Join us for a “Virtual Arepera,” a food-centered participatory lecture by Mercedes Golip on Saturday, January 23 from 6:30–7:30 pm ET. This is the opening event for WPA’s next project, “Notions of Exile,” curated by Fabiola R. Delgado and Faride Mereb.

Areperas are Venezuelan gathering spaces where arepas are sold 24/7 every day of the year. This virtual event reimagines Areperas, offering a guided culinary experience contextualizing Venezuelan food culture, immigration, and hybridity. The “Virtual Arepera” is free to attend and open to the public. It will be held online via Zoom in Spanglish.

The event will take place on Saturday, January 23 from 6:30 to 7:30 pm ET via Zoom. Registration is free for all who wish to attend, and for those who would like the full Arepera experience, home-made pantry boxes are available to order with locally sourced American ingredients that meld traditional Venezuelan flavors. Using the ingredients from the box, combined with a few easy-to-purchase additions, you can create your own arepas during, before, or after this event. The experience of cooking together, while apart, mirrors that of the myriad of migrants in search of familiar and nostalgic, often unreproducible flavors.

Click here to purchase a pantry box for $45 (includes shipping and tax).

Each box provides instructions and ingredients to make 4–6 arepas. All of the ingredients are produced by small local businesses and resemble those used in traditional Venezuelan cooking including corn flour, ají dulce powder, and smoked leek oil.

NOTE: a limited number of pantry boxes are available, please purchase ASAP if you are interested! The deadline to purchase is Tuesday, January 12.