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A Frida Kahlo New Year
Spend New Year's toasting Kahlo's lovers and 100th year
Since New Year's is a celebration devoid of religious overtones (in fact, the mandate to enjoy full-scale decadence on December 31 almost makes it seem like an official pagan holiday), there really are no rules when setting up themes for your New Year's Eve. Case in point: the surrealist Frida Kahlo-themed dinner that's planned at New York's Crema Restaurante.
The theme made sense to Julieta Ballesteros, owner/executive chef of this Zagat- and Michelin-rated eatery on 17th Street in Chelsea. She hails from Monterrey, Mexico, was trained at New York's French Culinary Institute, and specializes in fusing traditional Mexican cuisine with French presentation. Crema's interior plays with traditional Mexican colors and textures filtered through a modern New York eye, and the original paintings on display are custom created for the space by the celebrated artist and mother of the chef, Del Bosque.
But the idea for the actual Frida Kahlo dinner is a collaboration with Miguel Calvo, former owner of legendary New York hotspots Global 33 and 71 Clinton Fresh Foods and a design consultant for Rockwell. Calvo took a few minutes to answer MOLI's queries about the night.
Crema has a wonderful chef of Mexican heritage, but a Frida Kahlo-inspired dinner for New Year's Eve? How did you come up with the idea?
We're both Frida fans, and Julieta's mother is an artist as well, so it just dawned on us and we thought we could have a lot of fun with it. Besides, Frida loved food and had her own unique recipes. And since it's the centennial anniversary of Frida's birth, we thought it would be a fitting tribute.
You're going to feature dishes inspired by her famous lovers. What can guests expect?
The theme made sense to Julieta Ballesteros, owner/executive chef of this Zagat- and Michelin-rated eatery on 17th Street in Chelsea. She hails from Monterrey, Mexico, was trained at New York's French Culinary Institute, and specializes in fusing traditional Mexican cuisine with French presentation. Crema's interior plays with traditional Mexican colors and textures filtered through a modern New York eye, and the original paintings on display are custom created for the space by the celebrated artist and mother of the chef, Del Bosque.
But the idea for the actual Frida Kahlo dinner is a collaboration with Miguel Calvo, former owner of legendary New York hotspots Global 33 and 71 Clinton Fresh Foods and a design consultant for Rockwell. Calvo took a few minutes to answer MOLI's queries about the night.
Crema has a wonderful chef of Mexican heritage, but a Frida Kahlo-inspired dinner for New Year's Eve? How did you come up with the idea?
We're both Frida fans, and Julieta's mother is an artist as well, so it just dawned on us and we thought we could have a lot of fun with it. Besides, Frida loved food and had her own unique recipes. And since it's the centennial anniversary of Frida's birth, we thought it would be a fitting tribute.
You're going to feature dishes inspired by her famous lovers. What can guests expect?
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15:48 EST, 06.Dec.07
22:51 EST, 05.Dec.07