Editorial

“All work is empty except when there is love,
And when you work with love you tie yourself to yourself, and to others, and to God.
And what does it mean to work with love?
It means weaving the cloth with threads drawn from your heart as if your beloved were to wear that cloth.
It means building a house with affection as if your loved one were going to live in that house.
It means sowing the seeds with love and reaping them with joy as if your loved one were going to eat the fruits.
It means charging all the things you create with a breath of your own spirit.”

It is impossible not to resonate at the same frequency when reading these verses by Kahlil Gibran in his work “The Prophet” because we are all made to live in love. It would be going against our nature if we lived and worked meaninglessly, on the edge of the deep void of nothingness or, worse still, in condemnation, rejecting beauty and light. For this reason, we have to make all possible efforts so that there is no unemployment or forms of slavery because they are criminal acts against human beings. 

The value that work has for the person also applies to the one that is not reimbursed. Regarding this aspect, several of the women we train in the area of gastronomic entrepreneurship in our association have given me a new lesson to treasure in my heart. Typically, we invite them to collaborate and cook in the soup kitchen for children in their community as a requirement, and under a logic of consideration and to thank them for what we have given them in training. However, the experience exceeded expectations, because they were the ones who were most grateful to share their knowledge, time, and effort. This has made it possible to see solidarity work as an opportunity for fellowship, personal growth, and sharing life with each other, thus generating a community of collaborative and supportive entrepreneurship.
 
Pope Francis’s exhortation in Evangelii Gaudium is so true when he affirms that: “in free, creative, participatory and supportive work, the human being expresses and increases the dignity of his life”.

At the beginning of a new year, faced with the needs that we encounter every day, how many times do we ask ourselves: how can our work be more collaborative and supportive of others? Do we dedicate time to see what experience we have at work? Does our awareness of all the gifts we have received grow? To summarize, what is the meaning of the work that we do?

Alejandro Marius
Restart of Gastronomy360 Guarenas activities

On January 19, the activities of the Gastronomy360 Entrepreneurs Guarenas program were restarted at the Jesús María Marrero School. It was a face-to-face meeting with the coordinators Yubelín Estanga and Eneida Useche as an opportunity to gather and launch the activities for a new phase and plan the volunteer groups for the daily school canteen. There were 17 program participants willing to continue carrying out the activities scheduled for the year.

Gastronomy360 Volunteering in Carapita dining room 

From January 24 to February 3, 29 participants of the Gastronomy360 project volunteered in the Padre Óscar Aguilar dining room, located at the back of the San Joaquín and Santa Ana de Carapita Church. In groups of 3 and 4 project participants, and with some graduates from other TyP Caracas programs, they attended to help prepare and serve food to 196 children in the dining room, in addition to 224 meals that were distributed with the help of other volunteers in the upper part of the neighborhood. A total of 425 children were fed each day. All those involved expressed their admiration and gratitude for the beautiful work that was carried out in the dining room with the support of the entire community.

Ancestral fine grain workshop

From January 25 to 27, the workshop “From the ancestral fine grain to the chocolate tablet” was organized at the House of the Ancient Governors in Mérida. In this activity, the history and origin of cocoa as food and medicine were explained, as well as the development of the Bean to Bar process, the elaboration of products, and the use of cocoa and chocolate in gastronomy. The workshop was possible thanks to the facilitator Mayra Castellanos, an artisan chocolatier, and Ana Mercedes Reyes, a nutrition consultant.

Presentation of dishes, entrepreneurship, and social networks workshop 

On January 26, chef Damián Boada (@damianboada) gave face-to-face advice to the participants of the Gastronomy360 Entrepreneurs Guarenas program on the importance of presenting dishes. The chef shared his experience as an entrepreneur and influencer and explained how he started in the kitchen and the impact of attention to detail. It was a meeting of much learning in which he responded to questions from the participants. This activity was carried out at the Jesús María Marrero School in Guarenas.

