At this stage, Alice Waters isn t scheduled to join the group, which will take a charter flight to H

In the last year, Chez Panisse chefs, staff, and alum have embarked on gourmet global diplomacy paris france apartment rentals trips to Japan (in an informal expedition under the auspices of a group known as OPENrestaurant ) and China (in a formal paris france apartment rentals affair the restaurant s owner, Alice Waters,  presided over herself.) Now comes word that a contingent from the acclaimed restaurant are headed to Cuba to plant seeds of change on the food and farming front and learn a thing or two about Cuban cuisine and growing greens from this Carribbean island country.
What s more the trip, scheduled for December 4-12, coincides with the Havana Film Festival paris france apartment rentals , and is open to the public. The delegation includes Chez Panisse downstairs chef Jerome Waag , former Chez Panisse pizzaiolo  Charlie Hallowell , Steve Sullivan from Acme Bread  (a former Chez Panisse chef), paris france apartment rentals and Cuban-American line cook Danielle Alvarez, who will set foot on Cuban soil for the first time.
At this stage, Alice Waters isn t scheduled to join the group, which will take a charter flight to Havana, said Varun Mehra, Waters personal assistant who is spearheading the nine-day itinerary, following a fact-finding trip to Cuba earlier this year, which he chronicled for Paper Magazine . ( Havana s food scene is changing rapidly and the Cuban government is phasing out its system of rations and cautiously allowing private restaurant ownership, Mehra noted in his travelogue. paris france apartment rentals As a result, the population is rediscovering its own pre-revolution culinary history a delicious mix of Spanish, African, and Caribbean influences. )
Participants will have an opportunity to attend the film festival, learn about the country s rich traditions in dance, music, and art, and visit urban architectural gems, as well as take day excursions to mountain communities and beach resorts, according to the itinerary. Some meals may take place at paladares , privately owned restaurants run by families often directly from their home kitchens.
Since Cuban cuisine has historically featured  homogenous fare think rice, beans, and meat   one goal of the visiting chefs is to expose local cooks and eaters to Chez-style dishes paris france apartment rentals with a more fruit and vegetable focus, said Mehra.
The meals will be a cross-cultural affair: a diverse cross-section of Cuban residents will be invited to dine with the visiting Americans. Trip participants will also have the opportunity to converse with local urban farmers, seed savers, edible educators, Slow Food leaders, leading restaurateurs, and others connected to the Cuban food scene.
The mission has goals beyond good meals. It is the beginning of what hopefully will be an ongoing project to improve the Cuban diet and encourage local food cooperatives, working with Cuba s leading environmental organization, the  Antonio Nunez Jimenez Foundation , said  Tom Miller , who is also co-organizing paris france apartment rentals the pending Planting Seeds trip, a collaboration between the Cuban foundation and his non-profit  Green Cities Fund .
Cuba has suffered greatly as a result of U.S. policy and for years my wife and I have been actively working for better relations with Cuba. As board members paris france apartment rentals of  Global Exchange  we have taken many people to people trips to Cuba, said Miller, an Oakland-based attorney, who has defended U.S. citizens facing fines from the U.S. government for going to this communist country. I introduced Alice to a wonderful Cuban environmental expert who cleaned up the terribly polluted Almendares River that runs into Havana and she fell in love with the idea of working with Cuban chefs and local source organic food experts helping to build a healthy, sustainable alternative to a diet which currently requires importing 70 percent of Cuba s food.
This is a licensed, legal trip and visas will be provided, said Miller. Participants on this edible paris france apartment rentals excursion can expect to clear U.S. Customs upon their return without hassles as long as they don t try to smuggle in contraband such as Cuban cigars and rum, said Miller, who noted that Cuban art can legally be imported paris france apartment rentals to the U.S.
Details: The trip costs $6,000 per person ($6,400 for single room accommodation), and includes charter air fare from from either Los Angeles or Miami, a full program of activities during a 9 day-8 night stay, and accommodation in a boutique hotel in historic Old Havana. To secure a spot, a $500 deposit must be received by August 15; the balance is due November 1. Half the cost of the trip is tax deductible, said Miller, as it will be used to support the work of the non-profit Antonio Nunez Jimenez Foundation. Space is limited to 30 people.
Tagged Acme Bakery , Alice Waters , Antonio Nunez Jimenez Foundation , Charlie Hallowell , Chez Panisse , Cuba , Cuban food , Global Exchange , Green Cities Fund , Havana Film Festival , Havana food , jerome waag , OPENrestaurant , Steve Sullivan , tom miller
Unless things have dramatically since I was there about 15 years ago they aren t even eating Cuban food. Of, Alice will be staying paris france apartment rentals at one of the swanky European hotels that don t even allow regular people in their lobbies so she ll be shielded from all of that.
Cuba, like most countries in the world, could use cuisine diversity.  Think about the proliferation of such non-native foods in the US as pizza, sushi, tofu, kiwi, and mole.  As a consequence of underdevelopment, many countries like Cuba, Columbia, Venezuela, and lots more in the Caribbean, import up to 70% of their food, despite being potentially self sufficient.
For Cuba, a nation not particularly rich in mineral wealth, this drain on resources combined with the economic blockade imposed by the United States- has been a major obstacle to maintaining its extraordinary social safety net and rebuilding its infrastructure.
If Chez Panisse and Alice can, in any way, contribute to helping Cuba address that issue, they will be thrice blessed. paris france apartment rentals  If they succeed only in persuading more Americans to visit Cuba, the blessings will multiply.
Cuba is a real country with real people who are part of the international community.  It s only through the eyes of Americans who are blinded by the blockade and its accompanying propaganda, that Cuba is some exotic place not to be spoiled .
I ve travelled to Cuba consistently over the past 40 years in both a professional and personal capacity.  I ve loved the people, paris france apartment rentals admired the social system and been frustrated by it, danced to the music, and hoped that life could become better and easier there.
As one of the participants, thank you readers for your helpful comments.  I would add, however, that the last thing Chez Panisse paris france apartment rentals chefs would do is tell someone what to eat. It didn t work on George Bush when his mom insisted he eat broccoli and for Cubans, who have been told what to do for centuries, it won t work either.  The chefs will learn as much as they teach, as is the experience of many who are sensitive too, and appreciate, diverse cultures.  Hopefully, it will be a learning experience for everyone involved, working together to help Cuba become more food self-sufficient and to become more appreciative of the goodness that can be brought from the soil when it receives proper care.  So far, the response from Cubans on all levels has been very positive, so it appears the chefs are off to a good start.
Looks like a fun trip, but it seems to me that all the Chez Panisse chefs ever do is tell people what to eat. You don t get a choice at the restaurant and Alice has made a small future on her speaking tour completely devoted to telling paris france apartment rentals people what to eat and suggesting they re immoral if they don t (60 minutes anyone? Charlie Rose?Fresh Air?)
Uhh, I don t think I read anywhere that they were bringing the food with them to Cuba. Maybe you ve got some inside information on this nefarious imperialist adventure. And I think it s safe to say that if Cuba is importing 70% of its food the Cubans may already be familiar paris france apartment rentals with non-Cuban food . . .
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