From our friends at Cuba Libre...
From Friday, October 2nd through Wednesday, October 7th, Chef-Partner Guillermo Pernot of Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar, located steps from CityCenterDC at 801 9th Street, NW, 20001, will bring an intimate group of 20 travelers to Havana, Cuba. He will be leading them on an adventure to experience cultural and culinary treasures on the island. Working with Cultural Contrast (http://www.culturalcontrast.org), the leading provider of authorized people-to-people travel to Cuba for U.S. citizens, Chef Pernot will help foster first-hand connections between Americans and Cubans as the group navigates bustling city life, historic landmarks and discovers the new tastes of Cuba.
The group will depart from Miami, Florida and head to Cuba for a six-day, five-night journey through Havana. The culinary tour is open to the public and costs $3699 per person for double occupancy accommodations and $3999 for single occupancy. The cost includes round-trip airfare via American Airlines; five-star accommodations in Havana; tips given to service staff while in Cuba; all meals; each day’s guided activities; U.S. Treasury Department License and Letter of Authorization from Cultural Contrast; an English-speaking Cuban tour guide; all entrance fees for scheduled activities; all Cuban ground transportation, transfers and taxi fares to restaurants, paladares and other scheduled destinations. The cost excludes the expense of traveling to Miami before departure, emergency medical evacuation, trip cancellation coverage, air and visa processing fees (estimated $100), a departure tax of $25, baggage fees and alcoholic beverages. For more information about joining the trip to Cuba please email: info@cubalibrerestaurant.com.
“It is always such a pleasure to be able to introduce others to this beautiful country with such a remarkable history, but to be able to do it in a time when the United States and Cuba are continuing to forge a positive, diplomatic relationship is truly an incredible opportunity,” says Chef-Partner Guillermo Pernot. “The culture, heritage and of course, the flavors of Cuba are so unique and unforgettable. It is a destination that everyone should experience.”
Five-star hotel accommodations will be provided by Parque Central Hotel, an elegant hotel located on beautiful Central Park in the heart of Havana. The program, which highlights meaningful interactions with the people of Cuba, will include activities such as a walking tour of historic Old Havana with stops at the famous Cathedral Square, Plaza de Armas and the City Museum; a trip to the Artechef, The Havana Culinary School to learn about Cuba’s culinary education system from some of the most experienced Cuban chefs; a stop at the Havana Farmers Market, one of the largest open-air farmer’s markets in Havana; a visit to a tobacco plantation in Viñales to learn the art of rolling a cigar; explore some of Cuba’s natural historic caves by boat; a visit to the Cuban Museum of Voodoo; a trip to the small fishing village of Jaimanitas to visit the Gaudi-inspired mosaic tile neighborhood project of world-renowned artist Jose Fuster; Morro Castle, the historic Spanish fortress built in 1589; a visit to the Havana Club Rum Museum and H. Upman Cigar Factory; a trip to “Finca Vigia,” Ernest Hemingway’s Cuban home where he lived from 1939-1960 and penned “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “The Old Man and the Sea”; excursions to the neighborhoods of Cojimar and Miramar, and a visit to one of the most successful organic urban farms in Cuba.
In addition to dining at the hotel, guests will travel to numerous local paladares, Cuba’s popular restaurants typically set inside a chef’s own home as well as other restaurants. Renowned paladares on the itinerary include Doña Eutimia; La Guarida; El Aljibe, Havana’s historic chicken and rice restaurant with a 100-year-old secret family recipe; the restaurant of Ivan Chef Justo housed in a colonial home in Havana Vieja; Restaurante Mangle Rojo, a popular Cuban hangout and personal favorite of Chef Pernot; El Litoral; Ajiaco Paladar, in the town of Cojimar, where Ernest Hemingway dined daily alongside his boat captain, and Cocina de Lilliam.
Award-winning Chef Guillermo Pernot traveled to Cuba three times in 2011 and again once in 2012. Each voyage has brought new inspiration to Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar’s exciting menu, reflecting the current culinary movement that is emerging in Cuba. Chef Pernot is the first American chef in over 40 years to cook in the embargoed country. He has earned numerous awards here in the United States and is one of the leading chefs in today’s culinary scene representing Latin American food. He is a two-time James Beard Award Winner, once for “Best Chef of the Mid-Atlantic Region” and again for his book ¡Ceviche! Seafood, Salads and Cocktails with a Latino Twist which was named “Best Single Subject Cookbook”. His former restaurant ¡Pasión! received numerous awards from magazines such as Philadelphia Magazine, Gourmet, and Fodor's. Pernot was named Esquire’s “Chef of the Year”, and was also name one of Food & Wine’s “America’s Ten Best New Chefs as well as Restaurant Hospitality’s “Ten Rising Stars.”
Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar is located at 801 9th Street (corner of H Street), NW, Suite A in Washington, DC. Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar serves lunch weekdays, brunch on Saturdays and Sundays and dinner nightly. For more information please call (202) 408-1600, or visit www.CubaLibreRestaurant.com.
About Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar:
Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar opened in Philadelphia in 2000, Atlantic City in 2004, Orlando in 2009 and Washington DC in 2010 to much acclaim, giving guests a passport to Cuba's intriguing flavors and culture. The restaurant’s name, which translates to “a free Cuba,” signifies a hope for the future of the treasured island nation. Two-time James Beard Award-winning Chef-Partner Guillermo Pernot’s menus feature tantalizing tastes that reflect Cuba’s culinary traditions, as well as the emerging modern cuisine he is experiencing during his continuing travels to Cuba. Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar is poised for expansion into other new markets. The restaurant is an affiliate of GuestCounts Hospitality which operates a diverse portfolio of restaurant, catering, and nightlife concepts in Philadelphia, Atlantic City, Orlando and Washington, DC including, Brûlée Catering by Chef Jean-Marie Lacroix, and Gourmetro Catering. Principals Barry Gutin and Lawrence Cohen bring a unique combination of expertise to each of their projects and have been partners in the hospitality business since 1995. For more information about Cuba Libre, please visit www.CubaLibreRestaurant.com. For more information on GuestCounts Hospitality please visit www.GuestCounts.com or call (215) 922-3200 x132.
