Tumaco is located on Colombia’s Pacific coast and is one of the municipalities with the largest coca production in the country. For a long time, the region was under the regime of the national guerrilla movement FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia). After the peace agreement between the government and the FARC, its members laid down their arms. Nevertheless, drug dealers and paramilitary groups continue to fight each other to gain control over the lucrative cultivation areas and smuggling routes.
The entire civilian population suffers under this precarious security situation, especially the youth of Tumaco, as the armed actors primarily recruit young people from economically and socially disadvantaged neighborhoods. In these areas, violence is omnipresent, and there is a lack of infrastructure and job opportunities.
In this context, the Swiss association Cuisine sans Frontières partnered with the local youth center Centro Afro Juvenil in the heart of the Nuevo Milenio neighborhood in Tumaco to expand the in-house snack restaurant “Piqueteadero” and create a gastronomic meeting point. The Centro aims to create creative spaces with around 100 young people where they can find job prospects, community, and alternatives to armed conflicts, drug trafficking, and prostitution away from the streets.
The Piqueteadero (“Pique”) is run by the young Colombian Jenny Angulo and a team of volunteer youths. The Pique was initiated by the youth in 2020, who joined forces and generated resources to finance the center. In addition to the simple kitchen and the street-facing window from which Colombian snacks like empanadas (stuffed pastries) are sold daily to passersby, a seating area was added in 2023 thanks to the support of Cuisine sans Frontières. This area invites customers to stop for a while and enjoy a meal together.
One of the young people from the Pique is Jailer Cortés. His mother has been seriously ill since his birth, so Jailer grew up with his grandparents in very modest circumstances. Cooking has been a part of Jailer’s life since he was young. As a child, he often helped his grandmother in the kitchen, also out of childish defiance and rebellion, as his grandfather always said that a man had no place in the kitchen. For Jailer, however, cooking represents an opportunity, and the pleasant smells and creative work at the stove allow him to forget his daily worries for a while.
Now 19 years old, Jailer dreams of making cooking his profession and opening his own restaurant in the future. As part of the project, he is now completing a one-year culinary training at a state-recognized school. He spends much of his free time at the Pique, experimenting with new recipes and often being the last one to leave the snack bar in the evening. The Pique not only provides Jailer with a chance to get closer to his dream job but also brings people together, promotes community, and, empanada by empanada, fosters peace.