THE SOUL OF CUBAN CUISINE
W/ CHEF ENRIQUE
CUBAN COOKING - CLASS - WORKSHOP

DESCRIPTION
Participate in a sumptuous meal with one of the pioneers of the new food movement in Cuba. Enrique is a master chef who will take you into his world focused on reviving Cuba's rich food traditions. Located at his intimate gastropub restaurant in the suburbs of Havana, the experience consists of making an entire meal (appetizer, main course, dessert) that is enjoyed and eaten as lunch.

Enrique's specialty is creating food drawing from the rural traditions of Cuba "el cocina pobre" (poor people's cuisine) and adding some international touches. In rural Cuba people use basic ingredients and all parts of plants and animals in their cuisine. They cannot afford to throw anything away. Oxtail stew is an example.

THE EXPERIENCE
• An introduction including Enrique's story as a chef, the philosophy of "poor people's cuisine", and how he sources quality ingredients.

• Guests then participate in making "mojitos" a popular drink in Cuba. The drink originated in colonial times as a tonic, (made with the herb "yerba buena") to prevent sailors from getting scurvy - a prime example of "el cocina pobre".

• Next guests go to the kitchen to become familiar with the raw ingredients, help with food preparation, and see the techniques Enrique uses to create his dishes.

• Finally guests are seated at the table where Enrique does the final preparation of the food and guests partake in a sumptuous three course meal.

ABOUT ENRIQUE
Enrique was originally trained as an engineer in Cuba. Ten years ago he transitioned to being a chef. Self-taught, he grew up in a family of cooks and has researched Cuban cooking traditions in depth along with studying gastronomy in Europe.

activity type: workshop-class
your guides: Boogalu host-guide & specialty guide
location: Enrique's restaurant in Playa, Havana
languages: English-Spanish
duration: 3 hrs.
included: lunch and one drink / pickup & drop off
booking: see options below

Video - Cooking Enrique

FUSION CUBAN CUISINE W/ CHEF RAULITO
CUBAN COOKING - CLASS - WORKSHOP

DESCRIPTION
This workshop takes place in Raulito's restaurant located inside his family home in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana. The home has been remodeled to accommodate two spacious dining areas and a well equipped kitchen. Raulito's fusion cuisine utilizes traditional Cuban ingredients such as root vegetables (malanga, yuca, boniato), meats (pork, chicken, seafood), seasonings (pru oriental & sofrito) and tropical fruits (platano, mango, tamarindo) to create new combinations (fusions) of dishes and sauces. Raulito's cuisine draws inspiration from all the cultural roots of Cuba including: native, Spanish, African, French, and Chinese.

THE EXPERIENCE
On any given workshop day Raulito will be preparing dishes based on his current restaurant menu. Guests can select menu items they would like to help prepare plus Raulito offers other options depending on what is fresh in his larder. Sauces, herbs, and seasonings are central to his cuisine and he will teach many of the tricks and techniques he uses to blend flavors. Guests will help prepare the vegetables, tropical fruits, and the meats selected for lunch. Raulito also makes his own ice cream.

ABOUT RAULITO
Raulito spent two years working in his grandmother's Cuban paladar before he went to live in Montevideo, Uruguay in 2009. There he graduated from "Gato Dumas Colegio de Gastronomia" in 2012. In 2017 he open his own restaurant in his family home in Havana

activity type: workshop-class
your guides: Boogalu host-guide & specialty guide
location: Raulito's restaurant in Vedado, Havana
languages: English-Spanish
duration: 3 hrs.
included: lunch and drinks / pickup & drop off
booking: see options below

Video - Cooking Raulito

RUM TASTING W/ CHEF ENRIQUE
WORKSHOP - CLASS :::

THE EXPERIENCE
• The History.
Enrique explains the history as well as the traditions and modern techniques of rum making in Cuba.

• The Preparation.
Guests will be offered some bread and cheese to prepare their palate for the tasting.

• The View.s
Like wine tasting, looking at the color and how the rum moves it in the glass is all part of the evaluation.

• The Sniff.
Since rum has high alcohol content, sniffing needs to be done at a distance in order pick up the fine aromas.

• The Tasting.
There are a few special techniques for tasting rum that Enrique will explain in full.

The 5 differnt rums guests will be tasting range from the common rums drunk by Cuban locals to a 20+ year old rum that is considered one of the best.

Note: The video on this page includes a cigar tasting segment which may or may not be included as part of the rum tasting.

ABOUT ENRIQUE
Enrique became knowledgeable about rum by working in kitchens for the past ten years, doing his own research, as well as his relationships with experts who work for the Havana Club label.

activity type: workshop-class
your guides: Boogalu host-guide & specialty guide
location: Enrique's restaurant in Playa, Havana
languages: English-Spanish
duration: 2 hrs.
included: Cuban rums / cheese & bread / pickup & drop off
booking: see options below