#santurce pop

[lobuenodepuertorico]

📚 La Tienda de Rarezas y Libros Usados 💫

☕️ Les presentamos nuestro espacio en donde todo tipo de lector puede venir a explorar los estantes, descubrir su próxima lectura, encontrar un tesoro o sencillamente pasar un momento entre libros.

✨¡Date la vuelta! Estamos localizados en Santurce Pop y abrimos de Miércoles a Domingo de 12pm a 5pm.

[boricuacherry-blog]

The most aggressive reporter was Luis Enrique "Bibi" Marrero - and for good reason. He was born and raised in the Chicaro section of Santurce and he knew Vidal personally.

"How many Nationalists are in there?" he asked the National Guard lieutenant.

"Twenty or thirty."

"Are you sure?"

"Stick around and find out." The lieutenant had no reason to exaggerate, but Bibi was not convinced.

"Oye, Vidal," he yelled.

"Quien habla?"

"It's me, Bibi. How you doing in there?"

"I'm all fucked up."

"I got a radio too. It's got all this American crap."

"Do you need anything?"

"Yeah, a ticket to Cuba."

"Maybe we can arrange it. How many guys are in - "

BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG

...and Bibi ducked for cover again.

No one was going anywhere that day. Two machine gun volleys gutted the entire building. The stucco facade crumbled. The balcony fell. Almost every door and window collapsed from the .30 caliber shots. But Vidal kept popping up - in one window after another - and firing like a madman.

The gunfight continued for three hours and hundreds of shots were fired. Vidal had an enormous stash of ammunition, hidden somewhere in the barbershop, and he wasn't shy about using it. At one point two detectives tried to crawl in through a busted refrigerator, and he blasted them back with a shotgun. Then he started singing an aguinaldo, and people started cheering for him in the street.

The lieutenant resented this cheering. He ordered the two Browning M1919A4 machine guns to fire continuously. All the mirrors shattered. Glass, shrapnel and chunks of cement flew all around Vidal's head. Something sliced through his right cheekbone, and took the skin along with it. He was shot four times and lost three fingers - they flew off his left hand and landed somewhere in the blasted room.

The lieutenant yelled, "Cease fire!" and grabbed a bullhorn. "Vidal Santiago," he called out. "We don't want to hurt you."

Vidal laughed inside the shop. "Tell that to my hand, pendejo. You shot it pretty good."

"You and your friends...come out with your hands up, and no harm will come to you."

"I don't have any friends."

"What you do have, is one minute. Come out or we're coming in."

When a reporter translated this for the lieutenant, he ordered the machine guns to fire again. They strafed the cieling, vaporized the barber chairs, exploded the walls into hundreds of supersonic rocks, until a staircase collapsed and knocked Vidal unconscious.

A dozen soldiers stormed into the barbershop, but they couldn't find any Nationalists: just four walls spattered with blood and rubble covering the entire floor.

"Where'd they all go?" said a soldier, as they searched for a hidden exit or a trap door. Everyone expected 30 Nationalists to come staggering out, but the barbershop was deserted - as if they'd been fighting a ghost. Then suddenly a soldier called out.

"Holy shit! Come look at this!"

Everyone ran over and stared at Vidal, in utter disbelief. The barber was covered in blood and broken glass, apparently dead, but just to make sure, a soldier shot him in the head. Then they dragged him out by his feet.

The soldiers were embarrassed: 40 trained men - with machine guns, grenades and full military ordnance - had been battling for three hours with one barber. It was doubly mortifying because the entire island of Puerto Rico heard it live via radio. But then, as they hauled the corpse into the street, things got even worse.

The corpse opened its eyes.

The soldiers jumped and dropped Vidal on the sidewalk.

"Oh, Jesus!" yelled one.

"I thought you shot him!" shouted another.

A third ducked behind a car and started praying. The reporters ran in all directions, taking photos, grabbing their microphones, telling two million Puerto Ricans that Vidal, the little barber from Salon Boricua, was alive!

Within minutes every house, barbershop, beauty parlor, and bodega in Puerto Rico knew about the spectacular heroics of Vidal Santiago Diaz. He became an overnight sensation throughout the island, and a legendary figure in the history of Nationalist politics.

He was the barber who defied an empire, with a bullet in his brain.

[parisstreet]

Encanto.

Enjoy.

[pastelillodeguayaba-blog]

Isaac Álvarez @ Lote 23 Pre-show & soundcheck Pt. III 08/11/2018

[trascapades]

🖤#ArtIsAWeapon Pop-up exhibition at the @schomburgcenter today, January 24, 12Noon - 5PM to honor the birth anniversary of its founder #ArturoASchomburg.

