Retooled Latin Market In Northeast Will Highlight Chefs From Across the Region

More details are emerging about the Union Market group’s previously announced hub for Latin American culture and cuisine, and Food Network star Jose Garces is no longer spearheading the project after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last spring.

Developer Edens has dubbed the market La Cosecha — which means “the harvest” in Spanish — filling the 20,000-square-foot space with cooking talent from Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela. The Washington Post broke the news on Thursday, and Washingtonian followed up with more dining details.

Local players on board include chef Christian Irabién, a native of Mexico who plans to permanently plant his Amparo pop-up in the new market at 1270 4th Street NE. D.C.’s roving Peruvian Brothers food truck will open its first standalone location there.

La Cosecha represents a Plan B for both. Amparo was originally pursuing a site in Mount Pleasant — a budding dining neighborhood that includes local favorite Ellē — but its tiny subterranean configuration didn’t pan out, and Irabién expanded his search to other neighborhoods. Peruvian Brothers was close to a brick-and-mortar deal on the Southwest Waterfront last year, but those plans fell through.

After Iron Chef alum Garces filed for bankruptcy, the Philadelphia restaurateur shelved plans for his Village Whiskey burger restaurant in D.C. But he was still on board to bring his self-styled food hall near Union Market as recently as last May.

The Union Market district’s dining scene has exploded in the past year, with arrivals including critically acclaimed St. Anselm from Top Chef alum Marjorie Meek-Bradley and Adam Greenberg’s soon-to-open Coconut Club.

In all, Edens’ incoming Latin market will feature 14 tenants. Here are some of the standouts. Details on a to-be-announced mezcaleria and coffee shop are coming soon.

elcielo: Celebrated Colombian chef Juan Manuel Barrientos will open the second U.S. outpost of his gastronomy-focused restaurant at La Cosecha. The 13-year-old original is in Medellín, Colombia. The first stateside location debuted in Miami’s waterfront Brickell neighborhood in 2015.

Elcielo/official photo

Amparo: Longtime D.C. local and Oyamel alum Christian Irabién is drawing from family traditions and recipes from his native Chihuahua for his first restaurant in D.C. Amparo’s modern menu will focus on the coastal regions of Mexico, with lots of seafood, produce, and mezcal in the mix. While Amparo will be his first solo project, Irabién helped opened a large and stylish Mexican restaurant in Oakland called Calavera in 2015.

Ali Pacha: This vegan fine dining destination comes from Bolivian chef Sebastian Quiroga. The graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in London has cooked at Astrid & Gaston in Lima and both Relae and Studio in Copenhagen, Quiroga.

White Envelope Arepa + Ceviche Bar: Venezuelan chef Federico Tischler plans to draw inspiration from previous cooking stints, culinary mentors, and travels to craft a menu that incorporates local products into global food. He’s already created a name for himself in Baltimore, where he runs a modern arepas bar under the same name.

Grand Cata: The Shaw wine bar will expand with a second location at the market. The owners and co-founders Pedro J. Rodriguez and Julio Robledo, who hail from Puerto Rico and Chile, specialize in sustainable grapes sourced from across Latin America. Also expect a wine club, workshops, and private events. Another Shaw wine bar, La Jambe, just opened a French-inspired stall inside Union Market.

Peruvian Brothers: Giuseppe and Mario Lanzone, the sibling duo behind D.C.’s popular Peruvian Brothers food truck, were born and raised off the coast of Lima. Their first brick-and-mortar location will feature an expanded selection of Peruvian-style sandwiches, empanadas, desserts, and hot sauces.

The market will also feature a mix of shopping options and entertainment spaces with nods to Latin American architecture and design. Manning the market’s overall look is Gensler, whose principal design director Walter Trujillo plans to draw from first-hand experiences wandering traditional gathering plazas in his native Colombia.