Joan and Gail at FuegoMundo...

Joan and Gail first visited FuegoMundo back in August-2009.  They are two very cultured ladies, having traveled to many places in South America, including Argentina and Peru.

Through their travels, they have acquired a discriminating taste for fine South American foods. They were pleasantly surprised when they found FuegoMundo. They loved the flavors of the foods and service, and thought the everything was very authentic and tasty.

“This is the Best South American restaurant in Atlanta, they said.”  They are frequent customers now.  We welcome them every time they come.

Thanks Joan and Gail. We are thrilled to have you in our family!

photo by tijs zwinkels on flickr

The latest in the FuegoMundo Cultural Series. Owner Masha and General Manager Manuel are both natives of Colombia!

Enjoy!

DID YOU KNOW?

•    It holds a position in the 17 most mega-diverse countries of the world.
•    Colombia does not have varied seasons because of its location close to the Equator.
•    Colombia is the only country in South America to have a coast on both the Pacific & Atlantic Oceans.
•    Shakira, famous for her chart-topping music hits in the United States, was born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia.
•    12% of the world’s coffee and 95% of the world’s Emeralds come from Colombia.
•    Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the famous writer and Nobel Prize winner, is from Colombia.
•    There are over 2,000 species of birds in Colombia, including our FuegoMundo Toucan.
•    Barranquilla, Colombia was designated one of the top food destinations in the world.
•    The Manager of FuegoMundo, Manuel, and the Owner of FuegoMundo, Masha, were both born in Barranquilla, Colombia.

PAST

The territory of what is now Colombia was originally inhabited by indigenous tribes until the arrival of the Spanish.  Independence from Spain was won in 1819, with independence declared in 1886.  Since the 1960s, government forces and anti-government insurgent groups have been engaged in the continent’s longest running armed conflict, primarily due to the drug trade.

PRESENT

Although insurgent attacks escalated in the 1990s, they have been decreasing since 2002 because the insurgents lack popular support.  Since 2006, the Colombian government has stepped up its efforts to reaffirm control throughout the country & decrease the influence of the illegal drug trade.  Colombia has become the 4th largest economy in South America.  The elected President in 2009, Álvaro Uribe, is one of the most pragmatic and intellectual presidents of Colombian contemporary history.

GEOGRAPHY & DEMOGRAPHICS

Colombia has the 3rd largest Spanish speaking population in the world with 45 million people.  It’s located to the northwest bordering Venezuela, Panama, & Ecuador.  The capital & largest city is Bogotá.  The country is geographically diverse with beaches, snow-toped mountains, volcanic ranges, the Andes Mountains & the Amazon rainforest.  A popular tourist destination is the ancient fortified Port city of Cartagena.  Carnaval is a famous festival celebrated every year on the streets of Barranquilla with dancing, costumes & parades.

What a glorious evening!

What did you miss if you weren’t with us last week at FuegoMundo’s inaugural wine tasting?

1. Great wines.

2. Free tapas.

3. Tango dancing.

4. A full house, with great friends!

5. Great South American music with on-site DJ [Global Beats ATL] providing great music for all guests.

6. And a guest appearance by Sarita for Chort, who was there to eat healthy and film more video for FuegoMundo!

The next wine tasting will be NOVEMBER 18th! At 600PM! Details coming soon!

Two of our guests...

Two of our guests...

Guests enjoy tango dancing...

Sarita for Chort, live in person!

Two more of our guests...

Some of the free tapas that were served...

Martin Codax

MARTIN CODAX RIOJA, SPAIN

A great medium bodied red wine. Great with anything grilled, and best with black beans (we know a great place!). Great starter wine with lots of fruit flavors and a little tannin.

JOIN US AT THE WINE TASTING NEXT TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20TH!

This, and other wines to be featured. Stay tuned throughout the week as we post and tell you about several of the other wines we will feature next Tuesday starting at 530PM.

REGISTER HERE!

We can’t wait to see you. We will have music, live tango dancers, and a guest appearance from Sarita for Chort, our longevity expert.

It will be a great night – one you won’t want to miss!

Alamos Chardonnay

ALAMOS MENDOZA CHARDONNAY, ARGENTINA

This wine is made from the prestigious Cantana Family. Wonderful medium body wine, a very fresh wine, with no oak.  It is very toasty on the palate. Smells and tastes like summer…

JOIN US AT THE WINE TASTING NEXT TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20TH!

This, and other wines to be featured. Stay tuned throughout the week as we post and tell you about several of the other wines we will feature next Tuesday starting at 530PM.

REGISTER HERE!

We can’t wait to see you. Other exciting details about the event to be posted soon! Stay tuned right here!

Alamos Malbec

ALAMOS MALBEC MENDOZA, ARGENTINA

Made by the Cantana Family. Deep rich color and taste of rich berries and dark fruits. Full bodied wine with a long finish. Hint of spice and notes of vanilla.

JOIN US AT THE WINE TASTING NEXT TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20TH!

This, and other wines to be featured. Stay tuned throughout the week as we post and tell you about several of the other wines we will feature next Tuesday starting at 530PM.

REGISTER HERE!

We can’t wait to see you. Other exciting details about the event to be posted soon! Stay tuned right here!

Masha with the boob crew!

EAT, DRINK, AND SAVE LOTS OF BOOBIES AT FUEGOMUNDO!

