Hello Dear Readers,
We all know that matters of the heart are never practical... a fact that applies to my "marriage" to Chile Lindo, for in every respect this "passionate and rocky relationship" can be described as a
Labor of Love!
I often tell my customers that the business runs on their blessings and good wishes. You can't imagine how many people rejoice--with a sigh of relief--when they realize that we're
still
open for business, as our
City of Love
has grown cold-hearted and it is splitting-us-up from our long-term affairs with treasured landmarks and beloved quaint shops.
Breakups are never easy, specially when it's
adios
to your morning coffee ritual. Romance may be outdated in this city, but we are still animals of habit and emotionally attached to daily ceremony; it gives us stability. Our
Brave New World
is tampering with our human nature, disconnecting us from our primal instincts (that alert us to "commercial brainwash") and out-dating matters of the heart--unless sold through an App. However, baking is an old-fashion trade, so at Chile Lindo, against all odds, we keep it old-world and hand-made with dedication and love.
Many leave their "hearts in San Francisco"... our customers leave their blessings at Chile Lindo. This February, the month of love and romance, I give you my heartfelt thanks.
Cariños y saludos
,
Paula Tejeda
Chile Lindo
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join the #TheChileLindoNetwork on social media
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Mr. Jacobo Ratinoff (QEPD)
Id like to extend my sincere condolences to Mr. Jacobo Ratinoff's family, his wife Mrs. María Elena Ratinoff and his daughter Vivianne Ratinoff.
The Ratinoff family's philanthropic support of Chilean institutions in the Bay Area have made so much possible, including their generous donations to the Centro Chileno Lautaro's student scholarship program.
Jacobo Ratinoff was one of the founding members of the Chilean cultural organization, Centro Chileno Lautaro.
It is a great loss that he passed away and he will be fondly remembered by us all. May he rest in peace.
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(left to right) Jacobo Ratinoff in conversation with Alexander Don-Doncow, former President of Centro Chileno Lautaro, at last year's Sept 18th Independence Day celebration.
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Joe Henderson Lab
Sunday, March 24
Shows: 6:00 PM & 7:30 PM
201 Franklin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
TICKET INFORMATION: 866-920-5299
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Valparaíso-born
Pascuala Ilabaca
is steeped in the folkloric music of Chile, but she’s not looking to preserve the sounds of the past.
Possessing an enchanting, full-bodied voice, she presides over her band
Fauna
with the authoritative air of a ringmaster, moving between accordion, piano and hand drums.
Presented with a keen sense of drama, the music blends the immediacy of garage rock with the seductive grooves of a Latin dance combo. It’s a sound and approach that has earned Ilabaca an avid following across South America and Europe, though she’s still introducing herself to North America.
Ilabaca makes her SFJAZZ debut
with music from her newest release,
El Mito de la Pergola
.
She made an enduring first impression with her 2008 debut album re-imagining the ballads of iconic Chilean
nueva canción
matriarch Violeta Parra (
Gracias a la vida
),
Pascuala Canta a Violeta
, which artfully incorporates Hindustani tabla and electric guitars into the acoustic mix.
There was nothing random about the tabla, as Ilabaca spent part of her childhood in India. Chile’s then-president Michelle Bachelet invited Ilabaca to represent the country on a tour through India, an experience that deepened her connection to North Indian music.
Ilabaca’s subsequent albums have delved more deeply into folkloric material while embracing far-flung elements like drum ‘n’ bass to create a singularly celebratory sound.
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Centro Chileno Lautaro
Chilean Cultural Festival
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Chilean Cultural Festival
Sunday, March 31st
12:00 to 5:00 PM
Donworth Event Center
473 Eucalyptus Drive
San Francisco, CA 94132
For information call: (415) 661-6909
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Chile Lindo empanadas
will be sold at the Chilean Cultural Festival. Other traditional dishes by local vendors will be available. Enjoy wines by importer VinoSur, pisco sours, and dance to live music from Tango to Andean to Cumbia. MC Mauricio Bertín.
In support of the Centro Chileno Lautaro, Chile Lindo will donate part of the proceeds and sell the empanadas at a special price.
