortly after, Simesen handed me a carefully crafted spicy salmon and shrimp ceviche with lots of lime and topped with a homemade pepper sauce. Now that is what I call a successful plan of attack.

Read more about the newly formed A-team and their dishes here, published today in the NY Daily News.

Azul will be taking part in http://www.nycgo.com/restaurantweek and will also be showing the Copa America soccer games through July 24th.

[Photos by Erika Rojas]

The First AIM Biennial and 30-Year Anniversary Exhibition at The Bronx Museum

Sunday, June 26th was the Open House for Bronx Calling: The First AIM Biennial at The Bronx Museum of the Arts. The exhibition will be on view from June 26 through September 5, 2011 at The Bronx Museum, Wave Hill, and Randall's Island as part of FLOW.11.

The program which was being celebrated with beer and wine on the airy Bronx Museum's outdoor terrace, AIM (Artist in the Marketplace), was developed three decades ago to help artists at the beginning of their careers to learn about the professional practices of the art world as well as to teach them how to introduce their work to the public.

Sergio Bessa, Director of Curatorial and Education Programs, who has been working at the Museum for more than seven years, says that they usually get 600 to 800 applications a year from multi-media artists, and from those they choose 72 AIM participants.

"This is not an art school," says Bessa. "It's all about managing yourself, knowing about legal issues...In the past, AIM was an annual show, and this year, we decided to do a biennial to split up the work," says Bessa.

This year the artists were divided into two arbitrary groups of 36 each.

One of the two guest curators of the exhibit, Wayne Northcross, says he enjoys the liberation he feels at not having an over-arching theme for this large-scale exhibit.

Bessa appreciates the diversity and unpredictability of the art.

"This year there was a lot of painting," he says. "You can feel the pulse of the current art movement."

Check out Target Free Days: Target sponsors free Tuesday and Saturday morning admission to Wave Hill.

For more information, please visit: www.bronxmuseum.org.

Steven Bauer: Then and Now

At 54-years-old, Steven Bauer is as tall and good-looking as he was when he played Manolo in 'Scarface' almost 30 years ago, but broader with a few added extra pounds, and his honey complexion slightly weathered. With his involuntary exuberant charm, and warm smile, the need melts away for any apology for being late to our brunch at Veselka.

"I was playing music last night with my son till really late in the Bowery," he says.

Making sure to say hi to the two little kids at the adjacent table first, he then turns his attention to me. Although not currently married, he makes it known immediately that he is a family man, as something innately reminds him to make a quick, but heartfelt call in perfect Spanish to his father in Miami.

"Feliz cumpleaňos Papi!," he says with his huge smile again, as he affectionately chit chats with his newly turned 80-year-old father.

Bauer has been in New York for the past week shooting the independent film, 'Knuckleheads', produced and directed by David Karges and written by Jaime Zevallos, set to release to film festivals this fall. In between filming, he also makes time to visit his two sons - the eldest (his son with first wife Melanie Griffith) a musician, and the younger a musical theater actor.

In two days, he's off to Albuquerque to film some scenes for the cable series 'Breaking Bad' on AMC, before he's back to his home base in Hollywood, Calif.

According to the 2010 Census data, there are 12 million Hispanics between the ages of 20-24 today, and there will be an expected 30 million by 2050. What was it like starting out as a Latino actor in the U.S. in the 1970's, and how do you think it has changed today?
When I was starting out as an actor, it was a very small restricted area for anyone with foreign names. Hollywood was famous for having people change their identities. When I started, Latinos were not counted. There were a lot of Latino art organizations that created theater and art programs, but for themselves.
The bilingual PBS sitcom, '¿Qué Pasa, USA?', became popular because of the need in Miami. There were a lot of Latino kids in the public school district. I was 19, going to the University of Miami - I used to get lots of fan mail for it. One of the creators was my professor, Manny Mendoza. He wrote the grant to produce it. It was aimed as a language tool for bilingual education for kids and adults - kids who are Americanized, parents starting over, and grandparents living in the house too, but it's too late for them to learn English. The show took off because it related to anyone who grew up in a three generation household - in New Jersey, California, Texas - anywhere there were Latinos.
In the 1960's, my generation came to the U.S. I was so desperate to be an American that I didn't hang with Cubans. I don't dance salsa. When I was 13 and 14, I was playing Beatles, Stones, Bob Dylan and Sinatra...classical music, too, which made me a nerd to a lot of my friends.
The new generation can embrace both cultures. We weren't allowed to. Nowadays, they can meet other Latinos, but that can be a fault because they never have to learn English.
You have to learn English - you have to make an effort. You can retain your culture, but learn the language of the land. Any ethnocentricity is wrong.
Today, there are more Latino roles, and they have gone way beyond the gang member or janitors of the piece. Now there are military heroes, mayors, and politicians.

