Friday, March 4, 2011
Celebrity Chef Cooking in Costa Rica
Celebrity chef J.R. Cifrese visited Costa Rica for the fourth time where he not only fell in love with Hacienda Matapalo, the most sought after master planned gated community on the country’s South Pacific Coast, but decided to make an investment in his future there by opening a new shop.
Back in April 2010 Celebrity chef J.R. Cifrese and his sister Martha visited Costa Rica. For the culinary expert it was his fourth time there. Not only did he fall in love with Hacienda Matapalo, the most sought after master planned Costa Rica real estate gated community on the country’s South Pacific Coast, but he decided to make an investment in his future there by opening a new shop.
“I’m very excited about Costa Rica,” Cifrese said. “Not only am I thrilled about being a home owner at Hacienda Matapalo, but I’m excited about having a shop at the Matapalo Plaza Commercial Center.”
For fans of celebrity chefs and television cooking shows, J.R. is somewhat of a familiar figure as he has made many appearances ranging from the Food Network to CNBC to a number of TV shows including “The Today Show” on NBC and “Hell’s Kitchen” on FOX.
Currently working on the television project “Coast 2 Coast Cuisine” with his best friend and New York-based chef Ed Gallagher, the Los Angeles-based Cifrese will be bringing his culinary skills to Costa Rica as he will have a bakery and provisional shop at the Matapalo Plaza Commercial Center.
“That part of the country is ready to explode and I wanted to get in on the ground level,” J.R. explained about why he decided to buy at Hacienda Matapalo and invest in the commercial center. “I see the potential that is there and so I know it’s a good investment.”
The fifth and last child of a first generation Italian American family, J.R. Cifrese started cooking as a small child making Sunday morning omelets for his big family, including his parents Leonard and Barbara. The house was always full of family and friends and of course being Italian that meant there was always lots and lots of great food. “It’s a cultural thing,” he said with a smile.
“Sunday afternoons were spent helping to prepare all the food as we would sit down to a traditional Italian feast complete with wine my grandfather made,” J.R. explained. “Of course the wine was always mixed with 7-Up for us kids.”
As fate would have it, food was to be in his future.
During his freshman year of high school, J.R. sought employment at a local gas station. But when he arrived to apply, the service station was closed, so he walked across the street to an Italian catering delicatessen, where he was hired on the spot and began his incredible culinary journey.
When the owner of the deli saw J.R.'s gifts, he suggested that the aspiring chef should apply to the acclaimed Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y.
“Working in the deli throughout high school and learning all of the basic cooking skills – sautéing, baking, pastry making, sausage making, knife skills, catering skills, cutting and weighing deli meats – was the foundation on which I was able to build a career,” he recalled. “My mentor knew what it would take to be a successful student and classically trained chef and I’m thankful he saw the full potential in me.”
Just like J.R. has seen the full potential in Hacienda Matapalo.
“Back in January of 1982, when I started at the CIA, I immediately fell in love with the culinary field. Well, even though I had been to Costa Rica three times prior to visiting the South Pacific Coast, once I stepped foot on the property, I immediately fell in love with Hacienda Matapalo and knew this is where I wanted my future home to be. Like I said, I saw the full potential here just like my mentor saw the full potential in me.”
After 21 months of school and graduating in the top 10% of his class, J.R. was off to New Orleans where he spent two years working in the pastry shop of a 5-star hotel in the French Quarter. He also worked in various classic New Orleans restaurants, learning the Creole and Cajun styles of cooking.
Looking to diversify his experience, J.R. moved to Killington, Vermont where he helped with the start up of a restaurant as the sous chef. Skiing and cooking was the recipe for a successful experience and his next stop was Nantucket, Mass., where he worked as the pastry chef in the finest restaurant of his career.
“Spending the summer there was a great experience for me,” J.R. recalled as that was his first managerial position.
Moving west to Colorado, J.R. spent 15 years in the Rocky Mountain state, working at the Breckenridge Resort as the executive chef responsible for overseeing seven restaurants, a $4 million a year operation and a staff of more than 100 employees. He then moved to Denver and for the next five years owned and operated a successful catering company.
Selling the catering company, J.R. went further west and was the head chef on an 85-foot private luxury yacht in Marina Del Rey, California for eight years. When the yacht was sold, J.R. stayed on as the family’s private chef where he is currently working out of their Beverly Hills mansion.
Having traveled and cooked up and down both the Western and Eastern seaboards of the U.S., it was only natural for an international extension for J.R. to take place.