Volunteering in the Jesús María Marerro school dining hall

On January 30 and 31, the participants of the Gastronomy360 Entrepreneurs Guarenas program began the volunteer days in the dining room of the Jesús María Marerro School to initially serve 200 students of the institution. This goal was achieved in the company of Father José Antonio Barrera, the director of the school, Graciela Barreto, and the TyP coordinator, Eneida Useche. The participants collaborated in the preparation and delivery of the food prepared with ingredients donated by the Forum supermarket branch in Guarenas. Members of the educational community also collaborated in the logistics of the activity. They were moments of great joy and excitement for the work and the impact of the activity they carried out for the benefit of the students.

Yaicer Vargas continues to update himself

The graduate of the II cohort of the Satellite Antenna Installers project, Yaicer Vargas (@camaleon.tech), participated in an international certification of HCSA CCTV (security associate certified by Hikvision) in Sarven Venezuela, which was approved after he passed the respective tests. For several weeks he took a free online course offered by the academy in the field of technical service: Yo Reparo Academy, which further contributed to his professionalization as an electronic technician. He also decided to participate in a technology webinar based on trade topics delivered via YouTube. They were all great experiences, filled with lots of insights and updates.

Marakas Cacao was a finalist in Ideas Contest

The Chocolate Entrepreneur Verónica Prieto (@marakaskko), together with her partner Rafael Suárez, lived the incredible experience of making the final presentation of their project “Marakas Cacao original chocolate bars” before the members of the jury of the Ideas Contest, held in headquarters of Mercantil Banco. They managed to be selected among more than 350 projects and go through the three phases of the contest until they were among the final 13. Although this time they did not win the prize, they indicated that they gained more confidence in their project, as well as in the potential and talent that exists in Venezuela.

María Laura and her agreement with a Tovareña company

The Gastronomic Entrepreneur graduated from the I cohort, María Laura Molina, achieved an agreement with Suministros Globales, a company from Tovar with 19 years of experience. This strategic alliance was created with the purpose of exchanging clients, generating discounts, and helping to boost sales for both. 

The new roles of Mariana Valdez

The Gastronomic Entrepreneur who graduated from the I cohort, Mariana Valdez (@marianacocina), is the new chef of the restaurant at the Hotel La Pedregosa in Mérida, and the new warehouse manager. This is a great opportunity for Mariana to showcase her work.

Kiara Lorenzo inaugurated her store

The current participant of Gastronomy360 Kiara Lorenzo has inaugurated her first commercial premises, which sells pastry products and supplies. His store is called Karamelo and is located in the Galerías Ávila Shopping Center.

Anali Marquina expands her business to new ventures

The Gastronomic Entrepreneur who graduated from the I cohort, Anali Marquina, is expanding her venture from Mérida to other locations in the country, mainly to the Caracas area. Thanks to the support of an associated person, her products arrive in Caracas through MRW, and she is in charge of promoting them and making deliveries.

Cosmetics and cocoa by Mayra Castellanos

The graduate of the I cohort of the Diploma in Chocolate Entrepreneurship, Mayra Castellanos, presented the “Cacao in natural cosmetics” workshop. The activity was developed in order to taste varieties of chocolates and explain the use of cocoa in natural cosmetics, with an excellent result on the part of the public present.

María Paola Galarraga at craft fair-expo

The graduate of the II virtual cohort of the Venezuela Tierra de Cacao project, María Paola Galarraga, was an exhibitor on Las Heroínas boulevard in the city of Mérida, where the Vive Las Heroínas craft expo fair was held. The event included live music, art, crafts, gastronomy, etc.

Entrepreneurs on a TV show

The graduates of the I and II Diploma in Chocolate Entrepreneurship, Nora Mogollón and Kellwy Quintero, were invited to the television program Zona Creativa 5101 of a local television station in the city of Mérida. They were interviewed to tell their experience as entrepreneurs and show part of their work at the store they created known as +Chocolate.

Flor and Pastora return to the Baruta mayor’s fair

The graduates of the I cohort of the Alimenta360 program, Flor and Pastora Reques, participated in another edition of the “Everything for 1 dollar” fair organized by the Baruta mayor’s office. They managed to make themselves known and received orders for desserts. This was thanks to the encouragement of Indriany Serrano, Flor’s daughter, and Pastora’s niece, who is training in Gastronomy360.