Named Esteban Ernesto Echevarría Samson at birth, you used to be credited as Rocky Echevarría when you first started acting. What made you change your name to Steven Bauer?
Rocky was a gimmicky name. When I became an adult, it didn't feel real, and no one could pronounce Echevarría. Thirty years later, people can attempt it, but it's not Garcia or Perez. It was my father's idea to use my mom's German side, which is Bauer. In the early days, it also eliminated the problem of "he's Latino".

What do you love about acting? 
It lets me experience life that I might otherwise not experience. By taking on a character, you are already taking on a behavior that is not your own. I like to play characters that I haven't experienced so that I can experience life that I don't know. That's fun. For me, it's very therapeutic.

What was your favorite role and why?
My favorite role so far...'Scarface' was very fun. EXHILARATING actually - working with Al Pacino. I also enjoyed the role of the young Israeli I played in 'Sword of Gideon' (1986), and more recently in 'Session' that's coming out this year with Bar Refaeli.
My role as Manny in 'Knuckleheads' is one of my favorite roles I've ever played because it's emotionally satisfying. I play a man trying to get on with his life when he feels there is nothing worth living for. My work in this film is as good as I've ever done. It has given me an opportunity to show my many colors.
Jaime Zevallos, the writer of the film, also co-stars with me. He told me that when he wrote the script, he had me in mind to play the role. I think it's going to speak to a lot of hurting people. It's not a Latino movie - it goes beyond any ethnic identity. It's about hurt and healing - with a sense of humor.

Favorite place?
Miami. So many great memories there and the climate; my parents and my culture is there. I love Cuban culture. Even though I was only three-years-old when I came to the U.S., I retain a love and loyalty for where I came from.

As we leave, he makes sure to tell me to follow him on Twitter. I'm "thestevenbauer," he says.

Published in AOL Latino

Peruvian Election in NY Part I

Yesterday, thousands of Peruvians waited as long as five hours to vote for their home country's next president at Queens College in Flushing.

The top three candidates were Ollanta Humala, Keiko Fujimori, and Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (also known as PPK). The latter was the favorite among young Peruvians, as he has over 65,000 fans on Facebook.

After such a long wait, some didn't even get a chance to cast their vote before the polls closed at 6pm.

According to the National Electoral Processes Office (ONPE), the official results from Sunday's first round of Peru's presidential election was the following:

Ollanta Humala: 28.06 percent

Keiko Fujimori: 22.49 percent

Pedro Pablo Kuczynski: 22.29 percent

The two leading candidates will advance to a run-off on June 5 since no one won a majority. PPK is out of the running, yet his fans are still commenting on his page hoping for a miracle.

Photos by Eduardo Martinez

Kim, The Juice Guy on 1st and 1st

Kim, who works at Lucy Juicy's on 1st St. and 1st Ave. loves New York City and its people. He loves that it's so diverse, that skin colors don't matter, and that a man can be a woman if they so choose.

He has been working selling fresh juice and coffee in a shack on this vibrant NYC corner for the past two years. He has traveled the world, but this is one of his all-time favorite spots.

His secret to life: Live in New York, but get out and travel often.

"That's how I keep New York smelling like rose water," he says. "Where else can you get a cafe con leche Thai food just down the street?"

Steinway Then and Now

I first moved to Astoria when I graduated college in 2000. My very first apartment was on 42nd St. and 25th Ave. Some of my most-frequented spots on Steinway Street were Alex Deli, where I'd get a chicken parmesan sandwich for a late night snack; and the more than 30-year-old Italian-owned establishment, Caffe Borbone, where I'd get a great cup of espresso made with hot milk for $2. It is better than Starbucks, and the place is still always packed at all times of day with middle-aged men chatting about soccer, and who knows what else?

However, there are a gems that no longer exist, such as the homestyle Thai restaurant I loved, which is now a Middle Eastern restaurant called El Karnak Luxor; a Peruvian restaurant called Anzuelo Fino, which is now an Arabic hookah lounge called Firdos; and my all-time favorite place, La Kueva, which relocated to Sunnyside back in 2005, is now a gogo bar called Sports XXO Bar.

There are many Middle Eastern bars and restaurants on the block that come and go on this strip of Steinway between Astoria Blvd. and 30th Ave, but one mainstay of this neighborhood is Mombar. It is known by its colorful mosaic exterior and mysterious eye that substitutes a name over the door. I've been trying to try the food there for years, which I hear is a little expensive but worth it, but it seems to be playing hard-to-get with me, as the mystifying decorated door is always closed whenever I pass by. As I obstinately struggled with the door recently, some guy walking by shouted, "Try after 7 p.m. It's really good!"

