On October 5th, our ANSO New England Chapter members held their first Hispanic Heritage Month Block Party at Base Boston. Over 200 people showed up and shared in fellowship, games, food, music, and coquito. There was music, piñatas, competitions, and food sampling stations. This event was a fun way to share a little bit of the Hispanic culture with coworkers and friends from the surrounding area. A Venezuelan food truck and a Puerto Rican caterer ensured that no attendee left hungry.
The spotlight event for the day was the Coquito Competition. In total, 10 competitors prepared their special recipes and put together short descriptions about their coquitos- many of these competitors got creative with their write-ups. Event attendees sampled the different recipes and voted on their favorite. The creator of the winning recipe, Navidades Caribe (Caribbean Christmas), was dubbed the 2021 Boston Coquito Champion.
USO New England helped with set up, and provided some of the beverages and outdoor games. A huge thank you to USO New England for their support.
New England is one of our newest ANSO Chapters – if you’re interested in learning more about the New England Chapter, reach out at NewEngland@ansomil.org.
Read the creative “Stories of the Bottle” from the Coquito Competition.
One of the many fun activities at the Block Party was a piñata filled with candy, gift cards, and special liberty passes. 
Block Party attendees got to sample some authentic Venezuelan cuisine. 
The Venezuelan food truck had plenty of options including tequeños and arepas. 
Coquito Competition volunteers served up small portions of the 10 different coquitos. Attendees sampled and voted on their favorite recipe. 
The 2021 Boston Coquito Champion recipe was “Navidades Caribe.” It was a combination of family recipes perfected over the years. 
One of the many coquito recipes. 
There were 3 piñatas filled with prizes. 
Shown above is “Ceviche Peruano” with a placard describing the origins of the dish. 
Shown above is “Pastel Tres Leches” with a placard describing the origins of the dish. 
Shown above is the “Ropa Vieja” placard describing the origins of the dish. 
Shown above is the “Cuban Arroz Imperial” placard describing the origins of the dish.