@nypl Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

515 Malcolm X Boulevard (135th St and Malcolm X Blvd) #Harlem #NYC 10037

☎️917-275-6975

Reposted from @schomburgcenter January 24 marks the birthday of Arturo A. Schomburg (1874–1938), a #writer, #bibliophile, and #historian dedicated to the collection and amplification of the artistic and academic work of people of African descent.

NYPL Digital Image: psnypl_scg_494

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🎥 Reposted from @bese Arturo Alfonso Schomburg was a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance movement. The Puerto Rican historian, writer, art collector and activist argued for educational curriculum to include Afro history. Schomburg spent much of his life educating others on the great contributions that Afro-Latinxs and Black Americans made throughout history.

Today, his large collection of art can be seen at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York City.

Reposted from @elmuseo #ARTE | Puerto Rican-born Black scholar and bibliophile, Arturo Alfonso Schomburg is ... featured on a U.S. Postal Service @uspostalservice stamp! With a nod to the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s... postage stamps were ... debuted honoring the lives and legacies of four of the movement’s greatest voices: novelist Nella Larsen; writer, philosopher, educator and arts advocate Alain Locke; bibliophile and historian Arturo Alfonso Schomburg; and poet Anne Spencer.

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Born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, Schomburg was an ardent bibliophile and self-taught historian, who demonstrated the worldwide contributions of people of African descent. By tirelessly collecting books, documents, artwork and other materials, Schomburg rescued black history from obscurity and preserved priceless cultural knowledge for future generations. Today, a @nypl location @schomburgcenter in Harlem is named after him.

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The stamps feature stylized pastel portraits of the four honorees, based on historic photographs. Each stamp incorporates African-inspired motifs as background elements. The design elements reflect the increased interest in African culture, history and aesthetics shown by the writers and artists of the Harlem Renaissance. The artist for these stamps was Gary Kelley @garykelleyart and art director Greg Breeding @breedingdesign designed them.

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#elmuseoentucasa #getcountednyc #schomburg #legacy #harlemrenaissance #history

#ArturoSchomburg #AfroLatino #AfricanDiaspora #BlackArtCollectors #AfroPuertoRican #SchomburgCenter #NewYorkCity #AfroLatinx #HarlemRenaissance #SchomburgExhibit

[ferpolio]

#streetart #graffiti #arte #wheatpaste #zoro14k #Aurumboyz #fashion #Culture #pop #popculture #popart #santurce #sanjuan #fashionblogger #hypebeast #supreme #argentina #pfw #paris #gucci #mensfashion #womenswear #streetculture #linkonbio (en Calle Loiza, San Juan) https://www.instagram.com/zoro14k/p/BwGSZW-BoG7/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=qob4y99mqcp1

[rivaltimes]

Camerata Pops will present a tribute to Soda Stereo and Metallica

Camerata Pops will present a tribute to Soda Stereo and Metallica

The Camerata Pops Orchestra will present two concerts this Sunday, October 9, at the Santurce Fine Arts Center. The first, at 4:00 pm, is a tribute to the music of soda Stereo Y Gustavo Cerati, under the title “Cerati-Soda Stereo: Symphonic Journey”. The second, at 7:30 pm, will be the last performance of Metallica Symphonic Experiencewhich was postponed by the passage of hurricane fiona. “The…

[elshoppr]

Bunny’s in the kitchen, cooking something tasty. 🖤 END OF SEASON PARTY JAN 26 11am-7pm Discounts, freebies, food, shots and a Pop Up by the wonderful crew of @clorofila.pr Today we open 12pm-7pm!!! 🖤 . . . . . . . . . . . #elshoppr #weloveweird #comeasyouare #weloveyou #bunny #joeycreepxide #calleloiza #santurce #lajefferson102 #puertorico #localart #inspo #inspiration NOT MY PHOTO UNKNOWN ARTIST (at El Shop) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs72a2ohney/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=2t76adootmit

[robertfoodphoto]

@barlaunidad Taste the explosion 💥 10 x the fun! Gin - Limon - Simple Syrup - Rosemary - Tincture - Grapefruit Bitters - Cucumber - Pop rocks Rim ⚡️RESERVATIONS - www.launidadpr.com >> link on BIO - Vía DM en Instagram #puertoricobar #bartenderslife #gincocktail #top50bars #puertoricococktails #mixology #puertorico #speakeasy #santurce #foodporn #puertoricoeats #miramar #interactivecocktails #top500bars #poprocks — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2QmG92h

[parisstreet]

Some Words On ‘Encanto’

Things to do in Isla Verde at 10pm:

1) Walk the beach. There’s never a wrong time to walk the beach.

2) Hit up the bar at whatever hotel you’re staying. Get to know your fellow tourists, and marvel at their inability to properly pronounce the local beer (Medalla), even though it’s stupid easy.

3) Hit up the casino at either the Embassy Suites or the Courtyard.

