The President of Paraguay, Santiago Pe\u00f1a, has presented the I Love Paraguay restaurant in New York with an official Marca Pa\u00eds (Country Brand) licence, making it the first establishment outside the nation\u2019s borders to receive the distinction. This award recognises a history of almost two decades promoting Paraguayan gastronomy, traditions, and identity in the United States.<\/p>\n
Founded in 2007 by Nancy Ojeda and her family, I Love Paraguay was established in Sunnyside, Queens. The restaurant originated from a common experience for many emigrants: a nostalgia for the flavours and customs of their homeland. Over the years, the family business has become a key meeting point for the Paraguayan community and a space to introduce its culture to the American public.<\/p>\n
From nostalgia to recognition<\/p>\n
Ojeda remembered that the idea for the business arose directly from the experience of emigrating. \u201cThe nostalgia. When one emigrates, the first thing you miss is the food,\u201d she said, recounting the restaurant\u2019s beginnings.<\/p>\n
The owner attributed the long history of I Love Paraguay to the joint effort of her husband, her children, and the team members who have been part of the business over the years. She noted that the recognition also represents a commitment to continue showcasing the country with excellence.<\/p>\n
A reflection of national identity abroad<\/p>\n
During the Country Brand licence ceremony to mark the occasion, President Pe\u00f1a recalled his own experience of living in the United States and highlighted the value of compatriots who, from different parts of the world, maintain a living link with their country and help project a new image of Paraguay.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we leave our beloved Paraguay, that techaga\u2019u gets a hold of us, we have this ache in our hearts and we are always thinking of Paraguay and we always want to find a little piece of Paraguay outside of Paraguay,\u201d he expressed. Techaga\u2019u is a term from the Guaran\u00ed language, widely spoken in Paraguay, that describes a profound sense of longing or nostalgia for one\u2019s homeland.<\/p>\n
A small piece of paraguay<\/p>\n
The president noted that I Love Paraguay precisely represents this bond built through culture and gastronomy. \u201cYou, Nancy, in 2007 did something very important: you created a small space of Paraguay outside of Paraguay, through our culture, our beautiful traditions, and the culinary arts,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
Pe\u00f1a also stressed that the recognition aims to encourage Paraguayans to become representatives of the national identity abroad. He encouraged them to carry their culture, music, art, and gastronomy to new places, helping to leave behind the old perception of Paraguay as an isolated country.<\/p>\n
Official representation from new york<\/p>\n
With the granting of this licence, I Love Paraguay now officially represents the Marca Pa\u00eds abroad. From its location in New York, it projects an identity built around the gastronomy, traditions, and pride of a community that maintains strong ties with Paraguay. The Marca Pa\u00eds is a long-term strategy to position Paraguay in international markets by promoting its reputation across exports, tourism, and foreign investment.<\/p>\n
For more information about the restaurant, visit the\u00a0I Love Paraguay website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The President of Paraguay, Santiago Pe\u00f1a, has presented the I Love Paraguay restaurant in New York with an official Marca Pa\u00eds (Country Brand) licence, making it the first establishment outside the nation\u2019s borders to receive the distinction. This award recognises a history of almost two decades promoting Paraguayan gastronomy, traditions, and identity in the United<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34968,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[29685,332,396,389,302],"class_list":["post-34967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-national-headlines","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-city-restaurants","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-restaurants"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/vive.im\/@dc\/117348099967663362","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34967"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34967\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}