For the first time in the country, an orchid center is visited by such a world renowned and prestigious figure as Martha Stewart.
For the first time in the country, an orchid center is visited by a world renowned figure as prestigious as Martha Stewart.
Ruth López, an enterprising woman dedicated for more than 18 years to orchid cultivation, tells with special passion the impact of this visit that marked her career.
A sudden and improvised entrance and a person dressed very elegantly, but with a friendly, close and simple manner became a memorable event both for the country and for one of our most dedicated entrepreneurs to orchid cultivation.
And it was not for less, because for the first time in our history a celebrity of the category of Martha Stewart, television presenter, expert in cooking recipes, designer and American entrepreneur, visited Orquidomus, one of the best known orchid centers in the Dominican Republic, located in Santo Domingo and owned by Doña Ruth Lopez.
Doña Ruth says that what impressed her most about Martha’s visit was her simplicity and the fact that she chose to visit only this place about orchid species. Martha acquired several types of orchids that she does not have on her farm in New York.
Ruth Lopez has more than 18 years dedicated to the cultivation of different species of orchids, ferns and agaves. She started growing orchids in the backyard of her house and from there she grew until she received a special motivation from a friend who invited her to visit a very famous orchid fair in Singapore.
She also lived for some time in the United States, where she worked for many years, especially in Pennsylvania, and had several children, among them the Dominican-American politician Tomas Ramos, former congressional candidate for the Bronx and founder and CEO of Oyate Groups, Bronx Rising Initiative.
Martha arrived in the company of a woman, who was the one who took the photos with her cell phone. “She came directly from Casa de Campo to my business and she told me that she searched the internet and this was the orchid site that caught her attention the most because of the great variety that I have. She didn’t visit any other place of this type.”
“I didn’t realize it was her. She was walking with another person and a mask. A tall, blonde, well-dressed lady accompanied by a man said to me: ‘Do you speak English because the lady doesn’t speak Spanish,’ and I said: ‘Sure, and where are you from? I asked her in English, and she said: ‘I’m from New York, I’m Martha Stewart,’ and I looked astonished and she said ‘yes,'” said Lopez, astonished.
I have been, she adds, since my youth, a fan of Martha Stewart for many years because she is a figure, an icon of the kitchen and famous magazines. Very polite, very leisurely, she took her time to go through every part of my nursery and walk through it with dedication. She showed me pictures of her farm in New York and invited me to visit. She is a lover of species that only bloom once a year. She showed me photos of her citrus crops and orchid and fern species.