4) Catch some live music inside the El San Juan hotel, which I assume is a thing (I’m basing this solely on the billboard I’ve walked past nearly every day for the last 3 months).

5) Swim in the ocean after hitting the bar, and/or winning/losing at the casino (you will most likely lose – ain’t no loose slots here), and/or catching some live music. A little drunken nightswimming never hurt anyone.

6) Hang out at the always-hopping, 24-hour convenient store/coffeeshop/bakery/bar that’s across the street from the InterContinental.

7) Chat with some nice locals and ex-pats over at the Café 101 bar next to the currently-shuttered Ritz-Carlton. They’re open til 6am, so pace yourself.

8) Like, cherish your time with whichever friends or loved ones you’ve chosen to vacation with.

I didn’t choose any of those options. At 10pm, in Isla Verde, by the ocean, by the bars, by the casinos, by the nightlife of this beautiful island of enchantment, I made music. For 16 straight days. Then I paused for Thanksgiving. Then I got back to it.

What a waste.

It was not all in Isla Verde. There were a couple days in Mayagüez, on the western side. After Thanksgiving, there were 3 days in Ponce. In December, there were return trips to Mayagüez, then to Aguadilla, and Manatí (where the slots actually are a little looser). But most of the music-making – in particular, recording the vocals – was in Isla Verde.

Those places are just where I rested my head after those 10pm music-making sessions. During the day, I traveled to pretty much every city on the island, from Aguada to . . . oh, let’s assume Yauco is at the end of the Puerto-Rican-city alphabet. At the end of the day, I’d think, “Okay, what happened today?”, then try to fit the answer around a melody. A nearly-impossible left turn attempt in Bayamón. A gal who smiled at me in just the perfect way while at a restaurant in Mayagüez. A stop at the calm waters of Boquerón. When I couldn’t come up with words, I’d write an instrumental and name it after the town I spent the most time in that day (Lares, Gurabo, Humacao). When I couldn’t come up with words, but knew that the song I was working on just had to have some lyrics, I’d turn to the past, which would bring me back to Isla Verde, then a short ways over to San Juan.

This is my third time in Puerto Rico. During my second time here, at the end of 2016, I walked one morning from Isla Verde to the San Juan neighborhood of Santurce, to the hospital where I was born (and that would be my first time here). Also during that second time, a friend joined me for a weekend, and we explored Old San Juan, then headed off to the rainforest, then off to Ponce, then off again to see the giant radio telescope south of Arecibo. During the last weeks of that second time, I befriended a taxi driver who helped me get around town while dealing with some bureaucratic red-tape garbage that still gives me a headache when I think about it. His name was Oscar.

All that found its way into these songs. As did the shoreline by my hotel in Isla Verde. As did the coquis that sing their mating call throughout the night. And as did a pig that I almost hit with my car in Rio Piedras, another San Juan neighborhood, the one where I grew up before my family decided to move to Florida.

It was not my intention to record a song a day, much less an album (or two), while here. I brought my usual gear that I travel with – my laptop, headphones, an audio interface, and a microphone – and was prepared to use it mainly to work on the mixes for a separate batch of songs that would hopefully form the basis for the next Paris Street album. I’ve yet to get started on those mixes. Instead, here’s an altogether-different album (or two).

That next album was (and still might be) going to be a little different from the last couple year’s-worth of Paris Street releases, for three reasons:

1) It was going to move away from synths and DAWS and focus more on actual analog instrumentation.

2) It was going to feature more collaborators.

3) Lyrically, it was going to start moving away from the ‘get drunk and screw around’ trope that I felt had reached its conclusion with last year’s You and You (Too).

So, of course, all the music on Encanto was made on the laptop, using a digital audio workstation called LMMS. It’s all performed by me, the first truly-solo Paris Street release in a while, which I consider a bad thing. But the lyrics are indeed different. It’s more personal. It’s more concise (the word count, unlike with this post, is much lower than usual). It’s a sexless album, with by-far the lowest alcohol content of any Paris Street release. I consider that a good thing.

One out of three ain’t too bad.

Three more things, not in order of importance:

1) This album is not and never was intended to be some sort of anthropological record of Puerto Rico in the final months of 2019. There are no bird sounds or field recordings or any such nonsense to make you think, ‘wow, he really is there, man’. I did not bring in local musicians to help Paul Simon things up. These are simply the melodies that popped in my head at the time, at 10pm, and the words that I chose to wrap around those melodies.

2) Encanto has 10 songs, part of my general rule that no albums should be longer than that (100-song compilation albums not included). I finished 20 songs while in Puerto Rico, which includes those instrumentals that I named after small towns. Those songs will be found on . . . sigh . . . Encantoo, which will be out on 21 February.

