Periódico Casco Antiguo News EDICIÓN 21 · FEB - MAR · 2018 | Page 19

POLO GASTRONÓMICO EDICIÓN 21 · 2018 L os J aguares Ismael Ortíz “El artísta” Galo Pinto “El surfista” Tom Sawyer “El DJ” Juan Carlos Arosemena “The biker” T he J aguar it’s anniversary Casa Jaguar GastroPub, located in the old city of Panama is the best choice to enjoy dishes that combine elements of international cuisine adapted to the local cuisine, accompanied by a wide range of cocktails, drinks and excellent wines. H ow did the Casa Jag- uar Project start? Was there anything else in that place that you can re- member? Tell us about it. We were three partners at that time. Tom Sawyer, Juan Carlos Arosemena and I. We were look- ing for a new location to open up a new place. Something like a closed club where we could all kinds of events: techno, rock and roll, indie, live music, art exhi- bitions, etc. One day someone showed us Billar Central, it was really messy but that was exactly what we were looking for. It was a bohemian place where you could do almost everything: a stage, an eating spot, and a Pan- amanian-like bar. The place was a little far away, but according to our research we found out that all used to focus on Santa Ana, so we decided to expand it out and let the Casco Antiguo parties went over there too. It has been a year since we were lucky enough to open up a new spot, the Onca Room, where cocktail rooms, workshops and private events are going to be held. The location has been a bless- ing. It was in ruins at first, but we knew it could be turned into a wonderful place. I was in Billar Central before; I’ve gone to have a drink with my fellows. People used to play and have a good time. You’ve been in this project during 3 years. In that period of time, most businesses settle down. Do you think Casa Jaguar is already a classic in Casco An- tiguo? We do feel Casa Jaguar like a part of Casco, because tour- ists want to visit many places. In that way, Casa Jaguar has al- ways been an option if you want very well-known person. When it comes to me, I’m in charge of public relations, I like to share with people and make them feel comfortable. I’m into marketing as well: organizing and promoting events. Each one of us gives something unique and valu- able to Casco Antiguo. Una experiencia diferente que se desenvuelve en ambientes que van desde el moderno salón principal hasta particulares espacios al aire libre, con innumerables detalles que fusionan lo artístico y lo actual, donde la música es el elemento que te hará querer revivir la experiencia del Jaguar del Casco. to drink a beer or have a cocktail. Also, the name is an ear-worm, the Jaguar is the Panamanian tiger, and we the owners are Pan- amanians as well. We do a lot of events, so people out there see Casa Jaguar like a nice option. We always try to have different mu- sic and artists. We love Casco and we like people to have a good time. You are five different partners. What makes you a successful team? Tell us how you keep that positive energy. Certainly, we are dif- ferent. But we all give our best. Each one of us fo- cuses on different things: the hipster, the creative, and the crazy aspects. Another one puts the yeyé touch. Another one is an engineer; he’s been organiz- ing events in Cas- co from the Wasabi times, he’s the one in charge of the know- hows of this busi- ness. Tom Sawyer al- ways has the cre- ative, artistic touch regarding advertis- ing. Everyone knows him, everyone loves him and hates him, but at the end he’s a How did the electronic music project start? Onca started because we had a kind of yard where people used to listen to electronic music, so we thought about renting the fon- da, which had been there for al- most thirty years. Sadly, they had to leave. However, that led to the opportunity of having two music rooms. Now, Casco has an elec- tronic music option where you can eat before you start dancing, opening from Wednesday to Satur- day. We organize private dinners and parties, cocktail nights, and cocktail workshops to enterprises. That was a blessing for the bar. We hope that eventually we will turn into an entertainment institution in Panama. Will Casa Jaguar roar this 4th year? What can we expect from you? On this 4th year, events and performances from local and for- eign performances are going to be better decorated, full of energy, and we’re going to launch our sou- venir products from Casa Jaguar, including t-shirts, hats, and we’re going to make exhibitions so tour- ists can buy all of those products. We want to make an institution out of our enterprise in order to con- solidate not only in Panama but also abroad. We are definitely full of projects that we hope to please everyone. 19