“Along with my latest adventure – 'Coast 2 Coast Cuisine' – being able to bring my cooking and baking skills to Costa Rica is a real thrill for me,” he said. “And knowing that most of my customers will also be my neighbors will certainly keep me on my toes. It will be like cooking for the family on Sunday mornings all over again. And that means only one thing … there will always be lots and lots of great food.”
To learn more about J.R. Cifrese, you can visit his Web site at http://www.coast2coastcuisine.com.
For leasing inquiries or more information about the project, contact Marcy Seay at 954-548-3000, or marcy(at)costaricaforme.com.
To learn more about Hacienda Matapalo and the Matapalo Plaza Commercial Center, you can visit Hacienda Matapalo at http://haciendamatapalo.com.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Hacienda Matapalo Costa Rica tops $60m in PreSales
Monday, March 22, 2010
Calling All Boaters-Costa Rica Property Webinar
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Friday, March 19, 2010
Costa Rica Property-Boaters and Fishermen

Pura Verde Costa Rica Properties Announces Los Pelicanos Ocean Club as the Newest Property to Receive Branding
The newest Pura Verde Costa Rica Property, Los Pelicanos Ocean Club, is an ideal location for boating and fishing enthusiasts.
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (PRWEB) March 17, 2010 -- During a recent Internet radio (http://www.gabcast.com/index.php?a=episodes&query=&b=play&id=33013&cast=157396)show, Dave Matluck, chief executive officer of Pegasus Star Limitada, the developer of Hacienda Matapalo and marketer of Pura Verde Costa Rica Properties, announced that Los Pelicanos Ocean Club (aka Los Pelicanos Resort) developed by Su Casa Desarollos de Vivienda S.A., one of the most respected real estate developers in Central America and one of the leading experts in marine engineering and development, is the newest property in Costa Rica to receive the Pura Verde brand and certification.
Located just off the Costanera Highway north of Quepos, Los Pelicanos (http://www.haciendamatapalo.com/lospelicanos.htm)is the first and only titled waterfront community in Costa Rica. With waterway access to both Manuel Antonio National Park and the Damas Island mangroves, homeowners are just a 15 minute boat ride from their own backyard dock to the best sport fishing spots on the Pacific Coast, as well as the newly constructed Marina Pez Vela, the only full service marina in the entire country.
“You can dock your boat at your back door on fully titled land,” explained Su Casa Desarollos de Vivienda S.A (http://www.sucasa.co.cr./index_ing.htm). CEO Manuel Gonzalez. “With 82 houses having their own waterfront docks and another 44 condominiums where owners can keep their boats in the property harbor, Los Pelicanos is an ideal community for boating and sport fishing enthusiasts.”
“It also has a large and spacious clubhouse,” added Matluck, as he cited some of the amenities. “A large pool, tennis court, poolside bar, gym and game room are all included, plus a self-contained center for food and other needs are all on the property. As a boater and fisherman myself, if I wasn’t directly involved in the development of Hacienda Matapalo (http://haciendamatapalo.com)or if it didn’t exist, this is where I would want to call home.”
Well known for the best blue water fishing anywhere in the world for sailfish, blue and black marlin, dorado, snapper, yellow fin tuna, roosterfish, jack, mackerel, tarpon, wahoo and snook, Costa Rica is considered by many to be a fisherman’s paradise. Not to be outdone, the area also has unparalleled beaches, wild rivers and a wide variety of shopping and restaurants. As many will admit, it is ideally located in the path of growth and development. And of course Manuel Antonio National Park draws more visitors to it annually than any other attraction in the country.
With developer financing available at Los Pelicanos, there are three three-bedroom models available. The 1,722 square foot Gray Pelican starts from the low-$300,000s USD, the 2,981 square foot Brown Pelican starts from the mid-$400,000s USD and the 3,283 square foot White Pelican starts from the low-$500,000s. The 1,200 square foot condos start at $215,000 USD. Perhaps the best part about all this is the timeframe from contract to move in is about four months.
“As with any property that has been branded a Pura Verde Costa Rica property, Los Pelicanos can be purchased with the confidence of knowing that due diligence was performed by a team of experts in researching every possible element of the property,” Matluck explained. “All of the legal, environmental and engineering issues pertaining to this and other Pura Verde properties are considered ‘certified’ as having been thoroughly researched and determined to be in order.”
