About this Event
Cacao's story began more than 5,000 years ago in the Ecuadorian Amazon, long before it reached Mesoamerica's temples. Join us for an evening that follows that journey course by course, with fine cuisine, live storytelling, and cacao in forms you may never have tasted.
Begin with a welcome spritz with the fresh cacao fruit. Watch Chef Chantal prepare a tuna tartare with cacao pulp and Amazonian spices, then discover a dessert that carries the journey from the jungle across to the Maya world. Close with an ancestral cacao drink, the way cacao was enjoyed long before it became the chocolate we know today.
This is an evening where modern cuisine tells an ancient story of one of the world's most loved foods: cacao.
What you will experience
- Welcome spritz: A refreshing non-alcoholic spritz made with exotic cacao pulp.
- First course: Tuna tartare with cacao pulp and Amazonian spices. Chef Chantal will be sharing the ingredients and the story behind the dish, inspired by the ancient contact between the Amazon and the Pacific coast of Ecuador.
- Second course: A dessert macambo, a wild-harvested seed, a relative of cacao. This dish includes a sauce made from cacao seeds and caramelized cacao pulp, arranged to echo the bridge from the jungle to Mesoamerica and add cultural symbolism and stories.
- Finale: An ancestral cacao drink with spices, served as cacao was enjoyed long before it became the chocolate we know today.
- A small souvenir to take home.
What you will learn
- The ancestral history of cacao, from Palanda to Mesoamerica
- The cultural and symbolic meaning of cacao
- How simple ingredients tell a complex story.
Who it is for
Food lovers, chocolate lovers, and anyone curious about the culture and history behind our favorite foods. No cacao knowledge is needed.
Good to know
- Includes all dishes, non-alcoholic drinks, and a small souvenir. No alcohol is served.
- Duration: 2 hours.
- Consuming raw or undercooked fish may increase your risk of foodborne illness.
- One set menu, no substitutions. Includes raw tuna. Please review the menu carefully before purchasing, and email us with any allergy questions.
- Tickets are non-refundable.
- Ages 14+
- In person
- Refund policy: No refunds
Your hosts
Chantal Gutierrez, Ilana Gutierrez Leibman, and Leila Carvajal Erker
Follow Ool Cacao on Instagram: @oolcacao | oolcacao.com
Event venue & nearby stays
178 Spring St, 178 Spring Street, New York, United States
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