3) There is a gigantic, destructive elephant in the room, one that is alluded to in multiple songs but never mentioned by either it’s regular, descriptive noun or it’s randomly-chosen proper name. In the conversations that I had during the time I was writing and recording these songs, that noun and that name were never mentioned, only alluded to. I opted to do the same with these recordings (of course, if I had recorded these songs this month – with a new disaster bringing back memories of an all-too-recent other – then that might have been different).

Encanto will be released through every streaming service imaginable on Friday, 24 January. I hope you like it.

 cp.

Isla Verde / 10pm or so / 21 January 2020

[pastelillodeguayaba-blog]

Isaac Álvarez @ Lote 23 Pre-show & soundcheck Pt. II 08/11/2018

[weeklyreviewer]

San Juan, Puerto Rico: The Best Travel Alterative to Tulum

If you haven’t yet been to Tulum, chances are your well-traveled coworker (or yoga instructor, or dog walker) has. The Mexican beach town on the Yucatán Peninsula is now known as much for its raucous nightlife and wellness community as it is for its ancient Mayan ruins. If you’d like your next getaway to be a little more stress-free, head east to San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The Caribbean island and U.S. territory has lively beaches, boutiques peddling handmade jewelry and vintage straw hats, cocktails mixed with locally grown fruit and herbs, and beachfront kiosks hawking salty octopus fritters. It has all of the vibrant culture and laid-back appeal of Tulum—but with far fewer crowds (and DJs). Plus, there’s no passport required.

Here is a primer on where to stay and what to eat, drink, and see on the Isle of Enchantment.

The main pool at the Condado Vanderbilt.

Where to Stay

Originally built by the Vanderbilt family (and designed by the same architectural firm responsible for New York’s Grand Central Terminal), the Condado Vanderbilt celebrates its centennial this year. The historic, oceanfront property maintains its air of old-school sophistication and service while also offering modern amenities like pool and beach butlers who can deliver a steady stream of fruity frozen cocktails to your deck chair, a wood-paneled and marble spa with a Turkish bath, and meals with a focus on local ingredients. (For breakfast, try a cold-pressed juice, farm-fresh eggs with house-cured salmon, and guava pastelillos made by the pastry chef.)

A suite at the Condado Vanderbilt.

Tucked away on a cobblestone street in Old San Juan, El Convento is a former Carmelite convent that dates back to 1646, now with luxury suites, a daily wine and cheese reception, and an outdoor plunge pool. The charming, open-air courtyard—with a nispero fruit tree growing at its center, greenery spilling over the sides of balconies above, and umbrella-topped tables—is the perfect spot to sip local coffee in the morning and return midday for a cocktail, made with herbs and fruit grown in the on-property garden.

Hotel El Convento

What to Do

When you visit Castillo San Felipe del Morro, located on the northwestern point of Old San Juan, chances are the sprawling lawn leading up to the 16th-century Spanish fortress will be peppered with families picnicking and flying kites. Take a few minutes to soak in the scene before climbing to the top of the Unesco World Heritage site for panoramic views of San Juan Bay.

Afterward, spend an afternoon wandering through the alleyways and streets of the historic district, taking in the colorful Spanish colonial architecture and stopping for a refreshing tropical fruit ice from one of the ubiquitous street carts. Beaches in Condado and Isla Verde are beautiful and convenient if you’re staying in the area. But don’t miss Piñones, located on a stretch of Route 187 on the northeast part of the island, for the roadside kiosks selling deep-fried bacalaítos and alcapurrias (fritters made with cod or plantains and ground beef, respectively)—all with the same sweeping ocean backdrop.

For a day outside San Juan, head about 40 minutes west to the family-run farm Frutos del Guacabo to taste tamarind and tomatoes, pet rabbits and goats, and learn about its mission to make Puerto Rico less dependent on imported foods. (Contact the farm to arrange a tour.)

In Santurce, visit the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico for a look at works by local artists dating back to the 17th century, then stroll the streets outside to see public art. The neighborhood is known for its vibrant, larger-than-life mosaics and murals.

The Veritas Wine and Cognac Bar at the Condado Vanderbilt.

What to Drink

The piña colada was invented here, but with all due respect to the boozy tropical drink, Puerto Rico’s cocktail culture has far surpassed that claim to fame. That La Factoria—with its skilled bartenders and perfectly executed cocktails—has been named one of the world’s best bars more than once won’t surprise you in the least. That it maintains an intimate vibe and warm, unpretentious service just might. (The bar doesn’t have a sign, so look for the building on the corner of San Sebastián and San Jose streets.)

