Cárdenas Chocolate raises the flag of Ecuadorian chocolate in NYC

The last time I visited New York City was five years ago. So my history with the city goes back two decades when it was a key piece of personal changes that marked an era in the woman I was beginning to be.

"Everything must change so that everything remains the same," wrote Giuseppe di Lampedusa in his novel "The Leopard."

The pandemic hit this great metropolis badly, but today it appears as imposing, as strong, as resilient as ever.

New Yorkers, already 70% vaccinated against Covid-19, take off their face masks in indoors and outdoors spaces. Little by little, the offices fill up, businesses are activated, and streets vibrate again.

We were part of this dynamic capital of the world for two weeks, full of sidewalks with jazz musicians, inspiring corners that share stories and listen to ours.

We spoke with former acquaintances who have now become friends. Then, on the Upper East Side, I meet Mark Christian, director of the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund and founder of The C-Spot, an independent consumer guide for premium chocolate.

It was an exciting face-to-face meeting because, for years, we had met only via zoom. This time I encounter him at the Hungarian Pastry, his local coffee place. He tells me how he survived the pandemic in the city while he praises the work of local businesses and cafeterias that never stopped serving the community and the medical team of Mount Sinai Hospital, the closest medical centre in his neighbourhood.

I had forgotten how is the spring in the northern hemisphere, its unexpected rains that seem to flood everything and cleanse the air of the pollen that eats away at allergy sufferers.

That afternoon it rained like never before, and I listened carefully to the stories of Mark, who is passionate not only about chocolate but also about music. The hours flew by between tasting chocolate, talking about transparency in the world of chocolate, Nacional flavours, heritage cacao and music as it flashed in New York.

In the end, Mark says goodbye with a subtle comment, "I tasted a constant and exquisite floral aroma in your latest chocolate collection." That was another musical note to my ears.

Then I would visit the circuit of chocolate shops in the Meatpacking District, Midtown, with my umbrella in my hands, sports shoes and a handbag full of chocolate to share it with more sensitive souls and discerning palates.

Upon arriving at 2 Beans, the chocolate mecca in NYC, I presented our "Tierra Hermosa” collection, single-origin Manabí, Ecuador. There I let our speciality chocolate speak for itself. But, of course, I did feel the proximity that speaking Spanish brings to this great city and the importance of being yourself.

A few tastings and visits were enough to place the entire Cárdenas Chocolate collection in 2 Beans, along with well-known American and European chocolate brands. Thus, we raised the Ecuadorian chocolate flag in Manhattan.

We finally made it to Manhattan.

Chocolate and arts 

Greeting old friends and chocolate appointments done, then it was time to visit some art and architecture.

Two brand new outstanding pieces of architecture left us breathless: The Edge and Little Island.

However, it's always rewarding to admire Pollock's masterpieces at the Guggenheim Museum or discover the fascinating work of artist Julie Mehretu at the Whitney Museum. While exploring Midtown, I arrived at The Locker Room and admired the installation "New York is dead, don't come back." Magnificent photos reveal a critique of many New Yorkers who left the city during the pandemic, putting small businesses aside when they needed them most.

Why do we need art? - I ask. "In times of mass grief, we need art, with its truths that cut through the banalities of thoughts and prayers, more than ever. Art is all about reaching for things beyond ourselves, and not only to things like transcendence and beauty but to other people. It's not just our experiences that shape us, it’s how we make meaning of them, how we frame the traumas we witness, how they so often prompt gratitude for our own relative privilege. Art lends us a frame," wrote Ligapa Nishan and Meghan O'Grady from the Culture therapist of the New York Times.

NYC never disappoints; it's always inspiring.

Cárdenas Chocolate is available at 2 Beans, 100 Park Avenue, New York, New York.

Chocolate and arts conversations at the Whitney Museum of American Art.