Palestinian-owned, Duzan, on Steinway, near the corner of Astoria Blvd., opened up a year and a half ago, and serves in my opinion the best falafel sandwich. You can choose from many fillings for the fluffy homemade pita, and it is served with fries and a soda, for $6.50.

A new hot spot arrived on Steinway and 30th Ave. in September of 2010 that took the place of the home of my favorite Arrabiata sauce, as the location used to be an Italian restaurant. Today, Tu Casa
(meaning "your house" in Spanish), serves mixed traditional Latino fare, and certainly makes one feel welcome. Now that I tried its Tacu Tacu Sunday brunch special, I want it to be my new home away from home. Its pristine interior is more spacious than it looks from the outside, and it is tastefully decorated and perfect for a group brunch or quiet dinner date. The friendly waiter said to look out for the following starting this March: "Mariachi Night" on Wednesdays from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., with $5 margaritas all night; "Ladies Night" on Thursdays with free sangria for ladies from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.; "Open Mic and Karaoke Night" on Fridays featuring $5 mojitos all night; and "Jazz Night" on Saturdays from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., with wine specials and wine tastings coming in the very near future.

Within the past decade, there have been many additions and subtractions from Steinway, but one thing is for certain: It is never boring. The next time you find yourself in an exotic mood, go exploring here, and let me know what other treasures you find.

(Published in Why Leave Astoria)

Los Amigos Invisibles Documentary - You Can Help Make it Happen!

As some of you may know, Venezuelan-born, Latin Grammy-winning, Los Amigos Invisibles, is my all-time favorite band.

I am ashamed to say that due to my decrepit brain's inability to remember dates, unless I'm lucky, I can't remember exactly the first time I went to a Los Amigos Invisibles show. However, I do know for certain that it was a little more than a decade ago, and I will never forget how my heart felt all-encompassing excitement and elation at first sight/sound. There I was, right there in the front (the same spot I would claim for the next 10 years), and as soon as they played their first song, I was hooked. Rather, I was in love. Little did I know, that forevermore, my knees would get weak, my heart would palpitate rapidly, and I would feel electricity all over my body for every show I would see thereafter. I never would have thought it possible, unless I experienced it.

Los Amigos Invisibles means "The Invisible Friends" in Spanish. Ironically, some of my closest friends today are other fans, who I never would have met otherwise, if it weren't for this band. I would bump into the same people repeatedly at LAI concerts. Their music is literally like an invisible web of euphoria that envelopes any listener, and at every concert, the band always succeeds in making you feel welcome to their private house party. Every time I have brought an LAI virgin to a show, they can't help but become a converted fan. As predictable as a potent magic spell, I witness the look of amazement on those who have never heard them, or experienced them live before. It brings me back to my first experience. But the greatest phenomena is, that feeling of awe never leaves. After all, what other band can play year after year with the same tenacity and vigor as the first day, and what other band can mix sounds of rock, salsa, funk, cumbia, so seamlessly?

Without a doubt, there will always be an unexpected surprise at the end of a concert - maybe a little Sting or Guns 'n Roses slipped into the mix - almost seeming like an accident, but it ends up being a harmonious present with a big red ribbon on it, leaving you with a big smile on your face and a satisfied soul.

It is obvious after so many years of watching them perform, that to LAI, their fans come first.

Today, I take the time to tell you why I love this band, because I have been inspired by the humble and sincere efforts of another unconditional lover of LAI. Juan Miguel Marin, a 31-year-old Ecuadorian-born and NY-based, graphic artist and musician, is on a mission to commemorate this band's 20-year music making history through a feature-length documentary called La Casa del Ritmo.

Marin feels a special bond to LAI, because in the early-2000's, his band La Rua, had the fortune of touring with them.

Through this intimate time together, Marin says that "[LAI] showed a lot of discipline and responsibility to me and the members of my band."

He reminisces about how surprised he was when after a Saturday night show in Atlanta, the next morning, LAI left earlier than them to get to the next stop which was seven hours away driving, and they weren't even the opening band.

Also, he admires that till this day, they still handwrite their set list on a sheet of paper for each member to have during the show.

"Each sheet had some good luck type of message from whomever wrote the set list. That sort of simple stuff I think can make a big difference in band dynamics," says Marin.

As a gift back to the band who has given us so much melodic pleasure, Marin is trying to make $30,000 in less than a month on Kickstarter, in order to be able to document their 20-year anniversary together.

"This is about them and a way to recognize and thank them for their amazing music and fun times," says Marin. "To me, it goes beyond that, because they had a huge impact on me and my still alive dream of making music for a living. The whole idea about Kickstarter is that all the fans and people that care about them can make this film possible."

So, please, if you have ever seen LAI play, and have had your heart-strings tingle, or felt the involuntary need to dance, consider donating today.

Check out the teaser here. Doesn't it leave you wanting more?