Hope to see you there!
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Mauricio Bertín's daughter (2011) at Chile Lindo. She is now a 14 year old cheerleader at her junior high school.
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Coming soon...
Oscar winner
Sebastián Lelio
(A Fantastic Woman)
directed a
remake
of his critically acclaimed film
Gloria
(2103)
.
The Chilean production won the
63rd Berlin International Film Festival
and, for her leading role,
Paulina García
walked off with the
Silver Bear for Best Actress
. The remake,
Gloria Bell
,
produced by
FilmNation Entertainment
,
stars
Julianne Moore
.
I
n theaters March 2019
Sebastián Lelio
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The Chilean cultural center, Centro Chileno Lautaro, was founded 62 years ago, in 1957. It is one of the oldest cultural center's of its kind in the country. It's lived-on thanks to the hard work of a handful of volunteers.
Unfortunately, like with so many of Chile's long lasting institutions and cultural symbols, the military dictatorship reigns over and cloaks the
Centro's
legacy, vanishing traces of its previous history. The Centro Chileno Lautaro is one of many such symbols and although after the
coup d'état
the politically divided
Centro
opted to remain apolitical, in 1973, that was not an option.
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Alexander (Sasha) Don-Doncow dancing with his wife at the at the Centro Chileno Lautaro's 55th year anniversary.
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To many Chileans "apolitical" was the equivalent of siding with the dictatorship. Sadly, to some members of the community that point of view prevails. This is regrettable, because prominent Chileans that did not support the dictatorship continued working hard at the
Centro,
and their efforts should be taken into consideration. Also, one of the Center's
founders
was the Chilean, Stanford professor, scholar, novelist, poet, Fernando Alegría
,
a close friend of Laureates Pablo Neruda (1971) and Gabriela Mistral (1945), and certainly not a friend of the dictatorship.
I am of the opinion that to stigmatize history with a dark-days span of time is to give "power" to the perpetrators. I believe in transformation and reconstruction, and in honoring the glorious past rather than persisting on what tainted it. Throughout the course of history we have witnessed that heroes become villains and villains become heroes. In the end, what has the most pernicious effect on society is divisive, obstinate, and uncompromising resistance to change. Divisive conduct is the hardest to overcome because to do so requires that a person tap into the ego and allow humbleness to win through.
Nonetheless, slowly but surely the Centro Chileno Lautaro has been integrated by members of the community that are focused on it's present cultural value. The folk dance ensemble Araucaria performs at the
Centro's
events and
it
was founded at La Peña Cultural Center (established to lend support to the exile community). After all,
la colonia chilena
in the Bay Area is pretty small, and I've witnessed that regardless of political ideology when Chileans get together with other Chileans, we all go back to basics--empanadas, wine, music, poetry, and love for the homeland.
This year there's been a changing of the guard at
el Centro's
Board
of Directors and its President, Alexander (Sasha) Don-Doncow just handed over the reins to Marci Valdivieso. We all owe Sasha a great deal of gratitude for his devotion to the community and for doing a phenomenal job!
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Marci Valdivieso
New President
Centro Chileno Lautaro
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Marci Valdivieso is the daughter of singer, composer, Rafael Manriquez. Rafael Manriquez (QEPD) was one of the founding members of La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley and the leading composer/arranger of
la nueva canción
music ensemble Grupo Raíz. Marci grew up in the United States, surrounded by Chilean musicians and artists, and together with her husband, Ricardo Valdivieso, they formed the musical group
Duamuxa
. She is an avid producer and hopes to expand the Center's outreach and vision.
You can lend your support to the Centro Chileno Lautaro by becoming a member.
Membership: $60.00 a year (students $20). Contact:
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To my left, Marci Valdivieso and Eliane Ache (wife of the Consul General of Chile in San Francisco, Guillermo Martínez).
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From San Francisco to Valparaíso, Chile Lindo is your Cross-Cultural Liaison
Chilean Cuisine & Culture — Connecting & Creating Community
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Paula Tejeda | Chile Lindo | 415.368.3328 | chilelindosf@gmail.com | ChileLindo.com
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