Republika De Artistas: Five-Star Dining Experience at Backpacker Prices
Chef Joseph and his son, Mihail, run the Republika de Artistas Gastronomical Circus. This philantrophic enterprise makes gourmet food accessible to all travelers. For just $6, you, too, can have a seat at this once-in-a-lifetime gastronomical performance.
For the last two months, the traveling cooks from Spain have settled at La Serrana’s Eco Farm and Hostel in Salento, a farmer’s town in the mountainous coffee region of Colombia. In Salento, fresh fruits and vegetables are abundant, milk comes straight from the cow, and time makes it possible to want to make your own cheese, which the chef does and often includes in one of the many courses he serves each night.
In a theatrical gesture, Chef Joseph tosses a locally grown, giant-sized avocado in the air and declares, "This will be the star of the night."
Clearly enjoying the food preparation process, the chef dances and sings in the kitchen, stopping only to check the temperature and taste the food. He playfully grabs one of the guests, swings her around, and belts, "You can’t make the cooking stop."
Cooking with vintage pots and pans, a barely functioning oven, and only two assistants, Chef Joseph is somehow ready to serve a nine-course meal to 25 eager guests. Apologizing profusely for the lack of "china," the chef makes his rounds among the guests and assures everyone that "the kitchen may be primitive but the food is high quality."
He delivers.
First course: Pineapple, banana and papaya seasoned and heated in a marinade of thyme, rosemary, cinnamon, sugar cane and lemon grass.
Second course: Green plantain soup garnished with carrots and radish.
Third course: Organic avocado laid on a bed of sweetened rice drizzled with lemon juice and a splash of soy sauce.
Fourth course: Organic tomato and cucumber served with soursop vinaigrette.
Fifth course: Fried green plantains smashed and than fried again doused in a guiso sauce made of sauteed garlic, onion and red peppers.
Sixth course: Fresh green beans with maduro plantains and red peppers served in another ah-mazing sauce.
Seventh course: Black potato covered in a blend of sweet tomato, carrot, onion and garlic sauce.
Eighth course: Ground filet mignon meatballs sauteed in carrot and garlic sauce served over a bed of fluffy white rice and carrots.
Ninth course: A single slice of fried plantain drizzled in pure sugar cane syrup and topped with banana slices and raspberry juice.
A succulent eight- to ten-course meal is served every night except Sunday. Make sure to sign up before 3pm, when the chef leaves to go shopping for the night’s dinner.
The father and son team plan to move their gastronomical circus to Colombia’s Carribean coast soon. Wherever they are, you need to find them and go there. The Republika de Artistas is a destination.
Tran Dang
BF Associate Travel Writer currently located in Brazil
Tran Dang is a member of the Backpack Forever network, a community of backpackers working together to turn their travel experiences into sustainable income. As a network member, Tran Dang receives a portion of the sales proceeds generated from advertisements appearing on this page. To learn more about Backpack Forever, click here.
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