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| Chef Angel Roque explained Cuban cooking techniques to the author in the cozy restaurant space |
Though I have never set foot on that faraway Caribbean island, I believe that cuisine can be the closest gateway to understanding a nation's soul. Thus, during a business trip in late 2025, at the Cuba Libre restaurant in Orlando (Florida, the USA), I had a chance to embark on that journey with Chef Angel Roque, the first Cuban I have ever met.
The story of an American who loves Cuban culture
After a polite handshake, he took me for a “stroll” through a miniature Cuba. Cuba Libre appeared as a slice of Havana in the heart of Orlando: an ethereal ambiance in the soft glow of flickering candlelight, tropical colors, vintage-inspired interiors, and the lively sounds of Latin Jazz. Every detail here is carefully curated to create a gentle “escape” from daily life, staying true to the philosophy that the restaurant has upheld for over two decades: bringing diners closer to Cuban culture through culinary experiences.
“Master chef” Angel led me to the second floor and slowly introduced: “Founded in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) in 2000, and expanding to Atlantic City (New Jersey), Orlando (Florida), and Washington, D.C., Cuba Libre is not only a restaurant brand, but also a story of heritage. Under the hands of Chef Guillermo Pernot, a two-time James Beard Award winner, Cuban cuisine is retold in a contemporary language that both respects tradition and remains open to the world. Interestingly, the founder of this restaurant chain has never been to Cuba. After Chef Pernot retired in late 2023, Cuban culinary culture has continued to be preserved and developed by “Culinary Directors”, including myself, bringing Cuban flavors beyond geographical barriers to reach international diners.”
He pointed to a large painting hung in the main area of the restaurant, and explained the architecture of the Capitol Building and the surrounding community. When speaking of Havana, he spoke of old streets and neighborhoods weathered by time, where music drifts from balconies, the aroma of food wafts from small kitchens, where people live slowly and cook as if they are telling the story of their own lives.
He then spoke of his Vietnamese students attending a vocational cooking school where he teaches once a week. In his story, he unexpectedly mentioned President Ho Chi Minh, General Vo Nguyen Giap, and the school named after Vo Thi Thang - figures he respects for their spirit of independence, resilience, and patriotism. To him, Cuba and Vietnam share a history of struggle and loss.
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| Cuban flan with milk sauce |
Telling the story of Cuba through every delicious flavor
It was surprising to find that this chef, who had spent 11 years in the kitchen and now holds a senior management position, overseeing system development and managing menus across the USA, still speaks of food like a true chef, in a meticulous and deeply emotional manner.
For this Cuban chef, the country's cuisine is not meant for haste. He spoke of Cuban dishes with a slow rhythm, just like the way how Cubans live and love. “Slow cook” is not only a technique, but also a cultural philosophy.
He recalled learning to cook from his mother. For every home cook in Cuba, food is not merely a meal, but a form of storytelling. Each Cuban dish carries history, family memories, and the resilience of a people who have learned to love life even in hardship. This became his greatest inspiration to introduce Cuban cuisine and culture to international diners.
Chef Angel added: “Cuban cuisine is an intersection of many cultural layers: Spanish roots, African influences, Caribbean ingredients, and creativity born from scarcity. When cooking for international guests, a chef is not just serving a meal, they are sharing the identity of Cubans: warmth, joy, and a sense of community. The moment a diner first “touches” Cuba through the flavors on their plate carries more meaning than any introduction.” At this point, I began to feel “passionate” about Cuban sugar mentioned in the poem I once learned, “touching” the resilient spirit of Cuba in every dish.
For Vietnamese diners discovering Cuban cuisine for the first time, he recommends Ropa Vieja as an ideal choice. Like many Vietnamese dishes, Ropa Vieja is slow-cooked, rich in layers of flavor, and designed for people to gather around the table, telling the story of Cuba in a single… bite. This shredded beef stew with tomato sauce, peppers, onions, garlic, and spices not only is Cuba's most famous dish, but also represents a sense of family, patience, and history.
Alongside the food, he introduced the world-famous cocktail: the Mojito. The Mojito is one of Cuba’s most iconic culinary - cultural symbols, embodying the free, fresh, and vibrant spirit of the Caribbean. A traditional mojito is made from Cuban rum, fresh mint leaves, lime, cane sugar, and soda, simple yet sophisticated. A sip reveals the tartness of lime, the coolness of mint, the sweetness of cane, and the warm spice of rum, refreshing yet deep.
He said: “Mojito is not only a drink, but also an image of Havana’s vibrant and music-filled streets, golden afternoons, where people slow down to talk, laugh, and enjoy life in the spirit of ‘Cuba Libre’: freedom and a love for life.”
He also spoke of stewed plantains, which require time for their natural sweetness to gradually unfold. The milk sauce for the flan is steamed continuously for five hours, creating a Cuban flan that is firmer in texture and richer in flavor than Vietnamese flan; so that when the sauce is poured over it, each spoonful melts slowly and perfectly. Some pork dishes are stewed for up to 10 hours until the meat becomes so tender that it melts in your mouth, no chewing needed, just a gentle swallow and a savoring of it. To him, Cuban cuisine is also a story of patience of families gathered around a stew pot all day, of memories and love tested by time.
When asked about the difficulty of achieving the “authentic flavors” of his homeland’s cuisine, he explained: “Recreating the full flavors of Cuba in the USA is not easy. Many traditional ingredients, from spices and agricultural products to handcrafted products, are nearly inaccessible due to long-standing trade and cultural barriers between the two countries. Being unable to return to Cuba frequently also makes it hard to stay updated on latest developments in his homeland’s cuisine. In such circumstances, I must cook using memory, technique, and emotion, recreating flavors from available ingredients while preserving the true soul of each dish.”
Looking at Vietnamese cuisine, the seasoned chef also recognized many profound similarities. Both culinary traditions place the meal at the center of family and community, where love, care, and identity are shown. Dishes are made from simple ingredients, yet imbued with resilience, adaptability, and respect for tradition - values that transcend all geographical boundaries.
He has a particular fondness for Asian cuisine in general, and a special love for Vietnamese cuisine. The harmony moves him: dishes that are cooked slowly and carefully, with family memories and love. “Vietnamese and Cuban cuisines meet at the heart,” he affirmed. “Our meals are not just about filling the stomach, but about keeping people together.”
When I invited him to Vietnam, he listened with a friendly smile. “In Vietnam,” I told him, “If you say you are from Cuba, people will treat you like family.”
As for me, the experience was not merely a meal, but a way to understand more about a heroic country that I admire through its flavors, music, and stories told by food. And when I cannot yet visit this country, cuisine is sometimes the shortest bridge to touch the culture of a people.
Leaving Cuba Libre, I felt as though I had left my heart behind…