Puerto Rico’s Top Culinary Talent Descends on New York City for a Five Day Culinary Festival

PHOTO: Scenery of Puerto Rico courtesy of Puerto Rico Meets NYC

Meets NYC will launch a new culinary destination festival this Fall in New York City: Puerto Rico Meets NYC (PRMNYC). From Wednesday September 30 through Sunday October 4, Puerto Rico’s best chefs will descend on New York City to participate and collaborate with New York’s top culinary talent in a series of dinners and multi-format events in venues throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. Tickets go on sale to the public today, August 13, 2015, and can be purchased via Eventbrite here.

“With so many dining options to choose from, it’s hard to focus New Yorkers on culinary events,” explains Meets NYC founder Marie Elena Martinez. “Meets NYC hones in on a destination and highlights the intersections of visiting chefs and New York’s own treasured talent for unique, one-night-only pairings. We attempt to move the envelope on international culinary tourism, by embracing the city that does culinary tourism best: NYC.”

The PR Meets NYC festival will commence with an invite-only Media Cocktail Party on Wednesday, September 30th, followed by paired New York-Puerto Rican Chef Dinners on Thursday October 1st through Saturday October 3rd, all held at various restaurants around the city. A closing, alfresco Lechon Asado brunch, a walk-around tasting of the island’s most delicious delicacies from alcapurrias (fritters) to mofongo (mashed plantains) to lechon (roasted pork), on Sunday, October 4th will formally close the series. All events (minus the opening party) are ticketed and open to the public.

In addition, The James Beard House will open their kitchens for an exciting dinner. See link here for a full list of PRMNYC Dinners and Events.

Tapping into Gotham’s deep Nuyorican network – from Williamsburg to Harlem – New York City will welcome an esteemed team of eight Puerto Rican chefs, all of whom have contributed to the many culinary triumphs of the island’s history. For example, Jose Santaella and Eric Ripert are teaming up for one night at Le Bernardin, Pedro Alvarez is teaming up with JJ Johnson for two dinners at The Cecil, Xavier Pacheco will collaborate for one night with Camille Becerra at Navy and Mario Pagan and Laurent Tourondel will be together for one evening at The Vine.

The full list of visiting and participating chefs is below.

Puerto Rico Visiting Chefs:

· Pedro Alvarez (Alcor Foods)

· Wilo Benet (Pikayo)

· Juan Jose Cuevas (1919)

· Xavier Pacheco (La Jaquita Baya)

· Mario Pagan (Sage Steakhouse Bistro, Laurel, Lemongrass)

· Kevin Roth (La Estacion)

· José Santaella (Santaella)

· Roberto Treviño (Budatai, Casa Lola, El Nosh)

New York City Host Chefs:

· Camille Becerra (Navy)