The Hyatt Regency Trinidad, in collaboration with Copa Airlines and Proexport, will be hosting a Colombian Food Festival from October 6 to 9. Working with Hyatt’s executive chef, Fernando Franco, and his team, Colombian celebrity chef Catalina Velez Ocampo will prepare and offer authentic Colombian cuisine to all guests. In addition, four top salsa dancers from Colombia will be performing nightly at the hotel during the four-day festival. They have been featured in different festivals around the world, including Chile, Uruguay, Argentina, Spain, Italy and France.

“We are very excited to have chef Velez Ocampo with us,” said Franco.
“The menu we have prepared is certainly a new culinary experience for diners and will delight any palate.” The menu will consist of a variety of tasty salads, while authentic produce from Colombia, such as achiote, cacao, and quinoa, will be infused and combined, to prepare entrees of chicken, fish and beef. To top it off, dessert lovers will get their fix with chocolate melcocha with coffee syrup, guava mousse, and much more. Vélez has 11 years of culinary experience.

She became a certified chef at the Art Institute of Atlanta, and later obtained Cordon Bleu certification in Paris. She currently produces and hosts Origins, a television show which airs on the Gourmet channel. Velez also hosts Cocinando Ando Ando Cocinando, a television show which recommends a new and more nutritious way of eating, and encourages the Colombian population to adopt good lifestyle habits. She has participated in culinary events worldwide, the most notable of which have been in Japan, Peru, Panama, and in the US.