Join us at ¡WEPA! Mercado del Pueblo in Humboldt Park for a FREE complete Puerto Rican cultural immersive event hosted by the Taste of Chicago in collaboration with the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, on July 9, 2021, from 4:00pm-8:00pm.

The event will start with a cooking demonstration by Roberto Pérez, a local Puerto Rican chef, musician, and co-founder of Urban Pilón, an educational culinary initiative that merges cooking and storytelling to honour and preserve cooking traditions from Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, and Latin America.

The event will continue with the highlight of the night, a reading by Marisel Vera, a proud Boricua from Humboldt Park and author of "The Taste of Sugar,” a novel recognized as one of 12 best Latinx books of 2020 by NBC News and named Chicago Reader's “Best New Novel by a Chicagoan.” Set in Puerto Rico on the eve of the Spanish-American War, “The Taste of Sugar” follows a coffee growing family through the disastrous upheaval caused by the historic events of the 1898 U.S. Invasion and the 1899 San Ciriaco Hurricane. After the book reading State Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas will host a conversation about the novel with Marisel Vera. Signed copies of the novel will be available for purchase.

We will close out the night with a performance by Ivelisse “Bombera de Corazón” Díaz and “Bomba Con Buya” a local Puerto Rican music and dance group. The participants of La Escuelita Bombera De Corazon will delight us with a demonstration of Bomba.

The novel “The Taste of Sugar” will be available for $17.00 at the Borincanias shop inside ¡WEPA! Mercado Del Pueblo.

Date: Friday, July 9, 2021

Time: 4 pm - 8 pm CST

4:00-5:00 pm: Puerto Rican food and coffee demo, and pastries available

5:00-5:30 pm: Intermission and walkthrough ¡WEPA! Mercado del Pueblo

5:30-6:30 pm: Taste of Sugar reading + Q&A

6:30-7:00 pm: Book signing with Marisel Vera

7:00-8:00 pm: Music performance

Location:

¡WEPA! Mercado del Pueblo: 2559 W. Division St

Taste of Chicago To-Go (July 7–11) returns this summer with free music, dance and food events across the city — featuring nearly 40 participating eateries and promoting Chicago’s amazing restaurant industry; plus “Community Eats” community meals serving local nonprofit organizations. Explore the online Dining Guide and plan your Taste today: TasteofChicago.us

A series of cooking classes exploring the culinary traditions of Loiza, Trujillo Alto, and Vieques featuring Chef Roberto Pérez of Urban Pilón.

Join us as we broadcast live from Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center with Chef Roberto Pérez of Urban Pilón.

June 28th, 2021 – Arepas de Coco de Vieques

“Arepa de Coco” is a Puerto Rican coconut fry bread. The texture is crisp on the outside but light and fluffy on the inside. It’s used as the ideal companion to ceviches and any seafood salad. This dish is native to the Island-Municipality of Vieques, located 19 miles east of the coast of Fajardo. Get tickets here

After registration, we will send you a list of ingredients and the private zoom link for the interactive class. Space is limited to allow for a better experience for everyone.

A series of cooking classes exploring the culinary traditions of Loiza, Trujillo Alto, and Vieques featuring Chef Roberto Pérez of Urban Pilón.

Join us as we broadcast live from Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center with Chef Roberto Pérez of Urban Pilón.

May 25, 2021 – Macabeo de Trujillo Alto

“Macabeo” is a green banana fritter stuffed with meat or vegetables known as a traditional dish in the town of Trujillo Alto. The hype for this fritter is so big, they even have a whole Festival dedicated to it. Trujillo Alto is located just south of San Juan in the northeast part of the island. Get tickets here

After registration, we will send you a list of ingredients and the private zoom link for the interactive class. Space is limited to allow for a better experience for everyone.

Join Urban Pilón in celebrating the birthday of his beloved mother figure, Antonia “Toña” Vazquez with a casual cooking workshop. Born on May 20, 1920, Doña Toña helped raise Roberto from 3 months old. Towards the end of her time here, Doña Toña often spoke of one of her favorite dishes, “sopa de salchichón con gandules”. In honor of and gratitude for her life as well as her love of giving to others, Roberto will show us how to recreate this delicious dish.

