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E-Newsletter
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City Scope Magazine Awards for Terra Nostra
(December, 2005)
Voted best Wine List and Best Appetizers for 2005
Wine on Frazier
(December 18, 2005)
Come enjoy Wine on Frazier, sample many different wines
brought by Riverside Wine as well as numerous appetizers made by Terra
Nostra. From 5pm to 7pm Sunday December 18, 2005.
Another adventure for the Terra Nostra Tapas Race Team
(September 2004)
Once again this year, Chef Owner Efren Ormaza organized
a whirlwind one-week combination racing and humanitarian trip to his home
country of Ecuador. This time, along with the racing effort, our mission
included generous donations of toys, clothes, school supplies and money
to the SOS Aldea de Ninos Orphanage at Ibarra, coincidentally not far
from the Yahuarcocha race track where we would race.
The orphanage visit was truly an emotional highlight of
the trip. Meeting the orphanage staff and especially the children
confirmed what a worthy effort we had made, one which we will certainly
continue into the future. In typical Efren style, we were met with TV
cameras to document our visit and gain valuable exposure for the
orphanage. And when race day arrived, the stands were full of those same
children because Efren had arranged for them to be able to attend and
watch our efforts on the track. (Click on image to enlarge)
And, speaking of “Efren style", our racing effort
sure showed it – it must be similar to what happens in the kitchen at
Terra Nostra Tapas. Chaos and quick decisions, combined with the right
ingredients, make the perfect dish! So it was with our race car. Although
Efren’s brother David had done huge amounts of work to convert the car
from a stock Suzuki Swift to an all-out race car, when we arrived the car
had never ‘set foot’ on a race track. Initially the car was handling like
a demon, but after Efren and David directed major changes, the car
transformed itself just in time for the race. Our effort was handicapped
by Efren’s generous insistence on sharing the driving with Joe Elwell who
was visiting from California, and we were beaten only by three cars that
did not waste the time on the driver change. In our hearts, this was a
win, and our confidence will be high when we are able to visit Ecuador
again and compete in an upcoming 6 hour race in November, where driver
changes are the norm. (Click on image to enlarge)
News Archive:
TERRA NOSTRA FEATURED ON SOUTHERN LIVING
MAGAZINE
( MAY 2004 )
A May race in YAHUARCOCHA, Ecuador
(May 2004)
Sometimes you should follow your feelings...everything seemed difficult
when we started trying to ship the race car. Four days before the race,
the car was still not there. I departed on the morning of Wednesday May
19th; my flight had two connections: one in Cincinnati and the other in
Miami. We got to Cincinnati on time, and that's where the trouble began.
The flight to Miami was cancelled, which forced me to stay overnight and
loose one precious day. When I arrived in Quito at midnight on Thursday,
time seemed to go by even faster. I barely had time to unpack my bags,
give away a few souvenirs to my family, and chat a bit. Before we knew
it, it was Friday Morning. At 8am it was time to go to the custom's
office with little hope and a desperate effort to clear the car. At 4pm,
the office had closed and the race car was still caught in customs. On
Sunday, 120 children were expecting me to be ready to compete at the big
race. After a couple of hours on the phone, I finally got a rental
racecar and a taxi cab to take me to Ibarra to get ready for the race.
Before I knew it, it was Saturday Morning, qualifying day. Prior to
receiving the car at the track, I had to stop and meet the children at
" ALDEA DE NIÑOS S.O.S." and furnished them with clothing,
toys, money and passes to the race as I promised. The Qualifying session
lasted only 30 minutes and started at 11:00 am. After all the
formalities, I got to the track at 10:30, but of course the car was not
there. After a few minutes, I found the car but not the owner, so I
decided to change clothes and jump in it anyway. The crew chief
approached me and asked," What the hell you think you're
doing??" After explaining to him what had happened, he realized who
I was and I was ready to drive the car, yet the crew chief told me the
car had no gas. The owner of the car later arrived and told me the car
already had gas. The crew chief had lied to me. I was ready to go.
Between this and that there were only five minutes left, which meant two
laps, leaving me on an not very good 5th position on the starting grid
and a big headache. Race day, Sunday 9:00 am, I was finally able to
practice 10 minutes, great! But the car handled like s…! All I could do
is play with the tire pressure a bit. The two-hour race started with Andy
(the owner of the car) at the wheel and he easily pulled from 5th to 3rd
by the end of the first hour. The car # 544 that had been in 2nd place
broke, letting Andy finish in 2nd place. The 30 minutes recess went by in
a heartbeat. The moment of the truth had come one more time. I started in
2nd place, things were fine until the first right hand turn (El Curvón )
where at least five cars passed me like I was standing still. Little by
little, lap after lap I regained positions and got back to 2nd. After
furious fights against the " Monomarca " team (VW Golf
Challenge ), there were five laps to go, one of the VW (# 922) wrecked me
off the track leaving the car almost un-drivable and in the last lap, the
car died. After complaints, screams, and tears I found out that we
finished in 2nd place anyway because of the percentage of the time
completed. I got back home safe and sound where it took me two days to
rest from my mini vacation full of adrenaline.
