Paladares

“Cuban food authorities call their home ‘this country of inventors,’ and this exhaustively researched and gorgeously photographed book reveals how necessity sparked culinary magic. When the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s and cut off economic support, the island nation was wracked with shortages. Home cooks responded with paladares—small restaurants in their houses, serving lovingly cooked dishes from whatever ingredients they could find. That spirit continues in Cuba today, and the best food on the island is still served by these entrepreneurs. I hope this book inspires greater understanding between the United States and Cuba, and more visits to these deeply personal restaurants. I know it will inspire us all to get cooking!”— Ted Allen, host of Chopped on Food Network“In any culture, the restaurant represents a window into both the future and the past of a society: Part private life and part public function, it is the centerpiece of almost any economy, representing continuity and contrast between rich and poor, creative strokes and conservative tendencies. In Paladares, Anya von Bremzen and Megan Fawn Schlow show us the unique intersection of cultures, history, and geography that define the home-cooking of Cuba as elevated within a closed-door restaurant. Illicit, familiar, and exotic, these recipes stand on their own but also together to capture a moment in time when the paladar is ushering in a new set of standards by which Cuban cuisine will come to be known.”— Alex Raij, chef and restauranteur (Txikito, La Vara, El Quinto Pino)“The recipes that are shared in this book are Anya von Bremzen and Megan Fawn Schlow’s contribution to keeping the traditions and hope of the Cuban people alive. This amazing cookbook shares the challenges and triumphs of some of the most innovative and improvising chefs in the world. Through the ingredients and techniques, you can begin to understand more about this incredible country and its people.”— José Andrés, chef and owner, minibar by José Andrés and ThinkFoodGroup“Filled with intimate sketches of the people behind paladares, and beautifully photographed food you can’t wait to make, Anya von Bremzen and Megan Fawn Schlow capture the surreal and confounding contradictions of present-day Cuba with remarkable insight. Your mind will race ahead to imagine the possibilities for an island forever on the verge.”— Ana Sofía Peláez, author of The Cuban Table: A Celebration of Food, Flavors, and History“This is a celebration of Cuban food, with recipes from paladar owners who re-create their menus on a daily basis based on available ingredients. Paladares captures the spirit of the country.”— Zarela Martinez, James Beard Award-winning author and chef