Although many developers have inquired about receiving the Pura Verde brand for their properties, to date only a handful of properties have the criteria for being qualified, meaning that they are in complete compliance with all the environmental laws and regulations that are designed to protect the environment from any type of abuse. These properties are: Hacienda Matapalo, Tierra Verde Uvita (http://www.haciendamatapalo.com/tierraverde.htm), Finca La Principessa D'il Mare (http://www.haciendamatapalo.com/laprincipessa.htm), Casa Big Sur (http://www.haciendamatapalo.com/casabigsur.htm)and Red Frog Farm (Finca de la Rana Roja (http://www.haciendamatapalo.com/redfrogfarm.htm))
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Costa Rica Property-Boaters and Fishermen
Go Green on St. Patrick's Day |
Find this Happy Leprechaun on the A $5,000 Hacienda Matapalo A free bag of Costa Rican coffee Or, for the first time, we will plant a tree Read more on Hacienda Matapalo Introducing the finest Los Pelicanos Ocean Club ![]()
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![]() CONDOMINIUMS At Hacienda Matapalo, variety is the slice of life! Lakeside Villa-Condominiums, Detached Villa-Condominiums available with both Ocean Views and Rain Forest Views.
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Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Costa Rica Certified Properties-Webinar
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Monday, February 8, 2010
Free Webinar-Costa Rica Real Estate using IRA/401k
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Monday, December 28, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009

Last chance to lock in current pricing. Phase I pricing increase with the introduction of Phase II this December
1.25+ Acre Wooded Homesite bordered by bubbling stream.Last Homesite with stream at this price Secure this exceptional Homesite with a $5,000 refundable deposit
Last Ocean View Homesite at this price
Land Banking (land investment) is the practice of securing land and holding it for future use.
12% to 14 % Return Per Year - For 1-2 Years Fully Collateralized By Property
Available Now...
Strong interest has been seen from Investors and Entreprenuers looking to be part of the Southern Zone Boom as the new Pacific Coast Highway is completed.
This will be the first Regional Shopping Center in the area. Opportunity to participate directly with developers. A minimum of $25,000 investment
Approved for IRA/401k
Knowledge is power and if ever there was a time to be financially knowledgeable it is now. Listen and learn as Michael Starkey offers his suggestions on how to:
Profit from the falling dollar
Identify and avoid the next market bubble that will burst
Profit from Baby Boomer trends
Quickly recoup from your recent IRA/401k losses
Utilize options for maximum leverage and return
Identify great investment opportunities in Limited Liability Partnerships
Own any type of real estate in the world within your IRA or qualified retirement plan
Hacienda Matapalo Costa Rica : (954) 548-3000 .
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?InvestorsRealty/ee55ca2d5a/TEST/8478c6e448/InvestorsRealty/e8af54c4c0/9d016da488/345d6c341b/HaciendaMatapalo/f3750226b1/6c6318bc70/a600292dc8/HaciendaMatapalo/e022d28810/TEST/85a73c6288
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
| Located around expansive lakes with varying views of the Mountains and all with direct views of the Lakes, Los Lagos offers 1, 2 and 3 bedroom Villa-Condos. The buildings are only 2-stories high, most with only 1-Unit per floor. Los Lagos has its own clubhouse and amenities as well as use of Hacienda Matapalo’s Community Clubhouse and amenities. The Architectural Style is Polynesian and offers generous balcony space with fantastic views. The residences range in size from 1,172 to 1,943 total square feet.
Unique, 2 and 3 bedroom Villa-Condos which have no common walls with their neighbors and feature panoramic view balconies. These clusters are made up of eight separate pods, connected by walkways, each four stories tall with one unit on each floor. Carefully placed within the tropical landscape and surrounded by forest, residents and guests can enjoy the serenity of the private village lake. The Architectural Style is Polynesian and the site truly conveys the “living with nature” experience. These are elevator-equipped buildings. The residences range in size from 1,532 to 1,943 total square feet.
Ownership in Hacienda Matapalo entitles you and your guests complete access to all of our community Amenities. The choices are many starting with our centrally located Community Center and Clubhouse. You’ll find an amazing freeform infinity edge pool, swim-up pool bar, media and event rooms, fitness center, tennis courts, picnic cabanas, and relaxing spa area. At Hacienda Matapalo, you can choose your personal escape without ever leaving the property.
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Click on link |
This tropical dream-home when combined with the amenities and
location of Hacienda Matapalo offers a lifestyle beyond compare.
2 bedroom and 2.5 bath, 1-story 2,087 sq ft.
Only One Left at $349,000
Hacienda Matapalo Costa Rica
USA: (800) 281.4145 or (954) 548.3000
COSTA RICA: (506) 2. 774. 0240
www.haciendamatapalo.com
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