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Guillermo Pernot bringing Cuban chefs to Philly in 2012
"This visit is a big deal, as it took a year to get approval from both governments and it's the first time a chef from Cuba has come to the U.S. to cook since the embargo was in put in place over 40 years ago."
Guillermo Pernot bringing Cuban chefs to Philly in 2012
Since the beginning of 2011, the team at Cuba Libre (10 S. Second St.) has rolled out more than a few surprises. While executive chef/co-owner Guillermo Pernot was busy prepping new piqueos (tangy ceviches, delightful baby octopus) and re-done Cubano classics (arroz con pollo with Manzanilla olives and asparagus salad), owners Larry Cohen and Barry Gutin were plotting their takeover of Marathon's 10th-and-Walnut location with chef Matt Levin. Just last week, though, Pernot, after travelling to his wife Lucia's hometown of Havana for culinary research (Pernot is Argentine), accomplished a longtime goal: bringing native Cuban chefs to Philadelphia for "Pop-up Paladares" dinners starting in January.
"This visit is a big deal, as it took a year to get approval from both governments and it's the first time a chef from Cuba has come to the U.S. to cook since the embargo was in put in place over 40 years ago," says Gutin of the pop-ups, named after the restaurants that are often set inside a chef's own home. The first chef in the series (Jan. 11-13) is Luis Alberto Alfonso Perez of Cuba's El Gijonés, Bar Oviedo, La Terraza and Asturias. I recently spoke to Pernot in more detail about the historic series.
Meal Ticket: You visited Havana on three separate occasions in the last year. With each visit, were there specific foods and chefs you were on the lookout for?
Guillermo Pernot: The goal of each of my visits was mainly to seek out the most talented chefs in Havana. During my first visit, I really had to find out who these chefs are, and I did that with the help of some very special people. They made the introductions, and from there, I was exposed to some of the most forward-thinking culinary minds in Cuba. I didn't go with certain dishes or foods in mind, but I wanted to try those signature dishes that these chefs were creating.
MT: What were the foods you were most impressed with that you maybe didn't know so much about?
GP: I have to say, I ate a lot of malanga [a root vegetable often compared to taro] while I was in Cuba. Particularly they were served as fritters, and there was one paladar owned by a woman named Lillian, and after tasting the frituras de malanga at her place, I had to put it on [my] menu. Another chef that I met, Ivan [who will also visit Philadelphia as part of the series], really impressed me with his preparation of jutia, which is a Caribbean rodent. It was so delicious and prepared so delicately that I forgot what exactly it was that I was eating. It truly was impressive.
MT: How long was the process of getting approval from the American and Cuban governments for this project?
GP: We have been ultimately working on the entire project for about a year. There is a lot of paperwork involved and we worked with a consultant to assist us.
MT: What sort of gentleman is Luis? How do your cooking styles compare?
GP: Chef Lucio (pictured), which is how he is known in Havana, is a kind-spirited, fun and jovial guy. He is very altruistic and loves to help anyone in any possible way. He is very family-oriented. The similarity [between our styles] is simple: We both cook Latin food and are using the same ingredients to do so. The major difference is that I've got more resources and more worldwide experience than Lucio does. He lives on an island and this will be his first time leaving it!
MT: How and through what dishes will you two collaborate?
GP: On my last visit to Havana, I worked with chef Lucio on several different dishes from his menus, but I knew that it would evolve. The four-course menu that we put together features a variety of modern dishes, like lobster salad with pineapple sorbet and truffle oil-infused black sesame seeds, and also a few twists on traditional fare, like eggplant-wrapped ravioli with lamb ropa vieja filling served with an infusion of hierba buena, a Cuban herb similar to mint. He was very excited and wanted to do one menu each day of his visit, but what we've got now is the best, most interesting grouping of all the dishes.
MT: Do you think Philly, after all these years, understands the subtleties of Cuban cuisine and will appreciate the Pop-Up Paladares?
GP: It's clear that the Philadelphia food scene has evolved over the past decade. Philadelphia has really become a destination for foodies and those that live here and travel here are more and more excited about what’s unique and different. I think that the mystery behind Cuba is enticing to people, and discover the food that is being cooked in Cuban today is intriguing. This series will show guests what it's like to eat in a paladar in Cuba, without going a fraction of the distance. I hope that our guests come away from the dinner with a new or better understanding of what Cuban cuisine is, beyond rice, beans and pork.
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