Two-times James Beard Foundation Award Winner Chef Pernot was selected to help showcase Cuba’s past, present and future through creative culinary dishes presented to the New York community at the James Beard House April 23. Several other award-winning Latin American and Cuban chefs from across the U.S. also participated in the New York-based celebration honoring Cuba’s culinary heritage, which aimed to help raise funds for CasaCuba. According to FIU’s press release, CasaCuba will be located at the university’s Miami campus as “a leading intellectual and cultural center that will foster global understanding of Cuban affairs and culture through education, research, discussion and the arts.”
Chef Pernot, who helped create a wide range of Cuban culinary delights for event guests at the James Beard House, was honored to be a part of the special celebration and collaboration. “I always love cooking at the James Beard House. I thought this was a great way to contribute to the fantastic project that is CasaCuba,” Chef Pernot said. “I have always been interested in the Cuban culture, and I am committed to contributing my part to its preservation and development through the culinary arts.”
This event was only the first of many events to come in the future to help foster a better global understanding of Cuban culture and to benefit CasaCuba, according to FIU officials. “This special collaboration with five award-winning chefs, cookbook authors, and television personalities in one magical evening of culinary exquisiteness is just the first of many, many more experiences in the celebration of Cuba’s heritage, arts, food and culture,” said Michael Cheng, Dean of FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. For more information about CasaCuba and to stay in-the-know about upcoming events, click here.
Cover photo by Clay Williams for The James Beard Foundation, left to right: Michael Cheng, Dean of FIU's Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management; Chef Fernando Saralegui, Wink Restaurant & Wine Bustin, TX; CasaCuba Executive Director Maria Carla Chicuen; Chef Mark Paul, Wink Restaurant & Wine Bar, Austin, TX; Chef Victor Albisu, Taco Bamba and Poca Madre, Washington, D.C.; and Chef Guillermo Pernot, Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar.
About James Beard Foundation
James Beard Foundation promotes good food for good™. For more than 30 years, James Beard Foundation has highlighted the centrality of food culture in our daily lives. Through the James Beard Awards, unique dining experiences at the James Beard House and around the country, scholarships, hands-on learning, and a variety of industry programs that educate and empower leaders in our community, the Foundation has built a platform for chefs and asserted the power of gastronomy to drive behavior, culture, and policy change around food. To that end, the Foundation has also created signature impact-oriented initiatives that include our Women’s Leadership Programs aimed at addressing the gender imbalance in the culinary industry; advocacy training through our Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change; and The James Beard Foundation Leadership Awards that shine a spotlight on successful change makers. The organization is committed to giving chefs and their colleagues a voice and the tools they need to make the world a more sustainable, equitable, and delicious for everyone.
