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.
The surprising benefits of Piper Umbellatum
Before pulling it out as an ordinary weed, I took a photo with an app called PlantNet. And in a second, I had its name; Google told me the rest. I am impressed by the surprising benefits of Piper Umbellatum. It is a plant growing in tropical áreas, and you can find it along our rural streets and in your garden. It can flower all year round if there is sufficient moisture.
Basilisk
Most probably, you have seen a creature crossing a stream with high speed on his hind legs. This runner is a basilisk, also called Jesus Christ lizard. Basilisks can do this because of their large feet and specialized flattened toe fringes. These fold out when the foot presses down on the water surface.
The Secret Life of the Sharks
After four years of research, the first results of the project The Secret Life of Sharks of Costa Rica are published in the Scientific Reports journal of Nature Research, a journal with a high impact worldwide.
The Slow Cooker – Making Life Easier
Enter the idea of food prep and a slow cooker. This contraption is a game-changer in my life. Instead of just throwing together a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a banana and calling it lunch, I am eating heartier, more satisfying meals now. I am spending so much less time at the stove and cleaning up after. I make large portions at a time and freeze whatever I don’t eat.
THE DIQUIS STONE SPHERES
The stone spheres are a representative sculptural element of the chiefdom societies of the Diquís delta. These artifacts were used as symbolic, ritual, socio-political objects, and possibly as chronological, status, and power markers. Its manufacture constituted an extended tradition, approximately between 300-400 BC. until 1500 A.D. During this period, its production and use reached its maximum development.
Why You Should Not Surf Alone – Part 2
Since I have surfed the spot for twenty years, I felt safe enough to drop in and make an exit before it got too shallow. What I did not anticipate was how much the tide would drop in that one hour.
Hello Summer! We Welcome You!
Hello Summer! We Welcome You!
Author: Beth Sylver
I recently took a five-day virtual conference about Equine-Assisted Therapy. Many different presenters, workshops, and training videos wholly opened my eyes to a new way of looking at life. There were three major takeaways from the conference I’d like to share!
Do it yourself, change color in your home
The best way to receive the New Year is to change color in our homes, rooms, businesses, or any other space.
Changing color can lead to a transformation of the aesthetic and psychological situation. Through colors, we can alternate our mood and even improve behaviors.
Was That a Thunder quake?
remember during one storm, the thunder and lightning were very nearby. The lightning was so bright, and the thunder rumbled with such force it shook our house. I thought we might be experiencing a small earthquake, but we weren’t . What I felt is known as a thunder quake.
TARZAN VINES, The Amazing World of Lianas
The Amazing World of Lianas “Hey, look at this. These are cool”, I exclaimed to my hiking buddy. “Look how this one wraps around that tree and then up over that big branch. It looks like a bunch of vines twisted together to make a big rope. Hey, ya know what,” I joked, “this must be what Tarzan swings on.”
A new addition to Bahia is Yoga Maya Uvita!
At an incredible location, close to the Whale Tail, owner Debbie Krejci offers a stunning space for Yoga Teacher Training (YTT), yoga practice, and retreats. Yoga Maya Uvita offers all the props (mats, straps, blocks) for all levels and will soon be offering Intro classes, for those new to yoga, in addition to the already available Yin, Vinyasa (with modifications given). Yoga Teacher Training and High- Intensity Interval classes will also be scheduled.
Globalized Digitalized Economy with Cryptocurrency
A solution for the “globalists” and apparently part of their agenda, is the implementation of a society managed by Artificial Intelligence and industrialized by robotics, resulting in the vanishing of the middle and working-class.. That economy would be digitized with cryptocurrency.
