Interview with Josefa Gonzalez-Hastings, Master of Cuban Cuisine

This interview will make your mouth-water! Josefa Gonzalez-Hastings, the owner/proprietor, master of Cuban food at The Habana Café in St. Pete beach, Florida, and award-winning author of the The Habana Café Cookbook was kind enough to take the time to pass along some of her wisdom AND a recipe or two.

First things first, your food and your restaurant are simply amazing! My husband and I travel to St. Pete at least twice a year and always make it a point to come by for a meal at least twice; when possible we invite friends along who have never been there. Everyone we’ve taken has always raved. So, thank you for the delicious food.

I also want to thank for autographing a copy of your cookbook for me. Your book The Habana Café Cookbook is used at least once per week around our house. It won the Gourmand Award for best cookbook in its class. How did it feel to receive such an honor?

It didn’t seem real!  I was there and when they called out my name it’s like I didn’t even hear it.  My husband had to nudge me & said “What are you doing?”  “Get up there, you won.”  It was such a moment that will always be with me.

Cuban cuisine is a blend of so many cultures, so many flavors: Spanish, African, Chinese, Indian and one can sense that in your recipes and in the restaurant. And yet, often when I visit other Cuban establishments the meals seem centered around black beans, rice, yucca, and plantain only. Is it important to you to show the wider influence in your food?

Yes! Although I have a lot of traditional dishes I also like to put in some fusion.  Some of the most popular dishes – i.e. Summer Dill Chicken and Champagne Chicken are my creations that have nothing to do with Cuban food.

Your book lets us see how deep an influence family has been, and is on your life. How much of your cooking would you say is directly influenced by family? Old family recipes? Cooking technique? That sort of thing.

My influence is All family! No doubt about it.  My mom and her sisters always loved cooking and always made it fun.  Cooking was a past time not a chore.

If you met someone who said, “I don’t really like Cuban food” what meal would you prepare to change their mind?

 It would either be the roast pork or a paella even if it’s more of a Spanish dish that Cuban.

What meal do you never get tired of preparing?

 Paella!

You offer so many delicious desserts do you have a favorite among them?

 Cream cheese flan!

Are you still developing new recipes, or do you find that you simply hone your standard work to make it better and better?

 Yes, always coming up with new things.  Will run them as specials.

You being the expert in Cuban cuisine, if you were not allowed to cook Cuban food anymore, what other cuisine would you choose to master? Italian? Chinese? What?

 Italian, my second favorite food!

I would like to post one recipe from your book on the blog to let people try it themselves to see how amazing your work is. Which recipe would you select for them to try?

 I would go with the roast pork and the paella and for dessert I would go with the cream cheese flan.

Thank you so much for your time; it’s been an honor. I look forward to the next time I sit at one of the tables in the Habana Café and eat the best Cuban cuisine I’ve ever eaten.

If you ever find yourself in Tampa or the Tampa Bay area, do yourself a favor and take the time to visit this amazing place.

And whether you go or not, her cookbook is simply amazing. Why not sample some of her creations in your own home?

Live out loud!

Eat well doing it!

As for the recipes she mentioned, here’s the one for her delicious Roast Pork. If you want the recipes for her Paella and Cream Cheese Flan, put your money where your mouth is and support Josefa’s creativity while doing it.

LECHON ASADO (ROAST PORK WITH MOJO SAUCE)

4 to 6 pound Boston butt

4 Seville oranges, juiced

½ c olive oil

4 Tbsp Badia complete seasoning

4 Tbsp garlic, minced

4 Tbsp dried basil

4 Tbsp dried oregano

4 Tbsp onion powder

2 cups Chablis

½ c water

1 bottle Goya mojo criollo or Badia mojo marinade

Rinse pork butt and put in a large roasting pan.

In a large bowl, mix all other ingredients together with a whisk.  Pour half of this mixture over the butt, turn it over, and pour remaining mixture over the other side.

Cook butt fat side down and covered with aluminum foil.  Cook at 350 degrees for 3 ½ to 4 hours, depending on size.  When pork butt is done, the bone should easily pull out.

To make extra mojo sauce, in a medium saucepan put all of the sauce ingredients above, except use only 1 cup of Chablis and do not use any water.  Bring to a boil.

NOTE: Do not use dripping from the pan for the mojo sauce.       8 servings