Oil & Chocolate
Sweet on Venezuela: Houston popular landing spot for expats escaping Hugo Chávezrule
Nothing is more delicious than living in a melting pot. Especially when that pot is full of chocolate.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported on the diaspora of middle- and upper-class Venezuelans who have left their home country since the rise of president Hugo Chávez, and referenced Houston as one of the most popular destinations for Venezuelan expats, due in part to the city's oil ties.
Gerardo Urdaneta moved to Houston from Venezuela for a job in 1998, the same year Hugo Chávez was first elected president. Mr. Urdaneta, an energy-shipping specialist, planned for a temporary stop and wouldn't even buy a house.
Thirteen years later, Mr. Chávez is still in power, Mr. Urdaneta is still here. He has been joined by thousands of other Venezuelans, and Houston shops now stock native delicacies like Pampero aged rum and guayanés cheese.
'There are Venezuelans everywhere,' Mr. Urdaneta, 50 years old, said. 'Before we were passing through. That's not the case anymore.'"
One example of the Venezuelan expat community the article included is Stefano Zullian, owner of River Oaks' Araya Artisan Chocolate boutique. Described as a symbol of "the reversal of Venezuelan society's fortunes," Zullian describes Venezuela as a roulette wheel when it comes to safety and economic success.
Aside from Araya, what's your favorite Venezuelan stop in town? Who has the best empanadas?