To help celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in the nation’s capital, La Cosecha in the Union Market District is hosting “Voces Latinas” now through Oct. 15.
“La Cosecha, which means ”the harvest’ in Spanish, is a contemporary Latin American marketplace in D.C. that celebrates centuries of heritage around these cultures,” EDENS Senior V.P. of Brand & Culture Norma Morales Perez told WTOP.
“We like to call ourselves a culinary embassy … through food, goods and beautiful offerings of our retail partners.”
Some of those marketplace offerings include Venezuelan sweets at Arcay Chocolate, artisanal jewelry and assets at Art TePuay, Panamanian coffee at Cafe Unido; modern Mexican food at Destino, Colombian cuisine at El Cielo, Latin wines at Grand CATA, El Salvadoran street food at La Casita Pupuseria and Latin-American-style hot dogs at Mosaico.
You can also enjoy Brazilian fashion at NOVA BOSSA, sandwiches at Peruvian Brothers, leather goods at Quavaro, cocktails and snacks at Serenata, a masa menu of corn-based dishes at Taqueria Las Gemelas, and juice, toast and breakfast combinations at Zumo.
“You can really experience so many different countries and cultures,” Perez said. “I would encourage anyone to stop and learn the stories of these partners … they all bring their own passions and purpose behind the businesses that they’ve created, so we’re super excited to celebrate with them all month long.”
Also, starting Oct. 1, La Cosecha will be partnering with Gallaudet University to present “Festejamos el arte de los Sordos.” Curated by alumni Leticia Arellano, the exhibition will feature works by deaf artists from Latin American countries.
“There’s something for everyone, whether you want to be hands-on or just taste your way through,” Perez said. “We have music and dance events that include Latin rhythms, salsa and tango, we have family fitness events, including Zumba, we have a ‘Let’s Play’ theater that’s free to the public hosted by Teatro de la Luna, we have DIY classes of painting.”
It all builds to “TECHO Day” on Oct. 15 presented by the youth-led nonprofit TECHO US, which focuses on bringing affordable housing and other resources to areas stricken by poverty in Latin America.
“We’re going to have family activities and music and art,” TECHO Director of Marketing & Communications Ana Testa told WTOP.
“We’re presently in 18 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean and we are active in over 550 communities. The word ‘TECHO’ actually means ‘roof,’ because we believe that everyone deserves a proper home.”
Listen to our full conversation here.
