Latinos and Latin-philes who love the food, music, fashion, travel and culture from all reaches of Latin America will find a wealth of inspiration in this fun, sexy and well-researched cookbook Latin Chic.

Journalists Buia and González, who’ve covered all aspects of fine living for a number of outlets including the New York Times, Time magazine, and the Washington Post, spent more than a year traveling throughout Latin America and the United States photographing chic parties, culling recipes and cultural offerings to provide an insider’s look at entertaining with Latin flair.

Buia, who is Venezuelan and raised in Miami, and González, a Cuban-American raised in Atlanta, also sourced their own food backgrounds: Buia’s uncle was a chef in Venezuela while González’s family ran a Cuban restaurant in Atlanta. “We drew on our love of food to showcase recipes that were not only easy to make and delicious, but also not stereotype or predictable,” says Buia who between stints at Time magazine and later as a television journalist honed her professional culinary skills.

Fashion, travel and décor also feature prominently. “There are cookbooks and there are lifestyle books, but in Latin culture these worlds are seamless, so our book had to reflect our love for all of it,” says González. The stylish duo tapped no less than ten famous Latin designers including Oscar de la Renta and Carolina Herrera for the fashion of individual chapters.

Music soundtracks, and cultural insights round out each chapter whether it’s an art party in Cuernavaca or a celebration of the paso doble in the Dominican Republic. “Latin Chic celebrates an array of Latin food and style shown through a hip and elegant lens,” says Buia. “After all,” adds González, “to be Latin is to be chic.”

For more Latin Chic go to www.latinchicstyle.com

Want a taste of Latin Chic? Try these two easy party treats:

Tisana, serves 10

Tisana is a fruity and light party drink traditionally served without alcohol at children’s birthday parties in Venezuela. It’s a nice alternative to sangria. Here’s a grown up version that should be served in glasses festively garnished with tropical star fruit.

1 bottle dry white sparkling wine, such as Spanish cava which is inexpensive and tasty
4 cups passion fruit juice
1 cup club soda
1/3 cup sugar
1 small orange, sliced
1 small lemon, sliced
1 star fruit, sliced

In a punch bowl or pitcher, combine the wine, juice, soda and sugar. Add the orange and lemon slices. Allow the mixture to steep in the refrigerator for an hour. Serve over ice and garnish glasses with star fruit slices.

Watermelon Rubies Drizzled with Rum Sauce, serves 6

This easy fruit salad should be made the day of your party, although watermelon may be scooped up to six hours ahead and chilled. The sauce – which takes only minutes to make – should be prepared just before serving to avoid hardening.

1 medium watermelon, seedless
Juice of 1 lime

Rum sauce:
_ cup sugar
_ cup dark rum
_ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Halve the watermelon lengthwise. Using a melon baler, carve out little round “rubies” and place them in a large bowl. Pour the lime juice over them, toss gently, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

To make the sauce, take a small saucepan and heat the sugar, rum, and cinnamon, stirring until the sugar just starts to dissolve (it should not dissolve completely) and small bubbles appear on the sides of pan. Remove from the heat. Using a spoon, drizzle the sauce over the chilled watermelon rubies and service in individual bowls. They may be eaten with a fork or fingers!