On the evening of June 11, 2022, Kevin Chaves of Le French Café and Kevin Charpentier, the guest chef from San José, delighted us with their creative four-hand seven-course menu at the select French restaurant in Uvita. The intention was to recreate the gastronomy of the South of Costa Rica with unique dishes combining traditional and ancestral ingredients, using modern cuisine techniques, giving it a sophisticated touch.
Thanks to the initiative of the young gastronome and owner of Le French Café, Simon Michel-x, new exciting experiences are available in the South of Costa Rica. They will hold 4-hand events regularly, inviting colleagues from the culinary arts.
Wellbeing Chef Mayron Q Peraza
We interviewed well-being chef Mayron at the magnificent nFusion Bistro on the terrace of the Villas Alturas Hotel. The location, with its beautiful views over the jungle, the sea, and the rocks, is unique. nFusion Chef Mayron is from the new generation that loves to create, merging Costa Rican recipes with international ones, always with fresh local ingredients, resulting in exquisite signature dishes. He has studied Gastronomy and Nutrition at the Le Cordon Bleu Peru Institute and ANCH (Costa Rica National Chef Association).
Says Mayron: "I feel love for fire in my culinary laboratory; it gives me adrenaline or pure excitement; cooking is something very cultural, holistic, art and science, food is food and medicine at the same time. My food is made with love."
Check out one of his recipes here.
Massimo Capra’s insignia is his great mustache. However, he didn’t reach his fame thanks to this notable feature. Massimo Capra is one of the most celebrated chefs in Canada, where he has been working and living since 1982. His renowned restaurant Capra’s kitchen in Mississauga, Ontario, opened in 2016 and offers innovative Italian cuisine with recipes created by Massimo himself.
Restaurante Citrus - Costa Muy Rica:
If you believed that Costa Rican cuisine is made up of rice and beans, then chef Marcella Marciano and her collaborators, chefs Fabián Barrantes and Jose Calderón, managed to vindicate this verdict during their first “Costa Muy Rica” gastronomy event.
Just to mention a few highlights of the eight dish menú: starting with a Chiliguaro shot and fresh Puntarenas oyster, Fish & palm fruit ceviche, fried Green plantain, palm fruit mousse, Green papaya, and zorillo picadillo served with a cheese-filled tortilla, and finally an incredible crunchy Chocolate sphere as a dessert.
Philippe and Mireille, owners of Pancito Café, are well known in Ojochal. Early in the morning, delicious aromas emanate from the place, the smell of fresh bread, croissants, and freshly brewed coffee. They serve breakfast and lunch on the large terrace overlooking the garden, covered with lush vegetation and the river just passing by.
Guillermo Saenz, alias Memo, is Chef at “La Palapa Restaurant”, Hotel Cuna del Ángel. Chef Memo has a long history as a gastronome, trained in Spain and Italy.
He worked for several years in well-known international restaurants in San José. This allowed him to create an expansive vision of high end-cuisine and legendary dishes fused with tropical ingredients from Costa Rica.
In 2011, he moved to Costa Ballena to dedicate his expertise to La Palapa Restaurant at the enchanting Cuna del Ángel Hotel.
Eco Feria Camino Real Dominical
Local market in Dominical with local products every friday 9 am - 12:30 am
We connect with local farmers who strive to produce the best produce, regenerate ecosystems and build vibrant local community.
Lizeth Quirós, Ballena Bistro's Smile
Liz (originally from Pérez Zeledón) used to run a coffee-ice cream parlor in Buenos Aires before coming to Ojochal in 2012. Liz is a sportswoman who loves to run, and her first concern when she arrived was if there was a women's soccer team. She found the Playa Hermosa Futbol Sala team that used to meet at the ”Cancha Sintética” in Uvita.
In 2014 she started working at the Ballena Bistro as the right hand of the owner and chef Anja Sonnenberg. When Anja decided to seek other horizons, in April 2018, Liz grasped the opportunity to take over the restaurant. With her innate friendliness and splendid customer service, she has demonstrated being an extraordinary host and a good leader of her small operations team.
Carly and Eric Hara left behind a 15-hour daily routine and a hectic lifestyle in New York. Following their dream and traveling through many places, they came to Costa Rica to retire and spend more time with their children.
Eric is a renowned chef from NYC. He and Carly worked in the gastronomic industry for more than a decade. So, their “retirement” did not last more than six months. They found an ideal place for Eric to keep himself busy in the kitchen.
House of Ginger Tasty Chinese Food
Tripadvisor: Certificate of Excellence
For 5 years the Hosue of Ginger Chinese food restaurant owner lived with her husband and three children in Canada. “I’ve always had a passion for cooking,” she says. “When we lost my husband, I had to find a way to make a living. So I did, and we decided to return to Costa Rica. I took a cooking course with the Chef of the Chinese Embassy in San José. ”
GastroPub Batsú & Panes La Estrella
To find a GastroPub in the magnificent Chirripo’s mountain skirts was quite a surprise. Meeting David, the owner of the successful establishment along with his large family, was another. “GastroPub” is an innovative business concept where haute cuisine tapas are served at affordable prices.
Also, every Saturday David participates in the Uvita Fair where he delivers bread to many clients on the beach. Enjoy the excellent teamwork of the Navarro Elizondo family!
