Did you know that nearly 65% of all the fruit that arrives in Philadelphia through the Delaware River port is imported from Chile? I know we're all ga ga for local fruit and produce, but the winter time is pretty barren when it comes to fruit and veggies in this neck of the woods, so we're lucky that other options exist and without Chile we might have a higher incidence of scurvy. In honor of Chile and they're fabulous fruit and vegetable export trade, this week is ripe with events, some specifically food related!

Viva Chile in Philadelphia! is an event organized by the Embassy of Chile in Washington D.C., the Consulate of Chile in Philadelphia, Trade Commission of Chile in New York and the Chilean and American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia (CACC)in order to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the CACC.

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter will make a proclamation naming this week in November the “Viva Chile in Philadelphia!” week for Philadelphia. He will be joined by Chilean Ambassador Mariano Fernandez who will honor Mayor Nutter with the Orden de Bernardo O’Higgins, Grado Comendador, Chile’s highest commendation for non-Chilean citizens. The award, which is approved by the President of Chile, is the first such commendation from Chile a Philadelphia Mayor has ever received.

Now, back to the food. The Restaurant School is a local organization throwing some support to Chile in Philadelphia! by creating special menus highlighting Chilean wines, pisco sours and various Chilean foods. The Courtyard Restaurant at the Restaurant School will be serving the Chilean menu from Saturday, November 15 – Friday, November 21, so make a reservation now.

If you're a student at The Restaurant School, Chef Pilar Rodriguez will be offering a cooking demo featuring distinct and delicious products from Chile on Friday, November 14th from 3pm to 5pm. Unfortunately, this event is not open to the public.

Loads of other events involving Art, Music, and Business are all on the schedule. So check out the daily schedule here.