Tonight is Fiesta en La Plaza, the second event of Guanacaste Nights after yesterday’s Culinary Celebration up at Casa Chameleon. Starting at 6pm and running until 9pm, the seven chefs will be finishing and serving small plates in Plaza Danta, all inspired in some way by the cooking and ingredients of Guanacaste.
For an event like this, the preparations actually started early this morning. First the team prepared the plan for the day over breakfast, then surveyed Plaza Danta to finalize details of the event itself. Midmorning the preparation of the foods started.
Thoughtful preparation is one of the secrets to the exceptional cuisine prepared tonight, and for some chefs preparation for Saturday actually began as early as Friday afternoon. Last year, for example, Chef Smillie marinated the beef for more than 24 hours before the event, and grilled and smoked his herbs and vegetables for hours before the event to deepen the flavors.
As a contrast, Chef Gilberto will head out on the day of the event, as soon as a few hours before prep time, to forage the tropical forest for fresh herbs and ingredients. The base dish is already prepared, but he loves to add a hyperlocal, garden-fresh garnish and accent to his meals.
There are still spots open for Fiesta en La Plaza, and it will be great to see you there to try all these bites with us.