Sibu Restaurant & Coffee Store
Sibu Coffee House is a family business; Attila and Mariana, who are husband and wife, coffee lovers and quite knowledgeable about it, are its owners. They have 3 kids, and the oldest, David, often helps out at the restaurant attending to the customers. He does it with the same friendliness that characterizes everyone on Sibu’s personnel.
Today, we came to chat with two culinary artists, Román and Pablo, father and son. Both became well-known for their fine cuisine at several famous restaurants of Costa Ballena. Recently, they started working together at the Vista Ballena Hotel, complementing each other’s cooking skills.
Román recalls when Pablo was only 12 years old, he put on an apron and prepared the best rice with seafood. Pablo worked for years at a vegetarian restaurant in Dominical where he prepared the best healthy recipes.
“I can’t stand people who don’t take food seriously. And for the record, it's not us who say this, Oscar Wilde said it,” the owners Luca and Francesca declare when greeting us at their Italian Restaurant Gusto. The first impression is the cordial welcome and then we are captivated by the 180-degree view over creation.
The menu offers a variety of pasta, meats, and fish. The preparation is made with the freshest products from the organic markets, as well as with the spices, olive oil, cheeses, and wines that they import from Italy. “We prepare light and healthy food according to the best Italian recipes,” says Francesca.
Estiven Arias, owner, and chef of La Costeña graduated in Food and Beverage Administration, Restaurants and Hospitality at UTUR and INA. He also completed courses in barista, professional bartender, and Hawaiian Tiki cocktails. At the age of 14, he participated in a student exchange in the USA, and later, thanks to his good knowledge of English, he had the opportunity to work on a cruise ship in the United States. Returning to Costa Rica, he worked for several years in boutique hotels in Quepos and the South Pacific. Above all, Uvita attracted him, reminding himself of the happy vacations he had spent here as a child.
“Entangled in Costa Rica” A Documentary about whales rescue 2021
It is not unusual for residents on the South Pacific side of Costa Rica to witness humpback whales swimming along the coast with their newborn calves during migratory whale seasons. For anyone, being able to rescue a female whale and her calf’s life is a once in a lifetime encounter. Innoceana, in association with filmmakers The Vegan Pirates, produced a short documentary “Entangled in Costa Rica.”
Veganism is on the rise – and it is far more than a food trend!
It leads to a lifestyle based on sustainability and compassion.
The three pillars of veganism are:
1. Compassion for all animals (i.e. an understanding that there is no difference between a chicken or a dog, a calf, or a cat).
2. The concern and care for environmental issues (i.e. massive land use and pollution caused by life stock farming, pesticides, antibiotics, etc.); and
3. The positive effects on health (i.e., low cholesterol, no lactose intolerance, a pure conscience, etc.).
AFU – Academy of Football Uvita
A football academy in which, apart from sporting fun, players are trained to their maximum potential on and…
Being on the first page of Google
Before the Internet’s availability, people consulted countless non-digital sources such as phone books and shared friends’ opinions about hotel and restaurant services.
Today consumers have an Internet connection 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to search for information from their computer or cell phone.
Le French Café – Plaza Bahía Moana
Le French Café at the brand new Moana Plaza Bahía stands out for its innovative decoration. The large terraces welcome the sea breezes, and there are comfortable seats, a well-equipped bar, and display cases with delicacies in bread, desserts, and sweets.
Alma de Ojochal Hotel
The Alma De Ojochal Hotel is, as the name says, “the soul of Ojochal” and is in tune with the spirit of Pura Vida on the South Western coast of Costa Rica. Here you will have the feeling of enjoying life to the fullest, embracing experience and adventure in a very relaxed atmosphere.
Ventanas Beach
What a beautiful spot. You will now understand why people love this secluded beach, surrounded by lush rainforest and lined with palm trees. It mostly has calm waves. The shallow waters are safe for children (always under their parents’ observation and paying attention to the lifeguards’ alerts.)
How YOU can help the local economy
Indeed, most of the Costa Ballena region is dependent on tourism. Given that as the background, we hear from our homeowners, clients, and the social media channels: What can we do to help with the local economy?
Where does your native timber come from?
Most of the construction on the Costa Ballena and Osa Peninsula is done by hotels and second-home builders drawn by the lush rainforest. Native timber feels like an obvious choice: who doesn’t love a handcrafted Cristobal door’s luxury?
In Osa the history travels by bicycle
It is an exhibition with identity, designed by and for the inhabitants of the Osa Canton. It is a temporary exhibition “In Osa history travels by bicycle,” which you can admire at the Finca 6 Museum site, in Palmar Sur.
The Strange Behavior of a Gang of Teenage Monkeys
The whole gang of teenage monkeys turned tail, ran for the fig tree, scuffled for a position, and ascended to the crown. Once safe from the mother raccoon, they seemed to lose interest in her, like a person trying to forget an embarrassing incident and pretending it never happened. The monkeys returned to their vagrant behavior, and mama continued about her business with her cubs at her side.
Typical Week in the Life of a Dog and Cat Rescue Organization
DAWG is a Dog and Cat Rescue Organization, provided food, a medicated shampoo, vet care, a crate and a puppy pen.
Another week went by, and another puppy showed up at the property beside the hotel, so then there were five puppies!!!
