NYT Baracoa Picks

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Sunday lunch,Aristide’s Restaurant<br />
Baracoandao, Baracoa Cuba<br />
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With a couple I met from Prague, we made reservations for a big lunch at Aristide’s restaurant on our last day in Baracoa, before taking the bus to Santiago.  He presented an incredible spread of local vegetables (many from his garden) and beans, and explained every dish.<br />
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(Ed note: I can provide details of each dishif needed, it’s on a video)<br />
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Aristide is a master, artisan chef.  It’s hard to find a good meal in Cuba.  In six visits to the island, his food stands out.  He says he’s had offers to open restaurants in the Brazil and the U.S., but he wants to build his restaurant in Baracoa.  It was striking to hear, that while so many Cubans are suffering and are desperate to leave the island, he seemed energized and is eager to keep building his business.<br />
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When admiring customers ask why he hasn’t written a cookbook, he replies that he doesn’t cook by recipe and ad libs dishes each time.<br />
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He cooks most of his meals on a simple, portable  electric fryer.  In the tough Cuban economy, ’s difficult for him to get basic kitchen supplies. He asked if I would bring a simple grater next time I come to Cuba.<br />
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For most of his life, he was an accomplished photojournalist in Havana.
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