A series of cooking classes exploring the culinary traditions of Loiza, Trujillo Alto, and Vieques featuring Chef Roberto Pérez of Urban Pilón.

Join us as we broadcast live from Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center with Chef Roberto Pérez of Urban Pilón.

Dates:

April 29, 2021 – Cazuela de Loíza

“Cazuela” is a sweet potato & pumpkin pie known as one of the oldest culinary traditions of Loíza, located on the northeast coast of the island. Get tickets here

After registration, we will send you a list of ingredients and the private zoom link for the interactive class. Space is limited to allow for a better experience for everyone.

Join us for a delicious learning journey with this dynamic host from Chicago's Urban Pilón. We will explore food origins and create amazing recipes with our guide, Roberto!

Register here: https://addisonlibrary.libcal.com/event/7475165

Date & Time

Fri, Apr 2

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Location

This Event is Online

2120 East 71st Street

Chicago, Illinois 60649, US

Description

This event is virtual! Attend from anywhere!
We will be recording the class to share with you afterwards as well. Recipe and ingredients needs will be emailed to you after you register so that you can cook along at home.

From our Chef-
“Caldo Santo” Holy Broth

Known as “The Capital of Tradition", the coastal town of Loíza, Puerto Rico is plenty rich in fish, land crabs, coconuts, agriculture, and history.

On Friday April 2nd, under the direction of Chef Roberto from Urban Pilón, we will create “Caldo Santo” (Holy Broth), an Afro-Puerto Rican dish from Loíza. While it might be considered obscure in the States (and even in other parts of the island), it's still a popular meal in the Loíza and northeastern region of the island, especially during Easter. Because religious traditions discouraged eating meat on Good Friday, Caldo Santo is a way to wrap up Holy Week with a real pescatarian treat!!!

This recipe is said to have been made famous by Chef Emma DuPrey de Sterling, and was published in her book “Puerto Rican Artisanal Cooking.”

All proceeds will benefit one of our favorite COVID19 Response Collaborations . Farm Food Familias. https://www.gettinggrowncollective.com/farmfoodfamilias

Each week we feed 350 people yummy scratch prepared meals. Your support will help with our work while also allowing us to newly provide cooking lessons for the meal recipients.

Explore the African roots of Puerto Rican cuisine in this special class with Chef Roberto Pérez from Urban Pilón.

About this Event

Explore the African roots of Puerto Rican cuisine in this 90-minute class with Chef Roberto Pérez from Urban Pilón in commemoration of the abolition of slavery in Puerto Rico.

For this special occasion, participants will dive into an ancient recipe from Puerto Rico's oldest published cookbook (1857):

"Quimbombó a lo Criollo con funche de ñame y plátano".

Traditional Puerto Rican style Okra Stew served with Plantain and Yam Mofongo.

After registration, we will send you a list of ingredients and the private zoom link for the interactive class.

Space is limited to allow for a better experience for everyone.

About Chef Roberto Pérez and Urban Pilón:

Roberto Pérez is a chef, musician, and researcher of Afro-Caribbean traditions. He is one of the founding members of acclaimed Afro-Puerto Rican music group, Bomba con Buya, and the co-founder of educational culinary initiative, Urban Pilón.

Urban Pilón is a culinary movement with a mission: to honor and preserve cooking traditions from Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, and Latin America, while using completely natural, healthy ingredients. With this mission in mind, Roberto serves not only as chef, but as storyteller, sharing the stories of our ancestors through his cooking, classes, and demonstrations. His popular Caribbean cooking courses showcase these stories by teaching both classic and original recipes along with the history behind them.

About Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center (SRBCC):

Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center (SRBCC) is the longest-standing Latino cultural center in Chicago. Established in 1971, it was named in honor of Segundo Ruiz Belvis, a Puerto Rican patriot and member of a secret abolitionist society that freed slave children under Spanish rule. In that spirit, SRBCC realizes its mission to preserve and promote appreciation of the culture and arts of Puerto Rico and Latin America, with a unique emphasis on its African heritage.

SRBCC realizes its program philosophy by developing multi-disciplinary programs, with a strong focus on the youth, that highlight the presence of African cultures in Puerto Rico and Latin America. SRBCC celebrates Afro-Puerto Rican and Afro-Latino cultural traditions through dance, music, theater, and visual arts