A few steps away, La Taberna Lúpulo offers 50 beers on tap, some from local breweries like Zurc Bräuhaus and Ocean Lab. (The latter is open for tours of its Isla Verde–neighborhood brewery.) In La Placita, Jungle Bird serves nuanced, Caribbean-inspired cocktails—made with local ingredients like passion fruit, coconut cream, and hibiscus—out of tiki glassware with tiny umbrellas. Nearby, El Bar Bero seamlessly transitions from barbershop by day to cocktail bar by night, and hair-themed drinks like the Mullet, made with citrus vodka, elderberry, and house-made blackberry preserves, prove just as smooth.

Old San Juan

What to Eat

While upwards of 85% of Puerto Rico’s food is imported, approximately 75% of the ingredients on the plates at 1919 Restaurant come from the island. Chef Juan José Cuevas returned to his homeland after working at restaurants like the Michelin-starred Blue Hill in New York City, bringing his expert technique and passion for working with local farmers to dishes like chayote salad with goat cheese, and handmade pasta with arugula-pistachio pesto and pickled ají dulce (sweet pepper).

Other fine-dining options include Marmalade, in Old San Juan, with its award-winning wine list and a white bean soup with black truffle oil and pancetta dust that has a cult following, and Vianda, in Santurce, run by husband-and-wife duo Francis Guzmán and Amelia Dill. The eclectic, seasonally changing menu highlights local produce and gives a nod to traditional Puerto Rican recipes, while also infusing global flavors into dishes like tempura-fried pumpkin and squash with pique aioli and Tom Kha cod with local coconut.

Also in the Santurce neighborhood, 16 food kiosks make up Lote 23, including Hen House with buttermilk- and pickle-brined fried chicken sandwiches, and an outpost of artisanal pop shop Señor Paleta. (Try the bright fruit juice flavors like tamarind, or creamier options like Nutella.) Join the stylish crowd at Sabrina for brunch as flavorful as it is photogenic, and Café con Cé for coffee made with locally grown beans, both on Calle Loiza. The Mallorca Jamón y Queso—a sweet roll filled with ham and cheese and dusted with a thick layer of powdered sugar—at neighborhood diner-bakery Kasalta makes for a memorable breakfast or lunch.

More must-read stories from Fortune:

—Where you should eat, visit, and stay on your trip to Copenhagen

—This island in Washington State will make you feel like a multi-millionaire

—Why you should visit southern India on your next vacation

—Inside the “ultimate high-performance luxury lifestyle” experience at the new Equinox Hotel

—Listen to our new audio briefing, Fortune 500 Daily

Follow Fortune on Flipboard to stay up-to-date on the latest news and analysis.

Credit: Source link

The post San Juan, Puerto Rico: The Best Travel Alterative to Tulum appeared first on WeeklyReviewer.

from WeeklyReviewer https://weeklyreviewer.com/san-juan-puerto-rico-the-best-travel-alterative-to-tulum/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=san-juan-puerto-rico-the-best-travel-alterative-to-tulum

[resultnorth1-blog]

The Kitchen Renegade

It’s morning in San Salvador, a rural community in Caguas, Puerto Rico, just 45 minutes outside of San Juan. The coqui have quieted their nightly chorus, and the roosters clock in for morning shift, sending a staggered series of crows across the distant hillsides. Wind rustles the serrated leaves of the breadfruit trees, and a pleasant breeze blows through the concrete house that rests on El Departamento de la Comida’s new farm property. Verónica “Vero” Quiles is already up and moving, her natural state. She sweeps the concrete floors, empties the trash cans, and replaces the outhouse bucket. Following her are a trusted cabal of companions — dogs Caye and Chayote, a black and white kitten Baby J, and Pikika the chicken. Every so often, she disciplines Chayote, the recalcitrant child of the group.

Quiles is the quiet chef behind El Departamento de la Comida, the agroecological collective created in 2010 by Tara Rodríguez Besosa. Since its inception, El Departamento has been a living, breathing entity in the movement toward Puerto Rican food sovereignty, shapeshifting over the years — from CSA to food hub to beloved restaurant to, post-Hurricane Maria, a fund dedicated to volunteer brigades and pop-ups — to meet the needs of Puerto Rican producers in real time. Over the years, the community has connected to El Departamento’s mission most viscerally through its innovative plant-based fare, served at El Depa’s restaurant locations and subsequent pop-ups. Since 2016 the food has been at the hand of Quiles, though there is little mention of her to be found.

If you’ve come across the multitudes of press for El Departamento de la Comida, you have likely encountered the lithe image of Rodríguez Besosa, whose likeness has become synonymous with the organization. A leader in Puerto Rico’s food sovereignty movement, Rodríguez Besosa became a nationally known personality after Hurricane Maria devastated the archipelago in September 2017; it was Rodríguez Besosa who swiftly organized the Puerto Rican Resilience Fund to assist farmers in the aftermath, garnering the media’s wide attention. Rodríguez Besosa organized to help Puerto Rican growers via la GuaGua Solidaria, a van that promised to travel across Puerto Rico helping farmers recover, repair, and restore their properties. Thus began El Departamento as volunteer brigade. As of January 2019, El Departamento de la Comida entered its next iteration as a nonprofit organization focused on regenerative and resilient agroecology projects across Puerto Rico.

