A new salsa music festival launching in Vancouver this Saturday night (April 12) has some Surrey connections.
Longtime Whalley resident is among many performers at the festival, organized by Miguel Potes as an extension of his two Union Latinos restaurants 鈥� one on 105A Avenue at King George Boulevard, another on Granville Street in Vancouver.
Saturday's promises live music and dancing at the 400-capacity Fraserview Banquet Hall with five bands on stage (Marlin & Salsa Beat, Rumba 7, Wasakaka, Orquesta Tabasko, La Clave Orquesta).
"This is the first year, but the idea is to do it every year, more and more and more," said Potes, who serves Colombian-style food at Union Latinos with the help of son Miguel Jr.
"We have live music here (in Surrey) on Sunday afternoons, and in Vancouver we do it Saturday nights," Potes added. "It's very busy, and the hall is much bigger. That's why we are doing this (festival)."
Tickets sell for $50 on , or call 604-364-8405.
Ramazzini, a frequent performer at the larger Vancouver restaurant, immigrated to Canada in 1990 and found her way to Surrey five years later, well into her career as a singer and drummer of Afro-Cuban Latin jazz music. On stage she's joined by husband Fito Garcia, a Juno Award-winning bassist and composer.
"It was a beautiful city, and still is, but Surrey has changed, too," Ramazzini remarked. "We bought a house, and the neighbourhood was really nice with a lot of parks. I'm an outdoor person, so I could take my kids to different parks. They graduated here."
Over the years Ramazzini has performed at Surrey Fusion Festival, Canada Day celebrations in Cloverdale, (Aug. 9-10 dates at Surrey Civic Plaza this summer) and other community and corporate events.
During COVID she discovered Union Latinos, not far from her home.
"I met Miguel, introduced myself as a musician, and that's how we kept coming here," Ramazzini recalled. "The food is delicious, the environment is amazing, and it's a family place."
Popular menu items include Bandeja paisa (grilled beef with chorizo, pork rind, sunny-side-up egg, beans, ripe plantain, rice, avocado and small arepa), Pescado Frito (fried tilapia or pampano served with rice and fried green plantain) and Colombian-style Empanadas, also sold among Miguelito-branded frozen foods.
"There are a lot of Mexican places (in Surrey)," said Miguel Potes Jr., "but this is the only Colombian restaurant. We emphasize Colombian food and that culture. Some of the ingredients are pretty similar, the seasonings and spices, but it's different, too."
Ramazzini remembers trying Colombian food for the first time while performing on cruise chips in the Caribbean many years ago.
"I'm from Guatemala, and the food there is different than this," she said. "I went to Venezuela, and that's where I experienced Colombian food for the first time. We fell in love with it, and in Aruba they had a Colombian restaurant that we went to frequently. Now to have one in Surrey, it's amazing."
