Student parade kicks off city holidays; Cuenca’s food and restaurant entrepreneurs; Puccini’s La Bohème performed; Cuenca pizza ranked best in Ecuador

Bored? –
(De El Mercurio del jueves, 12/10) “Entre Cauces” (“Between Rivers”) – Visual artist and architect Adriana Sadun is exhibiting “Entre Cauces” in the Galería de la Alcaldía de Cuenca until el 15/11 with hours from 9-16:45. The show explores the forms of water, vegetation, and the reflections on the rivers through art. The 21 compositions use wood, resin, paint, mirrors, photos and light installations. Free.

(De El Mercurio del jueves, 12/10) Estreno de ópera (Opera premiere) – La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini will be performed for the first time in Cuenca on the 22, 23, & 24/10 a las 20:00 in the Teatro Carlos Cueva Tamariz. The Orquesta Sinfónica and the Coro Polifónico of the U. of Cuenca, 6 invited soloists, and 25 members of the Coro Infantil from the “José María Rodríguez” Conservatory will be on stage. Tickets are available at La Victoria stores and the theater box office. Cost: $12 for the general public and $6 for students at the U. of Cuenca.

The Orquesta Sinfónica and the Coro Polifónico of the Univeristy of Cuenca and other groups, perform Puccini’s La Boheme Saturday at the the Teatro Carlos Cueva Tamariz.

(De El Mercurio del jueves, 12/10) Desfile estudiantil (Student parade) – More than 2,000 students from 33 schools will participate in the ‘Cuenca, entre monumentos y memorias’ (Cuenca: between monuments and memories) parade in celebration of 206 years of Cuenca’s Independence. The parade will be el jueves 29/10, beginning at 10 a.m. 29/10 <be prepared for traffic issues in El Centro> with the start at the parque San Blas and finish at Parque Calderón. There will be music <think about kids playing brass and reed instruments out of tune, and lots of drums> and floats with participants paying tribute to famous people that mark local history.

(De El Mercurio del viernes, 23/10) La agenda para fiestas (The holiday calendar) – The agenda for the Independence of Cuenca was presented on viernes at the Parque de la Madre. The programming includes social, sports, and cultural activities. Previously, it was announced that this year’s agenda would be austere due to the budget limitations and lack of resources to organize large events such as international concerts. <You can probably find it online on the city’s website.>

Hungry? –
(De El Mercurio del jueves, 12/10) La ‘vitrina’ de emprendedores (The “showcase” for entrepreneurs) – Over its 102-year history, El Mercurio has told the stories of people who have used entrepreneurship as a way to get ahead. Following are 3 of them. who started restaurants in Cuenca. <The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and thriving in Cuenca. It feels like it’s been stomped out in the US.>

McMary lleva el sabor local hacia una audiencia global (McMary brings local flavors to a global audience) – Erika Heredia started her hamburger business in 2020 from her home kitchen during the pandemic. Almost 3 years later, she kept her original products and diversified her menu. The burgers are a mix of beef and chicken, made with potato bread; and her hot dogs use camote bread. In 2022 the business moved to a location at Hermano Miguel and Honorato Vázques streets with social networks used as an advertising tool. The menu changed to keep the interest of her customers and incorporated crispy chicken and a “happy box” for adults which combines food with various articles and humorous messages. She went from 2 people to 5, and Erika plans to take McMary to Guayaquil and Quito.

Miau Pizza: antes de ser un pizzero fue músico metalero (Miau <Meow> Pizza: Before becoming a pizza maker, he was a metal musician) – Gabriel Cuesta’s band, Morbid Zim, was left without gigs during the pandemic so he turned to his other skills to make money. In abril of 2020, he started making pizzas at home and delivering them, at first to friends and acquaintances who recommended him to more people. Now, Miau Pizza is located on Pres. Córdova 12-56 between Tarqui and Juan Montalvo. With growth came new obligations such as rent and other costs. But Cuesta is keeping his prices accessible with a 30 cm. pizza costing $6. He also serves wings and 2 kinds of potatoes — the ranchera and the miauchipapa. The pizzería shares space with a community of Pokémon card players. His short-term goals are to extend his hours until 22:00, diversify his menu, and get a larger location. His long-term goal is to open a shelter for cats on family land.

Una ‘guarida’ para la cultura y gastronomía, en pleno centro (A “haven” for culture and cuisine, right in the heart of the city) – For Andrés Zambrano, chef, artist and owner of La Guarida, the relationship with El Mercurio started in 2014 as his theatrical work became better known. Over time, the newspaper accompanied his evolution culminating in his well-known cultural restaurant on Convención 45 in the Centro Histórico on Calle Lamar. The initial link highlighted his experience as an immigrant and his work with a theater company from the US. It continued after his return to Ecuador and the architectural and social rehabilitation of this traditional sector of the city.

Andrés said that places such as the Convención del 45 had a bad reputation, and thanks to the press, it has changed. The media coverage brought attention to Eduardo Segovia’s murals and helped to boost the sector. The arrival of visitors revitalized neighborhood commerce, the neighbors, and services in the zone. La Guarida combines haute cuisine with culinary themed experiences in 5 courses with invited chefs and wine tastings. With over 700 films projected and now positioned among the best restaurants in the country, Andrés values the constant media support.

Cuenca pizzeria ranked best in Ecuador – The World’s Best Pizza competition has judged Cuenca’s JuanJa’s Pizza in the Santa Anita neighborhood of El Vergel the best in Ecuador. Casa Hermanos Pizzeria on Calle Los Pinos in Cuenca joined three Quito pizzerias in rounding out the top five in the country.

The ‘Best Pizza World’ describes itself as an international competition that determines the best pizzerias based on “the real experience of customers, verifiable data independent of size, marketing, and social media hype.” Ecuador’s other top-five pizzerias (all from Quito) are Pizzeria Nápoli, La Fuccina Pizzeria and Bocatto Da Fiorentino.
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Information in this column, including dates, times and locations, is courtesy of the El Mercurio newspaper. Comments between the carrots, or guillemets (< … >), are the personal opinions of the author and not part of the news translation.