America’s Green Cuisine Gem…and He’s Peruvian!

While in Boston, I am getting to know great sites and restaurants, but I didn’t expect to learn about Peruvian-related green cuisine! Ladies and gentlemen…let me introduce you to Jose Duarte, a Peruvian successful chef and restaurant owner of Taranta. Jose’s gastronomic style brings the wonders of two of the best cuisines in the world: Italian and Peruvian. I tried a gnocchi made with a culantro-based sauce that clearly reminded me of the Peruvian “seco de cordero”. It was a taste that brought me back home.

Located at the North End in Boston, the entrance door welcomed me with a pair of opening curtains perhaps as a sign I was entering into something new…and it was. I was greeted by Jose who since the beginning was really nice and patient to walk me through his business, his background, and of course his culinary expertise which was very exciting.

According to the Green Restaurant Association, Boston is the second largest green city (after New York) and it was great to know one of its leaders is actually Jose. According to a recent Boston Globe article, here are some of his green achievements:

• The wine list is biodynamic, sustainable, and organic
• The restaurant is eliminating bottled water, putting in its own carbonation and bottling system
• The straws are green – they’re made from a corn-based polymer
• The business cards are made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper and printed with soy ink
• He wears an organic chef’s coat
• Uses LED candles instead of wax

And particularly about bottled water, his Taranta “Going Green” blog on a December 4, 2008 post says:

“Just installed our own bottling and carbonation system for water, a very eco friendly alternative to bottled water with a carbon footprint. We will be filling and reusing our own bottles, this will reduce our storage space, less boxes being driven and less bottles to recycle. The flavor is excellent and we are continuing our funding program by donating $1 for each bottle sold to the City of Boston Green Energy Fund. We will also feature an aluminum portable bottle in our Peruvian Culinary Adventure to in March 2009 courtesy of Natura Water.”

Great, huh? But here’s what was also pretty interesting to me: I tried the Peruvian flagship drink Pisco Sour and Jose made me notice something peculiar about it: the foam. His pisco sours are made from powdered egg whites, which ensures health standards are met and avoid viruses such as the salmonella that most other restaurants don’t keep in mind. The taste and body of the pisco sour is great made out of a great quality pisco from Peru. With that excuse, I made sure I had one for dinner after my chat with Jose.

As a Peruvian, it is great to see how he is leading the way on green restaurants. And even more so if you can enjoy a great Italian delicatessen with a Peruvian kick (yum) and support environmental sustainability! Go Jose!

Taranta is located at 210 Hanover Street, Boston, MA.

Peruvian Minister Provides Update on Investment Road Show to US and Europe

Following up from my earlier post on the Peruvian Minister of Economy Luis Valdivieso visiting New York, Boston, London and Spain, today he made a statement on how his “Non Deal Road Show” is progressing, according to a report from Andina.

Today Valdivieso is in London and stated investors in the U.S. and the U.K. are surprised that Peru continues growing and with a low inflation despite de international economic crisis.

Below are quotes from his declaration to the press (translated to English):

“They were all surprised that we keep growing with low inflation and are very interested to know which are our fiscal plans and monetary policy, as well as which are our investment plans. […] It is important to communicate to the market where we are and where we are headed to.”

U.S. Congressman Hinojosa Visits Peru, Calls Support for FTA to Ride Global Economic Crisis

U.S. Congressman Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX) meets with the Peruvian President Alan Garcia., as Andina reports via a video (in Spanish).

During his stay, the Congressman made a statement to the press calling to support the Free Trade Agreement between the U.S. and Peru to increase commerce, investments, and generate employment opportunities in Peru and also in the U.S. to ride through the current global economic crisis.