CHOCOBAR CORTES-Popular Caribbean Chocolate Restaurant Opens in the South Bronx

Chocobar Cortés, the restaurant brand of Chocolate Cortés, a 92-year old family-owned Puerto Rican and Dominican chocolate manufacturing company known for its rich hot chocolate, is a dining and cultural experience that celebrates the company's Caribbean chocolate tradition, its culture, and the delicious flavors of the Caribbean. Located at 141 Alexander Avenue in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the South Bronx, Chocobar Cortés will offer all-day dining, featuring a chocolate and coffee shop, breakfast and pastries in the morning, lunch in the afternoon, a lively cocktail and dinner atmosphere at night, and brunch on the weekend. The concept is an extension of the original Chocobar Cortés in Old San Juan, which opened in 2013, and was named the Best Restaurant in the Caribbean by USA Today in 2017.

"We are very excited to open Chocobar Cortés in New York City. It is our very first location outside of our flagship in Old San Juan," said Carlos Cortés, Executive Director of Chocobar Cortés and fourth generation Cortés family member. "We have chosen The Bronx because it is one of the strongholds of the Puerto Rican and Dominican communities that grew up with our chocolate. We hope to inspire the city and the world with the taste of our chocolate, the richness of our culture, and the warmth of the Caribbean."

Chocobar Cortés Corporate Chef Ricardo De Obaldia created a menu that focuses on traditional Puerto Rican and Dominican comfort food with one twist - everything on the menu includes chocolate! Signature dishes include Chocolate Grilled Cheese with chocolate butter; a Chocoburger featuring "chocochup" (chocolate ketchup); Chalupitas de Mofongo with roasted pork, chocolate hot sauce and guacamole with chocolate; and a Chocobar Salad Bowl with chocolate vinaigrette. The menu will also include chocolate and tropical desserts by Ricardo de Obaldia. The beverage selection includes the famous Chocolate Cortés hot chocolate served with cheddar cheese, a special edition 80-percent dark chocolate made with Puerto Rican cacao, and an assortment of refreshing frozen chocolate beverages (Choco Frío) made with coffee or a variety of tropical fruit. A frosty Choco Martini made with vodka and Irish Cream, the Don Ignacio, named in honor of Chocolate Cortés's CEO, and made with aged rum, cognac and spiced syrup with a dark chocolate rim highlight the cocktail offerings. In addition to the full-service bar, wine and beer - including beer from the local Bronx Brewery - are also available. A variety of pastries, such as the Quesito Cortés, a Chocobar spin on the famous Puerto Rican pastry "Quesito," chocolate-filled croissants, and churros with chocolate are served along with brunch selections that include Mallorca sandwiches (Mallorca is a Puerto Rican sweet bread), Estrellados en Mangú (a classic Dominican plantain breakfast with a Chocobar twist), and Chocolate French Toast.

Larry F. Purvis, a 30-year veteran of the restaurant industry with experience in all areas including chef, event planning, management and college professor of Hotel & Restaurant management is the General Manager of Chocobar Cortés. Chef Maria Martinez, a native of Quebradilas, Puerto Rico, with 10 years of experiences in kitchens that include Mesa Grill and Brooklyn brunch hot spot Café Ghia, will oversee the kitchen.

The atmosphere of Chocobar Cortés is heavily inspired by Old San Juan, combining the warmth of the Caribbean with the energy of The Bronx. Walls, banquettes and millwork in sea greens, ocean blues and warm whites echo the palette of the island, providing a backdrop for the splashes of vibrant yellow, electric coral and punchy black. Walls are lined with wood shelving, while iconic Chocolate Cortés chocolate molds, historic images and vintage ads act as architectural accents and further tell the Chocolate Cortés story. Three arches frame the 20-foot main bar that features wood decorated with brass studs referencing the handsome doors typical of the colonial city. The focal point of the main dining room is a commissioned weaving project by artist Jorge Gonzalez, who mediates ancestral knowledge to propose new ways of promoting principles of growth and cultivation rooted in Puerto Rico. A checkerboard cement tile floor grounds both spaces and woven sconces and string lighting carry the space from breakfast through lunch, dinner and nightlife. During the day, recordings of vintage Chocolate Cortés advertisements can be heard in the restroom, but at night it turns into a tropical oasis with the sound of Puerto Rico's native tiny frog - the coquí.

The coffee and chocolate shop area features an art wall that will display art from Fundación Cortés, starting with framed images of the La Borinqueña X Chocolate Cortés four-part comic strips made as part of the collaboration launched earlier this year. La Borinquena is the first female Afro-Puerto Rican comic book superhero. She was created by Bronx native and comic book Artist Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez. Chocolate Cortés and La Borinqueña have launched the Activate Your Powers with the Arts (Activa tus poderaes con las artes) initiative, a program created to raise funds for the Fundación Cortés youth art programs in Puerto Rico. Four special edition hot chocolate bars containing the new four-part comic strip series featuring La Borinqueña are now available online and in select US markets - including New York City and at Chocobar Cortés. Proceeds from the sales of the bars and other special merchandise will support the Fundación Cortés whose mission is to educate and inspire with its passion for the arts of the Caribbean, and to celebrate Latinx culture.

About Chocobar Cortés

Elaine Shehab is the founder and creative mind behind Chocobar Cortés. Together with her husband, Ignacio Cortés, CEO of Chocolate Cortés, she played with the idea of opening a chocolate concept for many years. After thorough research around the world, they set out to create a unique concept that celebrated the family's rich history where Chocolate Cortés played the starring role. Their youngest son, Carlos Cortés, is the Executive Director of Chocobar Cortés, and is leading the project in New York. His goal is to share with the world this unique family chocolate experience that is a part of the Caribbean culture and cuisine. https://www.chocobarcortes.com/.

About Chocolate Cortés

The Chocolate Cortés family has been manufacturing Caribbean chocolate from farm-to-bar since 1929. Known for its signature rich hot chocolate, Cortés has provided countless moments of warmth and joy to the homes of Puerto Rican and Dominican households ever since. Currently, Cortés is the largest chocolate manufacturing company in the Caribbean and is one of the most recognizable brands in both countries and their diasporas. Since its inception, the company has considered education as a key ingredient to reach new horizons: providing an inclusive education in which the integration of arts and humanities play a main role in helping to transform our society and improving quality of life. https://chocolatecortes.com/.

About Fundación Cortés

Established in 2012, Fundación Cortés is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization with the mission to educate and inspire with its passion for the arts of the Caribbean. Their theory of social transformation consists of designing innovative and interactive art integration activities that complement academic and other theme-based curricula. To date, through their core program, Educa Cortés, they have served over 14,000 underserved children, youth, and adults from all around Puerto Rico and have over 75,000 registered visits. Their two Caribbean contemporary art exhibit halls, open free of charge, become the main classrooms and the artworks the key educational tools. Fourteen exhibitions have been presented to date, including the current by Edgardo Miranda-Rodríguez featuring La Borinqueña. Exhibits are free and open to the public and available for private events and special meetings. https://en.fundacioncortes.org/quienes-somos.

About Ernest Gloria and Whitley Esteban

Interiors were led by Ernesto Gloria and Whitley Esteban, New York City and Pensacola-based architects and interior designers. They approach their work with a studied point of view regarding rituals and tradition, and simultaneously a decided irreverence and playfulness with those same principles. The work is informed always by context and point of view, by a greater story to be told.

Chocobar Cortés is located at 141 Alexander Avenue, Bronx, NY 10454. For more information, please call 718.841.9310 and visit https://www.chocobarcortes.com/.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Chocobar Cortés

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