Cuban Food | Travel Guide | Recipes | Calle Ocho | Parties | Miami Restaurants | USA Restaurants
There are more than 200 recipes in your books. If I have your cookbooks at home, which recipe should I try first?
Raúl: We recommend going right to the drink recipes. Fix yourself a mojito or a Cuba Libre, find a comfortable chair by the pool, and just relax. After a drink or two, you’ll forget all about cooking anything!
Jorge: Although that describes the beginnings of several of our meals, we do need to get serious here.
Glenn: Yes, seriously, go with the Arroz con Pollo -- chicken and rice. Everybody loves this dish and it is very easy to make!
You guys are Miami experts. Can you tell us three food experiences a visitor to Miami should not miss?
Jorge: Don’t leave Miami without drinking a glass of guarapo (sugar cane juice), eating a fresh pastelito (Cuban pastry) from a good Cuban bakery, and trying a delicious Cuban sandwich.
Raúl: Drink a cafecito at a walk up window in any Cuban neighborhood.
Glenn: Two words -- Cuban bread. Make sure you get a fresh warm bakery loaf. Add a little sweet cream butter and you will truly believe you are in heaven.
Jorge: I guess that’s five things -- but that’s just like us, always going overboard.
What are some of the basic flavors of Cuban cooking?
Glenn: The base of s
o many recipes is sofrito, a combination of onions, green peppers, and garlic all lightly sautéed together with olive oil.
Jorge: Citrus flavor is also very dominant. Most common is the sour or bitter orange, which is used as the base for mojo.
Raúl: Mojo is a marinating sauce made with sour orange, garlic, black pepper, oregano, and salt. It is used to marinate just about every type of meat and fish. I love it!
Glenn: We have occasionally caught Raúl drinking mojo straight out of the mortero!
Raúl: Hey, it’s a Cuban thing...
What is your best cooking tip for someone who wants to be a really good Cuban cook?
Raúl: Taste it! If you’re not eating all the while you’re cooking, you’ll never be a good cook.
Jorge: There are so many little adjustments you can make during the preparation of a recipe and having a flair for knowing what to do...
Raúl: ...and when...
Jorge: ...is a real talent.
Glenn: Follow the recipe, yes, but also adjust the seasonings as you go to make the food taste the way you like it.
In other words, salt and pepper to taste?
Jorge: We think it goes beyond that and it involves a little creativity and a lot of tasting!
Glenn: When someone first said, “Never trust a skinny chef,” they knew what they were talking about.
Raúl: They certainly weren’t talking about any of us!
What is the favorite activity of the Three Guys from Miami besides cooking?
Raúl: We all love to fish and we do that whenever we can.
Jorge: Raúl has a great little boat and we do a
lot of fishing in the Florida Keys.
Glenn: We also like to eat out and to travel.
Raúl: And we’ve never passed up a great party!
Jorge: We are blessed in that we can combine our various interests with our websites. We cover not only Cuban food and recipes, but also many aspects of Cuban culture.
Glenn: We also do restaurant reviews for Cuban restaurants all over the United States on one of our sister sites, CubanFoodUSA.com.
Raúl: Our websites keep us very busy!
Do you guys have a restaurant in Miami and where is your restaurant located?
Jorge: People are surprised to find out that we don't have a restaurant. In fact, we have never had a restaurant.
Raúl: We have EATEN in a lot of restaurants.
Glenn: We are just Three Guys who love Cuban culture, enjoy a good party, and love to cook Cuban food. Hey, haven’t we said that before somewhere?
Jorge: As we’ve said, we aren't classically trained chefs -- we learned all of our skills in the kitchen and at the table!
Raúl: Yes, we have spent A LOT of time at the table.
Jorge: Our “happiness curves” (patting his stomach) continue to grow!
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