Colombian magazine Placeres unveiled its second issue this week in Bogotá and is preparing to enter a new editorial phase in January, when it will begin publishing quarterly.
The project, spearheaded by Spanish businessman Jaime de Polanco, offers a contemporary lifestyle perspective that brings together gastronomy, travel, culture, and the experiences that turn everyday enjoyment into a way of discovering the world.
The launch took place Thursday at La Cometa art gallery in the Colombian capital, where guests from various fields gathered to discover the new edition. With an editorial approach that combines food-related content with stories about hotels, wine, art, fashion, watchmaking, and other aspects of the art of living well, Placeres aims to establish its own editorial niche in a market dominated by digital consumption and instant information.
According to Polanco, “its goal is to champion leisurely reading and high-quality storytelling as part of an experience that goes beyond trends.”
Placeres: Colombia’s magazine celebrating gastronomy, travel, and the joy of living
“The language of good taste” is the idea that underpins the publication’s identity. During the launch, Polanco championed a concept of pleasure that goes beyond luxury or the accumulation of possessions, emphasizing curiosity, knowledge, sensitivity, and the ability to appreciate the details.
The magazine aims to explain why certain places, people, products, and experiences deserve readers’ attention. Gastronomy takes center stage, sharing the spotlight with travel, hospitality, wine, art, literature, music, and design. The goal is to connect these worlds through their stories, the people behind them, and the crafts that bring them to life.
“Good taste is not inherited. It is cultivated, questioned, and shared around the finest of tables,” Polanco said as he presented the magazine’s editorial philosophy. The statement sums up an approach that seeks to move away from both ostentation and passing fads, appealing instead to an audience interested in understanding what lies behind a good meal, a distinctive destination, or a piece of design.
Gastronomy, travel, and life’s pleasures
Cuisine is one of Placeres’ main editorial pillars, with coverage spanning Colombia, Latin America, and Spain. The magazine uses gastronomy as a way to tell the stories of places, their traditions, and their transformations, while exploring the work of chefs, producers, and restaurants helping to reinvent culinary culture.
Wine and other beverages are also part of this journey, viewed not simply as products to be explored but as gateways to the landscapes, techniques, and people behind them. The table thus becomes a meeting place for cultures, generations, and different approaches to hospitality.
During Thursday’s event, Polanco expanded on this vision by discussing the “different pleasures” life has to offer. The magazine’s scope includes travel, discovering hotels with character, engaging with art, enjoying music, exploring design, and making time for experiences that, without necessarily being extraordinary, gain value through the way they are lived.
For international readers, this combination offers a way to discover Colombia beyond its best-known tourist destinations.
The country’s regional cuisines, local products, cultural offerings, and increasingly diverse experiences share the magazine’s pages with references to other Latin American countries and Spain, creating an editorial conversation that draws on the historical and cultural ties between both sides of the Atlantic.
Jaime Polanco, a businessman with deep roots in the media industry
The project is led by Jaime Polanco Soutullo, a Spanish businessman with an extensive career in the communications industry and decades of ties to Colombia. His career has been linked to the international expansion of Spanish-language media, particularly during his time at Grupo Prisa, where he held positions related to business development and the group’s international growth.
His connection to Colombia grew through his work in the media sector, including his involvement with Caracol Radio. Over time, he expanded his business activities in the country and took part in digital media initiatives, including Confidencial Colombia.
His experience has given him an understanding of both the Colombian market and the business and cultural connections between Latin America and Spain. Placeres represents a new chapter in that career: an editorial venture focused on gastronomy and lifestyle, with a distinct identity and a mission to bring audiences experiences that deserve to be told in depth.
“With this project, I’m not looking to make money, just to make sure it doesn’t cost me money, and so far, I’m achieving that. I want to launch a high-quality project for restaurants and lifestyle ventures,” the magazine’s editor told ColombiaOne.
The truth is that the “risk of a print project in the digital age” is, for now, earning the recognition that the quality of this ambition deserves. What began as an idea has become a reality, and its founder’s vision called for the kind of physical format the magazine now offers.
The joy of living: a quarterly publication starting in 2027
The launch of the second issue marks an important milestone for the magazine, which aims to establish a more regular editorial presence beginning in January 2027. A quarterly schedule will allow it to organize its content around a curated selection of stories and experiences, giving reporters the time to develop features that go beyond the immediate news cycle.
At a time when much of the information people consume is delivered quickly and in fragmented form, Placeres champions a publication that invites readers to pause, observe, and discover. Its challenge will be to turn that philosophy into a recognizable identity for Colombian and international readers while maintaining its connection to the region’s rich culinary and cultural heritage.
More than a restaurant guide or a conventional luxury magazine, Placeres aspires to foster a conversation about how to live better and appreciate what gives meaning to our experiences. Its second issue and the planned quarterly schedule represent the first steps in a project that presents good taste not as a label, but as a form of curiosity and a way of engaging with the world.