Thanks to Hurricane Maria’s damage and the recovery efforts of its two main figures, El Departamento de la Comida’s restaurant space has been shuttered since Maria hit. Like many Puerto Ricans in the wake of the storm, displacement defines the experience, and Quiles is a chef without a home.

“You hungry?” Quiles asks, unwrapping seitan embustido, her signature vegan sausage, leftover from a cooking gig the night before. Her hands are petite and tattooed; a portrait of Lolita Lebrón, famed Puerto Rican nationalist, is etched on her left forearm. Quiles has found work in sporadic ways — feeding volunteer brigades, the infrequent catering gig, jumping in at friends’ establishments, and engineering the occasional pop-up, mostly to raise funds for El Depa’s benefit.

For Quiles, feeding people is an act as natural as breathing; a compulsion that has propelled her through some of the finest kitchens in New York City, including Calle Ocho during Alex Garcia’s reign, Cafe Boulud with Andrew Carmellini, and Gramercy Tavern with Tom Colicchio. She spent a year in New Orleans at Commander’s Palace under the late Jamie Shannon, where she learned the art of turtle soup and techniques that she’d eventually take back home, from scratch-made Worcestershire to a perfect roux. The fine dining gauntlet was Quiles’ culinary school; the hustle of New York City and New Orleans as formative as years of pressure are on a lump of coal pre-diamond. But Quiles, a lifelong vegetarian (she never acquired a taste for meat), missed a connection to the land and its natural abundance.

In 2003, she landed in New Hampshire at Susty’s Cafe, a vegan restaurant where she connected directly to local farms and time-honored traditions like bread making. She learned how to make her famous seitan and realized a long-time dream of hers: to work in a vegetarian establishment. Her time at Susty’s was pivotal, a precursor to the non-traditional role she would assume at El Departamento.

When Quiles returned to Puerto Rico in 2004, she caught the attention of Alfredo Ayala, the father of modern Puerto Rican cuisine, who became her chef-mentor. Ayala’s famed restaurant Ali-Oli was born in a garage, and lauded by wealthy politicians, celebrities, and fellow chefs including Eric Ripert. In the prologue to the 2004 book, Puerto Rico: Grand Cuisine of the Caribbean, written by José Luis Díaz de Villegas, Ripert writes of the culinary revolution pioneered by Ayala: These “extremely creative and talented chefs draw inspiration from Puerto Rico’s bounty, and they are reinventing their own cuisine… to create an intelligent fusion between their own heritage and Eastern or Western influence... Their cooking is a tribute not only to their own culture, ingredients, farmers and growers, but also to Mother Earth.”

Quiles, who possesses deft culinary training and a deep knowledge of Puerto Rico’s foodscape, embodies this exact sentiment. Yet, after two decades in the restaurant industry, she found her footing away from the glamour and hustle of fine dining. El Departamento was scrappy and grassroots, its first restaurant space was constructed in a former garage. Rodríguez Besosa and Quiles would drive from farm to farm to pick up food, no matter the size of the haul, and the kitchen was makeshift, run by individuals with no formal culinary experience. However, its vision to honor native ingredients, cook ethically, and support Puerto Rican producers was a fit for Quiles’s own subversive culinary ideals.

“People think you have to be in a big restaurant, but I prefer to be here with my freedom,” says Quiles. Currently, the farm property runs on minimal solar power and water is supplied through rainwater catchment. Watching her move about the camp-like kitchen, where milk crates double as shelves, and wash tubs replace actual sinks with running water, restaurant life feels light years away.

The first time I met Verónica Quiles, it was inside the dimly lit Santurce tiki bar, Jungle Bird, one year after Hurricane Maria. I was with two chef friends who were to participate in an upcoming pop-up for El Departamento de la Comida with Quiles and Paxx Caraballo Moll, one of El Depa’s first chefs, currently of the popular Jungle BaoBao. Quiles arrived late to the meeting. She wore combat boots and spoke in low, almost indecipherable tones, void of any urgency, save a small chef’s notebook to jot a few notes. Demure, but punk rock.

The day of the pop-up, the visiting chefs prepped in El Departamento’s commissary kitchen with Quiles. In a cut-off Misfits shirt and a durable apron in workman’s khaki, her glasses pushed atop a bob of girlish ringlets, Quiles prepared a spicy guava sorbet and sweet plantain gnocchi, wearing the looming countdown to service like a loose garment.

