The Oakville Latino Festival continued this weekend.
The festival arose from the desire “to create a unique experience for the whole family from a gastronomic point of view, through dance, music and art exhibitions that allow us to explore all the richness of Latin American culture explained to every Canadian public as an example of multiculturalism.”
Elliot Gonzales (pictured above – left) works for El Inka – a family-owned Peruvian restaurant based in Burlington; Hailing from Miami, they strive to make hometown royalty accessible to everyone.
Give yourself the chance to try Arroz con Mariscos – a Peruvian-style paella with octopus, calamari, shrimp, mussels, aji amarillo, carrots, green peas, cilantro. Or you can tuck into Peru’s national dish – Ceviche de Pescado, which consists of fresh tilapia cut into sashimi-style pieces marinated in lime juice and served with onions, sweet potatoes and choclo (Peruvian corn).
El Inka took two days of cooking to serve locals on Saturday, only to run out of food before 7pm. But Gonzales isn’t leaving for the night just yet. “I’m still enjoying all the other stalls, supporting our culture and local business after such a long time.”
Another gem of the festival is a homemade brand of Mexican salsa called Salsas Sabor a Mexico, courtesy of Maria Arvizu. It offers 12 different styles, some spicy and some not, green salsa, red salsa, and even a gourmet line. Arvizu was quick to point out that “her salsa is 100% local and completely handmade and made by me. Every salsa is a unique recipe.” And that means it takes a lot of time to prepare; Arvizu spent a whole week cooking her batches for this festival. The effort is worth it when she sees “the smiles on people’s faces when they taste it and go home, and seeing Canadians and people from other cultures try authentic Mexican salsa and know what it tastes like.”
Arvizu shares her stall with Culiacan Kitchen, run by a Mexican woman (third photo in the gallery above) who lives in Brampton and personally delivers her highly sought-after dishes throughout the GTA.
The Oakville Latino Festival continues Sunday until 10 p.m. Head on down and check it out!