Help us find a cure for breast cancer. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

All you have to do is come out for a healthy, delicious, and affordable DINNER at FuegoMundo on October 13th, and you’ll have at least two reasons to feel good!

FuegoMundo will donate 20% of your total dinner tab towards Operation Boob Camp’s $32,000 goal in support of the Susan B. Koman 3-Day Walk.

So dine with us this Tuesday, October 13th, from 6:00PM to 9:00PM! See you then!

Last night, FuegoMundo was proud to host Atlanta’s first Red Shoe Project TweetUp. It was a beautiful night to be hanging out together on the patio! A special thanks to event co-hosts Stephanie A. Lloyd and Michael Long for having your event with us!

FuegoMundo, Giving Back

Part Of FuegoMundo’s Ongoing Commitment To Give Back to the Metro Atlanta Community

Atlanta/Sandy Springs –Masha Hleap-Hershkovitz and Udi Hershkovitz, owners of FuegoMundo, A South American Wood-Fire Grill, at The Prado Development in Sandy Springs, made the decision long before the grand opening back in June-2009, that giving back to the community would be an on-going commitment of the restaurant and its team.

In October-2009, FuegoMundo will join forces with the YWCA of Northwest Georgia to raise money to help stop domestic violence and to help build awareness about the continued threat of domestic violence and sexual assault in Georgia and in America.  October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  On October 8, 2009 FuegoMundo will donate 20% of the entire evening’s revenues to the YWCA to help further their outreach programs.  More events are planned for October and throughout the year.

“This is an issue that is very important to us, and it is a thrill that we can help the YWCA and their cause.  We are honored to help spread the message about this important effort,” said Hleap-Hershkovitz.  “It is a never-ending battle, and threats to women throughout Northwest Georgia continue,” said Holly Comer, Director of the YWCA Northwest Georgia. “It is joining forces with allies like Masha & Udi and FuegoMundo that we can begin to make real progress.”

Hleap-Hershkovitz has already hosted events at FuegoMundo in July-2009 to help raise money for Breast Cancer Research by supporting the Susan B. Komen 3-Day Walk, and plans to host other events and support local causes as a big part of its overall community outreach program.

Here is a listing of FuegoMundo’s commitment to support the YWCA & Domestic Violence Month:

•October 8, 2009 – 5:00-10:00 pm at FuegoMundo – Help Stop Domestic Violence Night!
– 20% of the evening’s revenues will be donated to the YWCA of NW Georgia.
•October 12, 2009 – FuegoMundo will donate free dinners to all residents of the YWCA’s Women Shelter. This will be part of a quarterly commitment by FuegoMundo.
•October 25th – FuegoMundo will donate  “Buy 1, Get 1 Free” coupons to participants of the YWCA & GA Coalition Against Domestic Violence the annual FUN RUN.

“We should all do our part,” says Hleap-Hershkovitz. “It thrills us to provide both a good dining experience for Metro Atlanta, and to serve our neighbors.”

Christ the Redeemer, in Rio

Welcome back to our series of posts from the FuegoMundo blog that will focus on South and Latin American culture and history.

As you know, we are trying to build a wonderful customer experience for you at FuegoMundo. And one of our most important goals is to give you a small taste of South America, and its unique culture.

We hope you enjoy learning about this very special place…

Enjoy Rio de Janeiro!

DID YOU KNOW?
• The city’s nicknames are “ Rio” and “The Marvelous City”.
• Residents of Rio de Janeiro are known as Cariocas.
• Each year 6 million people visit Rio de Janeiro.
• The official language of Brazil is Portuguese.
• The ‘Christ the Redeemer’ statue, atop Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, has been named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
• Maracanã Stadium in Rio is one of the world’s largest soccer stadiums.
• Rio was named the Host City of the 2016 Olympics! This will be the first time in history that the Olympic Games are held in South America.

CARNIVAL
Carnival is a famous festival that takes places in Rio de Janeiro every year in February or March. Thousands of people from all over the world come to experience all the Carnival has to offer. It is a 4-day celebration beginning on the Saturday before Fat Tuesday, or Mardi-Gras every year. Mixing Latin, African and European influences, Brazilians dress in elaborate costumes for the parades down the streets of Rio during Carnival.

HISTORY
On March 1, 1565 the city of Rio de Janeiro was founded. Until early in the 18th century, the city was threatened and invaded by several pirates, until the Portuguese arrived. Rio de Janeiro became the capital of the Portuguese Empire from 1808 until 1821, and later the capital of Brazil from 1822 to 1960, after Brazil gained independence. In 1960, Brasilia was named the new Capital of Brazil.

GEOGRAPHY & DEMOGRAPHICS
Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city of Brazil and South America, behind São Paulo, and the third largest metropolitan area in South America, with a population of approximately 11 million people. Rio de Janeiro is divided into several districts, or zones, which are the historic downtown area called Centro, the South Zone, North Zone, and West Zone. Each zone offers its own attractions. The Centro area includes historic downtown & cultural attractions, the South Zone includes Rio’s beaches, and the North Zone caters to local industry, while the West Zone is a newer area called the Barra de Tijuca district.

ATTRACTIONS
Rio de Janeiro is famous for its natural settings, Samba & hotel-lined tourist beaches. Some other famous landmarks include the Christ the Redeemer Statue (‘Cristo Redentor’) atop Corcovado Mountain. The city also boasts the largest urban forest in the world: Floresta da Tijuca.