Forever Cheese is proud to announce its role as sponsor of aMona Presents Panga Ibérica, a documentary that features six chefs on a culinary adventure in Panama. A group of esteemed chefs from Spain, Portugal, Guatemala, and Panama came together to collaborate, forage, meet local artisans, and cook for a week in August 2018. The culmination was a dinner they prepared together at Restaurant Panga, in Playa Venao. The chefs’ passion for slow food, sustainability, creativity, and collaboration between cultures is shared by Forever Cheese and inspired the specialty food company to support the Panga Ibérica project.
As a featured partner of Panga Ibérica, Forever Cheese provided a variety of its cheeses and specialty accompaniments from Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Croatia for the chefs to use. Co-owner Michele Buster accompanied the group in Panama, calling the experience “filled with emotion; a once in a lifetime trip where it was a privilege to witness the chefs filled with wonder and delight when meeting local growers, fishermen, and artisans, learning their customs and ways.” She helped the chefs handpick products to complement what they foraged locally, including Mitica® Truffle Honey and Fig Almond Cake. At the film’s premiere on October 3 in New York City, they prepared dishes featuring Forever Cheese’s Ibérico meats and artisan cheese. The company also had an impressive display of Spanish and Portuguese specialty food for guests to enjoy at the film’s reception. Forever Cheese’s focus on small artisan producers and preserving traditional cheesemaking methods aligns with the chefs’ vision for authenticity and connection to place.
Panga Ibérica features chefs David Garcia of Corral de la Morería in Madrid, Spain; Manuel Alonso, Michelin Star Chef of Casa Manolo in Daimuz, Spain; Debbie Fadul of De Mon Coeur in Guatemala City, Guatemala; Hugo Brito of Boi-Cavalo in Lisbon, Portugal; Andrés Morataya of Panga in Playa Venao, Panama, and Mikel de Luis of aMona in New York City, who organized the project. They all share a similar approach to cooking, valuing seasonality and a respect for nature. The film reveals the adventures and challenges they faced, while they came together and further cemented their commitment to thoughtful cooking and cultural exchange.
