Alexis Alvarez Armas – #1 Chef of Cuba

Meet the “#1 Chef of Cuba”, Alexis Alvarez Armas.  Triple AAA – I wonder if his lovely mother chose his name with that in mind?  I’ll begin by telling you how I found Alexis.  Then I’ll share my experience at his home as he prepared an 18 dish dinner for that blew my socks off.  Sound a little over the top?  If it does, let me say, “that’s the kind of experience I most enjoy!”.

I discovered Alexis when I inquired in a FB group about Cuba regarding recommendations for cooking classes.  One person , whom I do not know made a simple comment, “Alexis Alvarez Armas is the best chef in Cuba”.  I took his name from that comment and began to investigate.  He was not the easiest guy to track down but when I did, I sent him a message and quickly found out he does not speak ANY English!  No way was I going to let that little barrier get in the way.

We quickly found a way to communicate using Google translator for me anyway, and we set a date for dinner.  The original plan was to have a driver, as he is about half an hour out of Havana, a translator and dinner.  Sometimes things don’t go as planned – right?  On this day they did not, but the adventure was one of my favorites none the less.

During the afternoon I was relaxing in the apartment in Havana when the land line began to ring.  Something told me to answer – so I did.  The call was for me and it was someone telling me that the translator’s car had broken down and I would be picked up by a different driver/translator.  It was fine and I was ready when the vintage car arrived at 6pm.  The driver named Robert began the drive out to San Jose de las Lajas, he was also the new designated translator.  He did his best but it was difficult to learn everything I wanted to know about the food. Thankfully this didn’t hinder the deliciousness of the dishes Alexis prepared.

Upon arrival at Alexis’ home I was warmly greeted by the chef and his mother – a beautiful and delightful woman who I instantly felt a bond with.  No English spoken by her either but no matter, with my limited Spanish we worked it out!  Her contribution to the meal was frying the plantains, one of my favorites and she nailed it.  They were delicioso!

Dish after dish appeared out of the tiny, open air kitchen.  Deviled eggs, red pepper hummus, 3 different types of bread (one of my absolute favs).  Salsas, of different colors and flavors, 3 to be exact. All not only flavorful and delicious but visually pleasing.  Presentation is everything – well almost.

After the variety of appetizers were brought to the table a beautiful bowl of soup was presented.  A soup of beets, carrots, and pumpkin with a drizzle of heavy crema.  Colorful and again outstanding in flavor!  Followed by Mousse de pescado with mushrooms, artichokes and a tiny drizzle of honey.  My oh my!

You might imagine my stomach was already feeling a bit full and I had a hard time not wanting to devour the entire loaf of bread!  But this was just the beginning.  I took stroll into the kitchen to give my tummy time to digest a bit.  Next up the main meal dishes.  Tacos with beef and peppers, pork cooked in an earthenware pot for 14 hours with a black beer sauce, pork and chicken with corn and mushrooms.  Cuban gourmet!

Are you drooling yet?  You should be!  It turns out that not only is Alexis an amazing chef but a film maker extraordinaire too!  This is one area where not having a great translator failed me.  I was looking forward to hearing about his film making career as well as his culinary life.  Next time, I will get all of the scoop and a cooking lesson as well.

One last dish arrived as a main course before dessert was served.  It was an unusual cold fish dish marinated in oil and homemade vinegar with veggies.  Tender, succulent fish in the sour-tasting liquid was divine!  Turns out all of the food was sourced locally through farms and farmers.  I love that!

Lemon cakes with fresh mango and pineapple were the finale to this incredible meal.  One man, one country, one meal, one experience that I will never forget.  I will be back to Cuba.  I will visit Alexis Alvarez Armas and hopefully his madre.  I will communicate with him in his native tongue if I practice my Spanish hard enough.  We are friends forever – a Cuban chef and an American in Cuba!

If you are traveling to Cuba, want to meet the #1 Chef of Cuba and are interested in having this amazing experience email me and I will put you in contact with him.  You can also find him here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003923984335