Karen Uribe & Mariana Suarez [Photograph: Gourmet Latino Festival]

This weekend, Astor Center hosts the Gourmet Latino Festival, a celebration of the city's finest Latin American cuisine and libations. Karen Uribe (pictured at left), along with Mariana Suarez (pictured at right) and Claudia Castro joined forces to create a celebration of their cuilinary heritage, and have pulled together some serious chefs and mixologists to join in the fun, including their culinary and wine/spirits ambassadors, Chef Aarón Sánchez and Steve Olson, "aka wine geek." From the opening party on June 4th, to the weekend's seminars and the all-day tasting event La Gran Plaza, the festival is socially conscious—this year they are contributing funds from the festival to GrowNYC's New Farmer Development Project, which identifies, trains and supports immigrant farmers in the New York area by helping them establish eco-friendly farms in the region.

After the weekend, the party continues at the area's Latin American restaurants, which are offering special menus through June 12th. For more information and tickets, visit their website. Karen took some time to chat about what the weekend has in store.

Name: Karen Uribe
Location: Fort Greene
Occupation: Co-founder, Gourmet Latino Festival
Website: www.gourmetlatinofestival.com

How did the Gourmet Latino Festival come to be, and why was it important to you personally to create such an event? It was the result of a long night, almost three years ago, of talking and dreaming big among three passionate Latinas that love food. New York is home to some of the world's greatest chefs and cuisines. We wanted people be able to experience the richness of Latin cuisine, the level of complexity of the flavors, styles, textures and ingredients. We wanted to place our cuisines and the talent of our chefs among the greatest cuisines of the world!

What should Serious Eaters know about Latin American cuisine that we might not know already? That the food is so different and distinct in every country in Latin America that you can have "Latin food" all week and not have anything that is even slightly the same. That there are different kinds of empanadas in almost every country of Latin America and they are all different, with different ingredients, techniques, etc. You might have had mole at some point, but did you know that there are seven different kinds of mole in Oaxaca, alone and that they come in varying colors with very different kinds of flavors?

What are some of the not-to-be-missed events? Every seminar at the Astor Center is focused on showcasing a special region, its culture and its gastronomy. La Gran Plaza and seminars are the perfect complement. La Gran Plaza is more festive, a big group gathering where you can taste foods and sip drinks from our amazing tastemasters. Our seminars are a much more intimate setting where you can spend an hour or two learning and tasting some amazing things with our tastemasters.

Any special surprises in store? All I can say is that we are bringing a piece of Latin America for New Yorkers to experience, all under one roof.

Tell us more about the special menus offered during the Authentic Dining Week portion of the event. We created a format to showcase how distinct and diverse our cuisines are. Each chef is creating a special menu that presents something authentic from his/her country or region, deriving from a passion of theirs. Chef Sue Torres of Sueños is doing an exploration of the different chiles of Latin America, Chef Zarela of Zarela Restaurant is exploring the seven moles of Oaxaca, Chef Maximo Tejada of Rayuela is doing a five-course tasting menu exploring coconut. For one week, people will able to have a unique experience of Latin gastronomy.

What are some of your favorite Latin American dishes (and cocktails) in the city? I love carnitas, a good churrasco, and cocktails—don't even get me started. I love a good (and may I emphasize, good) margarita. And my new loves are mezcal and pisco. An amazing pisco sour, you can't go wrong with that. Some of my favorites are Junior Merino's cocktails, especially his creativity of using rose water and infusing spirits with tobacco. You'll have to try his cocktails at La Gran Plaza.

Meze at Kefi. [Photo: Robyn Lee]

What's your favorite hidden gem in NYC? Kefi on the Upper West Side. I miss having them so close. I used to live close to them--amazing food, really good prices, great quality ingredients. I love their branzino and the octopus appetizer. That, and the aarepas at Yerba Buena! You can't have enough of them...

What is in your fridge that you'd be embarrassed to tell us about? Lard, the best thing to cook with. Trust me—and it's actually healthy for you! 100 percent natural and flavorful.

What are your favorite local hangouts or places you might be considered a regular? I recently moved to Fort Greene and I'm loving it. Smooch has become my favorite hangout during the day. The best coffee, hands down. There's so much in Brooklyn: James, Olea, an amazing place for brunch, and Palo Santo and Fonda—I love their food!