This weekend’s Brindis del Exito will feature music, dancing, good company — not to mention plenty of food and beer from local Latino-owned businesses.
“It will be great for anyone,” says event organizer Jane Olsen, a Latino Professional Association volunteer. “You can come and have a little taste of the Latino culture. Here you can be in Madison and you can enjoy different people, different food. It’s a great way to celebrate diversity.”
The menu will include a variety of appetizers and hors d’oeuvres, including:
- Black Angus Beef Slider with Smoked Paprika Aioli, Smoked Gouda, Pickled Jalapenos
- Piquillo Pepper and Black Belly Bean Empanada with Cilantro and Jalapeño Dipping Sauce
- Spicy Shrimp and Crab Tostada, Sun Choke Guacamole, Cilantro
- Pork Belly and Garbanzo Empanada with Cilantro and Jalapeño dipping sauce
- Chicken Ropa Slider with Smashed Avocado, Pickled Onion, Queso Fresco
- Patatas Brava
- Chicken and Pineapple Kabob with Chipotle Lime Agave Reduction
But perhaps the star of the evening will be the pie de parchita — passionfruit pie — made by La Taguara owner Jeykell Badell, a native of Venezuela.
“We make an amazing passionfruit pie,” Badell says. “We make it from scratch. We use fresh passionfruit pulp. We cook that down and it’s creamy and amazing. It takes you right to South America, right to the Caribbean.”
And you’ll be able to wash it all down with a selection of locally-brewed beers from Waunakee-based Octopi Brewing, owned by Mexico native Isaac Showaki. Octopi is donating three of its own brews: Castor, a dry-hopped wheat ale; Madagascar Vanilaa Ale, and Jungle, a grapefruit IPA.
As always, the Latino Professional Association’s annual event is a labor of love, and a celebration of working together.
“The Latino community is growing,” says Badell, who is also a member of the Latino Chamber of Commerce. “All these organizations are pretty close together. We know each other.”
“We thought it’d be a great opportunity to work together,” says Octopi sales manager Joe Goldfine. “We just want to start building bridges.”
“We don’t have many events where we can celebrate the success the Latino community has had,” says Olsen. “It’s going to be a fun night as well. We go to several parties here and you don’t have that Latino feel, the Latino music, the Latino food. You’re going to feel at home if you are from a Latino country.”
Brindis del Exito tickets are $25 for members and $50 for nonmembers. The event takes place Saturday, April 1 at the Edgewater Hotel from 6 until 10 p.m. — but that end time is not exactly firm, Olsen says.
“If the party is still going,” she says, “we will keep it going.”
