Bronx, NY, Sept. 12-
World renowned contemporary artist Pepón Osorio and flavor alchemist Ricardo de Obaldía, Corporate Chef of Chocobar Cortés and Chocobar Cortés, have collaborated on creating a birthday cake to be presented and enjoyed by those attending ¡Feliz Cumpleaños Evelina! Event on Monday, September 19th at 12PM EST at Hostos Community College (475 Grand Concourse, 3rd FL Bronx).
“It’s an honor to be able to participate and contribute to Evelina Antonetti’s centennial celebrations. She fought for the right of every child to receive a quality education…a fight we must continue today,” said Carlos Cortés, Executive Director of Chocobar Cortés.
The cake will be presented following a tree planting ceremony at 11AM EST in the Evelina Antonetty Park (next to Hostos Community College) with the NYC Parks and Recreation Department, in honor of Dr. Evelina Antonetty. These events will help culminate the week-long Evelina Antonetty Centennial Celebration, which are taking place in NYC and Puerto Rico Sept. 12-19. More information on the Centennial can be found at evelina100.org.
“I drew inspiration from Evelina’s iconic march down to New York City’s Federal Plaza to return the inadequate lunches the student’s of the Bronx received,” said Chocobar Cortes Corporate Chef Ricardo de Obaldia. “This thirty-pound cake is called “Take These Lunches Back” and is made from Puerto Rican Chocolate. The bags are made from shiny caramel and the entire cake is delicious and one hundred percent edible.”
Pepón Osorio, known for his provocative, large-scale, multimedia installations, was a staff member of the United Bronx Parents–an organization to empower parents advocating for better education and social justice for their community in the South Bronx and started by Dr. Antonetty– when he moved to the Bronx in the early eighties.
A true artisan, Ricardo de Obaldía, is known for his imaginative and elaborate chocolate creations. As the Corporate Chef of Chocolate Cortés and Chocobar Cortés, Obaldía designs a unique and exciting culinary experience that celebrates the Chocolate Cortés tradition. This young Latin chef trained at some of the best culinary institutes in Europe and graduated from Escuela Superior de Hostelería de Sevilla to become a master Chocolatier and Patissier. With over 15 years of experience and innovation expertise within the restaurant and bakery industry, he enjoys visualizing chocolate as a versatile ingredient that can be used at any moment to provide a delightful meal suitable for any audience. He also enjoys creating sculptures in caramel or chocolate, as trained by a renowned French chef-Stephan Klein.
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Pepón Osorio
Osorio’s visual language challenges traditional art canons with monumental assemblages that travel far beyond accepted notions of beauty and aesthetics. He recreates fantasy-like everyday environments—from barbershops to home interiors and taxis—that advance critical discussions.
Pepón is the recipient of various distinctions including a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, the Skowhegan Medal for Sculpture, The Herb Alpert Award in the Arts and a Pew Center for Arts & Heritage Fellowship. He has exhibited three times at the Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture where he collaborated with his wife, Merián Soto, in the production of a fully staged dance and music production titled Familias (1994) which focused on the experiences of eight immigrant families living in the South Bronx.
Ricardo de Obaldía
Chocobar Cortés, the restaurant brand of Chocolate Cortés, a 92-year old family-owned Puerto Rican and Dominican chocolate manufacturing company known for its rich hot chocolate, is a dining and cultural experience that celebrates the company’s Caribbean chocolate tradition, its culture, and the delicious flavors of the Caribbean. Located at 141 Alexander Avenue in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the South Bronx, Chocobar Cortés is open Monday through Thursday noon to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday noon to 10 p.m.; and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m. The restaurant offers all-day dining, featuring a chocolate and coffee shop, breakfast and pastries, lunch, dinner, all-day brunch and a lively happy hour and cocktail atmosphere at night. The concept is an extension of the original Chocobar Cortés in Old San Juan, which opened in 2013, and was named the Best Restaurant in the Caribbean by USA Today in 2017.
Titled EVELINA 100, A Celebration of the Life and Times of Dr. Evelina Antonetty, the program is scheduled for the week of September 12-19 at 19 venues and will feature concerts; an exhibition of specially commissioned art; the reading of the play, Evelina’s Heart; panel discussions; poetry readings;the premiere of a specially commissioned work by maestro Humberto Ramírez; and a teleconference between community activists in New York and Puerto Rico.
The sponsors and collaborators of Evelina 100 are: Hostos Community College (CUNY), BronxCare Health System, Centro (The Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College), The Bronx Music Heritage Center, the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, Pregones/PRTT, BronxNet, Bronx County Historical Society, 52 People for Progress, Rincón Criollo, G8-Caño de Martín Peña (Puerto Rico), Nos Quedamos, The Point, Caribbean Studies at Brooklyn College, Borough of Manhattan Community College, LaGuardia Community College-Dean of Students Office, Taino Towers, Casita Maria, Chocolate Cortes/ChocoBar, Vito Marcantonio Forum, College of Staten Island, UniteHere Local 100, APREE, NYPIRG, L.E.A.P.S./ Chelsea Rising, The Ramirez Brothers and more.
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For inquiries please contact:
Nydia R. Edgecombe Ph.D., Chair-Evelina 100: (917) 691-7887
evelina100centennial@gmail.com
Wallace Edgecombe, Vice Chair, Cultural & Arts Evelina 100 (914) 659-7292
Amillie Coster, Chair Communications- Evelina 100 (413) 854-5611
