San Remo Music Awards Spiced in Havana

As of  today, the San Remo Music Awards Festival made a significant contribution to the culinary relatonship between Cuba and Italy, when prestigious chefs prepared and presented typical dishes from both nations in this capital.

The interaction with artists and television shows hosts, who joined the demonstrations held in the 1930 Saloon at the Hotel Nacional, encircled the international meeting with greater singularity on its opening day, since it will run until Friday as part of the important cultural event from which Havana becomes the first stage in Ibero-America.

Italian chef Giuseppe Lettieri, with his Margarita pizza; the bartender Ernesto Luis Pérez, with his flair show (free) and his Canchánchara cocktail; and the chef Diosdado González Ilizastigui from Artemisa with his Roast Pork dish, were presented to culture directors and specialists, culinary associations and bartenders, tourism, and other sectors.

The master baker Yosvany Pérez Herrera, from Havana also presented his dessert Thousand Leaves with chocolate cream; and chefs Carlo Spina, from Italy, his Risotto, and Miguel Ángel Jiménez, a Spaniard resident in Cuba for 10 years, who created a dish based on fresh pasta, black bean flour, pesto sauce, and moringa.

Eddy Fernández, president of the Association of Culinary Federations in the country, told the Cuban News Agency that this meeting reaffirms the relationship between Cuban cuisine, cultural heritage, and the Italian cuisine, present in the Cuban roots.

There is a lot of empathy between its peoples and artists, he said, which is why the presence of our gastronomy, dishes and typical drinks of Cuba in cultural or diverse events of the European nation is a good incentive, even for Italian tourism visiting us, being able to taste them and even learn about the contributions and creativity of the new Cuban actors or entrepreneurs.

Fernández pointed out that the exhibition and sale of copies of Arte Chef publishing house is part of the meeting, and in this regard, he explained that some of the 75 books published by that institution are present, many of which are highly popular, especially among housewives.

In addition to the culinary event, the San Remo Music Awards program, from April 5-10, includes concerts, an international business fair, a fashion show, and an interpretation contest with 16 finalists from almost all Cuban provinces.