Culture2024-03-26T13:14:33-04:00

At the Edge of Perception: Ingrid Rojas Contreras on Reclaiming ‘Curanderismo’

Culture|LIBROS 

At the Edge of Perception: Ingrid Rojas Contreras on Reclaiming ‘Curanderismo’

Ingrid Rojas Contreras is soft-spoken, yet her words carve a space to remember. Her debut novel, set in Colombia against the backdrop of political instability and Pablo Escobar’s violent reign, “Fruit of the Drunken Tree,” was a semi-autobiographical novel. It vividly summons the turmoil of Colombia in the nineties [...]

Chef JJ Johnson on Creating Your Own Traditions and Starting Noche Buena Early

Culture|FOOD 

Chef JJ Johnson on Creating Your Own Traditions and Starting Noche Buena Early

When Chef JJ Johnson released “The Simple Art of Rice" in the fall, his Instagram DMs were flooded with messages like, “Oh my God, you are really Puerto Rican.” The cookbook, spotlighting the grain’s versatility across cultures everywhere from Africa to the Middle East, opened a window into the James [...]

Pechuga Vintage’s Johnny Valencia Dares to Dream Big

Culture|FASHION 

Pechuga Vintage’s Johnny Valencia Dares to Dream Big

Before Johnny Valencia became one of Hollywood’s most sought-after vintage designer plugs – securing shoes, dresses, and other garments for clients including Beyoncé, Rihanna, Anitta, Ice Spice, Pedro Pascal, and the Kardashian-Jenner family — Valencia had several career paths he wanted to pursue. He began college with aspirations to become [...]