When we broke for lunch, Quiles opened up about the hurricane over a Heineken and a plate of arroz con gandules.

“I stayed 14 hours with that monster,” she says, recounting the harrowing night she spent with Hurricane Maria. She had evacuated her home on the water and fled to Rodríguez Besosa’s fifth-floor apartment with two dogs, a cat, and her pet chicken. It would be three days before the water levels went down enough for her to assess the damage done to the restaurant. Even then, her small car couldn’t pass through the flooded streets. Instead Quiles rode a bike through the washed out apocalyptic landscape, only to find most of the restaurant’s equipment, including two freezers, belly-up in the flood waters. Over the next few days, alone, Quiles did her best to salvage what she could from the restaurant, all the while navigating the harsh realities of such an event, like squatters and looters.

Since then, she’s quietly weathered the displacement, humbly feeding people without a second thought. She’s fashioned makeshift kitchens on brigade in places where power and water were scarce or nonexistent, creating nourishing vegetarian meals out of thin air. For most pop-up collaborations, Quiles sources the ingredients, manages logistics, and often executes the lion’s share of the mise en place before the guest chefs arrive. During our last visit, she was busy collecting, prepping, and packing fresh ingredients for a pop-up in New Orleans during Resistance Served. Nowadays, she packs coolers and boxes into the backseat of her beat-up car, lugging them from location to location without complaint.

“I’ve been cooking like this since Maria,” says Quiles. “It’s been very difficult.”

If Rodríguez Besosa is the sail that guides El Departamento de la Comida, Quiles is the keel, the culinary backbone that transmits El Departamento’s message of self-determination and sustainability to the community at-large via the plate.

“Vero brings a lot of intimacy to the kitchen,” says Rodríguez Besosa. “One of the major things about eating Vero’s food is that it’s a very personal experience.”

As a child, Quiles gravitated toward the natural world. She found kinship with guava trees, and even started a small enterprise selling foraged fruit. In the mountains of Caguas, she still gasps with delight when she sees ripe pitanga (Surinam cherry) on a tree, and she is wont to pull over if she spots chayote growing wild on twisted vines. On the farm, Quiles works primarily with native ingredients, items that she forages from the lush hillsides, plucks from the burgeoning garden space, a CSA share, or gathers from her rural neighbors.

On a recent Tuesday afternoon, Quiles prepares lunch for a small group, including myself. She cuts a banana leaf from a tree just steps away from the kitchen, removes the broad leaf from its rib and cuts uniform rectangles to encase empanada filling — a mix of yucca and calabaza with locally made Ayurdobo spice (a portmanteu of “Ayurvedic” and “adobo”) from Finca Pajuil. She lightly passes each square of banana leaf over the grill flame. The leaf surrenders to the heat, becoming more pliant. She’ll spoon the prepared filling into the banana leaf and fold it into a perfect parcel before cooking it. To accompany the empanadas, she serves meaty chunks of eggplant and a tomato sauce fortified with aji dulce peppers, plus a simple salad of lettuce and foraged greens with raw onions and baby tomatoes, dressed with oil, vinegar, and sea salt. It’s not fancy, like the gorgeous composed plates I’ve seen her do at pop-ups, but it’s exacting and colorful, infused with care.

But even here on the farm, in a space that more closely suits who she is today, Quiles remains a chef in benevolent purgatory, awaiting the time when she has a proper kitchen again. With the purchase of El Departamento’s farm property, she’s one step closer.

Kieran Murray, co-director of El Departamento, says 2019 plans for the nonprofit have been distilled into four interconnected areas — Agency, Resource Library, Farm, and Kitchen. As a service agency, El Departamento aims to support three farm projects that will include a community-run garden, an agroforestry project, and a permaculture farm. The resource library, the first of its kind to aggregate farm tools and equipment for area farms, is in motion, thanks in part to a recent Plow to Plate grant issued by World Central Kitchen.

On the farm, and subsequently in the kitchen, the movement to becoming fully operational is markedly slower. Infrastructure needs and renewable resources are being duly assessed, and the requisite need to tend the soil and build the land will take time. Once in place, the farm will focus on seed production for Puerto Rican farmers and ingredients for value-added products, a part of the kitchen component, of which Quiles will play an important role. Rodríguez Besosa envisions communal housing for farm guests, and later, apartments for her and Quiles.

Quiles’ dream lives just at the bottom of the property.

From the dining table where lunch is served, I can see all the way down the long, steep driveway to the small river that crosses at the farm’s entrance. Three flags hang in announcement of its inhabitants — a rainbow pride flag, the tri-colored Puerto Rican flag, and its black and white counterpart indicative of the struggle for sovereignty. On a small patch of ground on the river’s bank, is the space where Quiles sees her small kitchen concept, El Gallino. Named as a cheeky reference to her queer identity and to the animal most beloved to her, El Gallino will be an intimate off-grid space, serving 10 to 12 people at a time, where Quiles can cook her brand of honest food straight from the surrounding land.