(Click image to enlarge)
Foreigner in a Foreign Land (Race Report)
Racing is sometimes about helping others, rather than victory for
yourself. The selfless person understands, and the helpers do so for a
greater cause. Personal victory by itself is a hollow cause without those
to share it with.
Flashback, Ecuador, 2003, a medical mission that was not
to be and a race that was to be run. A Frankenstein of a car. A Geo
Metro, known as a Chevy Sprint in Ecuador, transformed into a race car.
One full liter of three cylinder power. Full, custom made header,
motorcycle carburetors, and a four cylinder four valve head hacked down to
three cylinders. The cam was broken apart and rewelded for the 120 degree
firing order and sent to Columbia for X-Ray inspection. The car was so
loud that ear plugs were not enough. The reverse gear was somehow
transformed into a forward gear giving it a six speed transmission.
"Frankenstein" really comes short of describing this beast.
But victory was not to be. The car broke during
qualifying, with pieces of the valve train lying in the top end, and a
nasty score down one cylinder wall. Amazingly the Equadorian master
mechanic had the engine pulled, overbored, all new pistons, new valve
train and rebuilt head, and reinstalled in the car in under twelve hours.
The car "Frankenstein" started the race and ran
strong for one hour of the six hour race, pulling from 11th place
qualifying to 5th place in that first hour with Efren Ormaza at the
wheel. Then disaster struck, with dirty fuel causing an extended pit stop
and a premature disqualification. After 45 minutes of arguing with
officials, the car was "undisqualified", but making up time
from a 45 minute pit stop is futile. The car did finish with Jim,
"THE DOCTOR", Osborn at the wheel fighting a valiant struggle
just to get the sputtering car to the finish line.
But good things did come of this trip. Contacts were made
with local medical officials that vowed that future medical missions
could be assisted by them, with help from government officials.
Now Open Sundays!
We're happy to announce that Terra Nostra is now open 7 nights a week!
Enjoy an extra night out or stop by for a glass of wine on our patio
after strolling on the Walnut Street Bridge and Frazier Avenue. We're
open from 4:30pm - 9:30pm every Sunday, with our full menu and wine list.
Medical Mission to Ecuador
Terra Nostra is joining forces with Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corps and Chili Pepper
Racing to bring free health care, dental care, eye care, and
veterinary services to isolated villages in Ecuador this September. Terra
Nostra Chef/Owner Efren Ormaza is spearheading this effort to help the
people of his native country and has enlisted the support of the
government, the military, and businesses in the Ibarra region to ensure the
success of the Remote Area Medical mission.
The expedition will likely include 15 to 20 health care
professionals and will treat an estimated 4,000 patients from September
14th to 27th, 2003. Efren has enlisted the support of the International
Race Track Yahuarcocha in Ibarra, and their Watt's 500km race will
coincide with the Remote Area Medical mission. A Terra Nostra/Remote Area
Medical car will compete in the race and will be driven by Efren and Dr.
Jim Osborn and John Osborn of Chili Pepper Racing.
If you'd like to support Remote Area Medical by donating,
volunteering, or contributing supplies, please drop by Terra Nostra for
more information.
Pictures from Winter
Wine Dinner - Jan. 28, 2003
Thanks for making our Winter Wine Dinner a success. We hope you enjoyed
it. We sure did. A special thanks to our guest speaker, Brian Leutwiler,
the Wine Manager for Riverside Wine & Spirits and Wine Class
Instructor for Chattanoga State. Click here to see PICTURES, or to review
the food and wine menu from that night.
New Wines
We change our wine list regularly to offer you the greatest variety in
town. We currently have 70 wines by the glass. If you haven't visited us
for a while, you're sure to find a number of new selections. This month's
new additions include some great 'food wines': Marques de Caceres Rioja
white from Spain ($5/glass or $20/bottle), Anapamu Pinot Noir from
Monterey, California ($7.50/glass or $35/bottle), and Ridge Coast Range
from Sonoma ($8.50/glass or $35/bottle).See complete
Terra Nostra wine list
New Patio Heaters Installed
We're happy to report that you can still enjoy beuatiful fall evenings on
our patio in total comfort, thanks to our new outdoor heaters. These
propane-burning "mushroom" heaters crank out clean, cozy, even
heat, so we can keep our patio open on cool days and night. Please stop
by and check them out..
Terra Nostra Team Finishes 3rd in Watt's 500
Chef owner Efren Ormaza, an accomplished competitive driver, placed 3rd
in the Watt's 500km at International Race Track Yahuarcocha in Ibarra
Ecuador on September 14, 2002. Efren shared driving duties with the owner
of the Suzuki Forza in the Aneta-sanctioned race. The car was sponsored
by Suzuki and Terra Nostra. Efren, driving in his first serious race in
10 years, was in 2nd and gaining on the leader near the end of the race
when the car overheated. See some pictures here.
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