In the wake of rumors about American gossip target Casey Anthony’s plans to move to Costa Rica and the interest of reality television producers in our country, it is always refreshing to learn cool stories about expatriates who come to our country with notable, rather than notorious, backgrounds and whose lifestyles here add value to our communities.

In Los Angeles Sur, a small rural community just north of San Ramon, a mosaic tile work of art can be found in the Angel Valley Farm Bed and Breakfast. It is an outdoor pizza oven turned into an objet d’art by the skilled Ernesto Spinelli, a chef and mosaic tile artist whose life is as interesting as the handsome pizza oven he crafted.

Chef Ernesto Spinelli is married to a dear reader of The Costa Rica Star. He is an ethnic Italian who was born in Ethiopia to a cousin of the late Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie I. The late Emperor was born Lij Tafari Makonnen and would later become known as Ras Tafari, the divine figure of the Rastafarian faithful across the world.

Signor Ernesto’s father was a prisoner of war during one of the many Italian-Abyssinian armed conflicts. After his release, he married the late Emperor’s cousin. He was a master builder and mosaic tile artist who built the Emperor’s palace and the Kulubi St. Gabriel Church. Young Ernesto was Signor Vittorio Spinelli’s apprentice, but he would later train as a chef in Europe and would ply his trade at the stately St. James Club in Antigua and later at his own Baci Ristorante in Denver, Colorado. That restaurant became a favorite visiting spot for American Chef Julia Child.

Signor Ernesto and his wife Patricia arrived in Costa Rica a few years ago and noticed that many of the elements of the Slow Food movement were already in practice here. He was simply following the advice of his father, Signor Vittorio, who often reminded him to slow down and enjoy life. Signor Vittorio’s advice particularly applies to cooking, building and laying down mosaic tile. Slower is better, and that’s what Signor Ernesto set out to do in Costa Rica in terms of gastronomy.

In issue #2 of Neotropica magazine, Signor Ernesto explained his vision of what he calls “Sloth Food”: buying produce from local farmers markets, encouraging others to grow at least small-scale organic gardens in their backyards, and taking time and dedication when preparing and consuming food.

The property that the artful pizza oven is located in, the Angel Valley Farm Bed and Breakfast, is being remodeled by a man who also has a colorful history. Gary Clegg is from Zimbabwe. He is very familiar with the African wilderness, and he runs a photographic safari and adventure consultancy business. Mr. Clegg and his family relocated to Collingwood, in the Ontario province of Canada, after political instability and turmoil hit his native Zimbabwe in the early 21^st century. Mr. Clegg describes his own life in the following blurb:

“I was born and raised in Zimbabwe, Africa and have spent most of my professional life working in the safari industry. I have guided walking tours in the lower Zambezi, backpacking and hiking tours throughout South Africa, 4X4 off-road adventure trips in Southern Central and East Africa, motorcycle tours including circumnavigating Africa, two Cape Town to Cairo trips, and a London to Cape Town trip. I have piloted high-end flying tours to some of the most remote lodges in Zambia and Botswana. I have a passion for adventure travel and photography.”

It is quite interesting how two expatriates with such fascinating backgrounds met here in Costa Rica, and it is obvious that they are both passionate about life and wish to enrich the experience of the communities they now call home.