As El Departamento shifts its organizational priorities and establishes roots on the new farm, Quiles formulates her long-term vision, driven by a dedication to Puerto Rican agriculture, her soul compulsion to cook, and the desire, like all of us, to have a place to call home.

For now she cooks like always, albeit without much recognition. That suits Quiles just fine. The nourishment she gets from cooking comes not from accolades or flashy praise, but from the act itself.

Keia Mastrianni is a food and agriculture writer based in western North Carolina. Ron David Butler is a photographer and filmmaker based in Toronto, Canada. Fact-checker: Dawn Mobley Editor: Erin DeJesus

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Source: https://www.eater.com/2019/3/27/18281527/vero-veronica-quiles-puerto-rico-profile

[elshoppr]

¡Esto es el sábado! Pop up de @elbateytavern en la apertura oficial de El Shop Tattoo Parlor & apparel. 962 Ponce de León esquina Calle Cerra local #3; Además pop up de @cesuka_jewelry •DJ sets por @payolaisabel y @bordalicasanova •6 de los mejores tatuadores de la isla •flash tattoos diseñados para el evento •venta especial de la t-shirt del evento •mucha ropa nueva y más… Les esperamos 🖤 📸 @bdclt . . . . . . . #elshoppr #weloveweird #comeasyouare #weloveyou #tattoo #tattooparlor #apparel #creepxide #joeycreepxide #santurce #callecerra #puertorico (at Calle Cerra, Miramar, San Juan, PR) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf_7HLnLRkB/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[princesscl1]

Rainy day + Coffee = Happy me! ☕️🌧 (at Santurce Pop)

[kritikandoblog]

Se presenta en Ponce y Mayagüez

11 de agosto y 8 de sept

Tras la exitosa presentación de “Mi Pasión, Mi vida, Mi guitarra” en el Centro de Bellas Artes de Santurce, los destacados músicos Jorge Laboy, Ito Serrano, Ramón Ortiz y Christian Nieves se unirán nuevamente para deleitar al público con dos veladas musicales.

Bea Music anunció que los grandes de las cuerdas se presentarán a las 6:30 p.m. el domingo, 11 de agosto en el Teatro La Perla en Ponce y el domingo, 8 de septiembre en el Teatro Yagüez de Mayagüez.

De acuerdo a la productora Beatriz Rodríguez, “lo que comenzó como una presentación exclusiva, se vislumbra como una gira, gracias al respaldo del público que validó la propuesta musical de los talentosos músicos que se unieron por primera vez el pasado mes de abril, y demostraron su calibre”.

Los gigantes de las cuerdas con mayor trayectoria y trascendencia en Puerto Rico transportarán a los asistentes en un viaje musical con un repertorio variado con la fusión sus distintos estilos como folklor, rock, jazz, semi clásico y el pop.

Los cuatro músicos se unirán en el escenario, pero también harán solos musicales, así como una parte acústica. El cuarteto estará acompañado de una banda compuesta por el bajista Egui Sierra, baterista Raúl Maldonado, tecladista Harry Aponte y el percusionista Raúl Rodríguez.

Los artistas presentarán además un tema inédito “Viajando entre Cuerdas” que fue preparado específicamente para la ocasión con un arreglo especial. El repertorio incluirá también algunos temas originales y otros conocidos como “Cumbanchero”, “We are the Champions”, “Las Tumbas”, “Verde Luz”, “Europa”. Las canciones contarán con arreglos originales para la impresionante combinación de las guitarras con el cuatro.

Los talentosos músicos combinarán guitarras acústicas, eléctricas y el cuatro, para el espectáculo “Mi pasión, Mi vida, Mi guitarra”. El nombre del evento resume el denominador común de los tres guitarristas y el cuatrista, quienes le han dedicado toda su vida a la música como instrumentistas.

Cada uno hará despliegue de su versatilidad y estilo música, ya que Christian se destaca en la música folclórica y pop, mientras que Ramón es conocido por el Heavy Metal, aunque de igual forma toca música clásica y cuatro. Por su parte, Ito se especializa en el pop y Jorge aportará su bagaje en el jazz.

Los amantes de la buena música de todas las edades tendrán la oportunidad ser parte del histórico junte de músicos en su país natal. Para adquirir los boletos puede llamar al 787 305-3600 o acceder: www.ticketerapr.com.

Mi Pasión, Mi Vida, Mi Guitarra Abren nuevas funciones tras el éxito en CBA Se presenta en Ponce y Mayagüez 11 de agosto y 8 de sept Tras la exitosa presentación de…