Saturday, September 7, 2013

Bogota's Flourishing Culinary & Food Scene





Bogota’s new culinary scene is flourishing; so much so that some big stars from the food world have come to city to check it out what all the buzz is about.

Anthony Bourdain’s new CNN show Parts Unknown - Colombia featured some segments with Chef Tomas Rueda of TABULA restaurant in La Macarena neighborhood.  I ate there a couple of years, not knowing about the place, and I have to say that I was so impressed that I will never forget the Octopus with Rosemary dish I had. 

Conde Naste Traveler magazine also featured Bogota in the Frank Bruni’s article titled Colombia’s Culinary Comeback in one of its mothly publications.

Other notables Chefs, such as Todd English, Michael White of Marea and Osteria Marini in Manhattan, Ferran Adria of El Bulli in Spain, Laurent Tourondel of BLT restaurant group, Jordan Salcito of Momofuku, have been in the city. 

Heck, even Martha Stewart was in Bogota and Medellin.  Check out her Blog entries here:  Day 1, Day 1 Part 2, Day 2,  Day 3 Bogota Artists

In part this is due to the success of the yearly Bogota Wine and Food Festival - created by Colombian sisters Gaileen and Iris Quinn – which has brought in Top Chefs from around the world.  In return those chefs have gone back to their countries and spread the word about Bogota’s emerging food scene. 

In another part, it also due to the long list of Colombian chefs who trained in Europe and the United States at world-renowned restaurants, and have now returned to Bogota to open up their own eateries.  Above video from Vice News is a testament to that, as Chef Daniel Castaño (who worked with Mario Batali in NY) of Gordo, gives us a culinary tour of the best up-and-coming restaurants in Bogota.