 
 when both grandpa and grandma baste in native Spanish style,
great-grandma sauteed in her typical French manner. It doubles the
delight when both parents turned out Cuban favourites that taste
ecstatic. Literally growing up in a pot pouri ambience where the kitchen
proved to be the favourite place in a home, Leonel, naturally took to
cooking like duck takes to water. Everything he makes turned out to be
irresistible.
Leonel Valasquez is the newest addition to the line of exotic Chefs
at the Mount Lavinia Hotel. He cooks exotic dishes in no time as he has
a magical charm that is not second to his culinery reportoire. Born to
Cuban parents, at six years he moved with his parents to Miami, USA,
where Spanish and other world communities thrive. There kitchens beconed
him at 14 years to YUCA (Young Urban Cuban America) where he received
hands-on training. At 16 years he attended Culinery College and
graduated.
"Cuba has a lot in common with Sri Lanka. We are in the tropics, so
the fruits and vegetables that grow in both countries are the same. The
difference is in the way we cook. Cubans cook sweet and sour. Sri
Lankans cook hot and spicy. We retain our unique flavours" says Leonel.
The similarities run so close that the Chef's Guild in his native Cuba,
South America, is called Mango Kings! When you make it to Mount Lavinia
you are sure to make `mango-friends' with Leonel.When we met him he had
prepared some special dishes to give us a taste of Cuba! Clam Ceviche a
special sauce sauteed and placed in a clam shell. The flavours were
extraordinary and tasted pleasantly different. Cubes of tuna were
marinated and semi-cooked in juice while seer was prepared sweet n sour
and was called Peruvian Ceviche. You'd call it simply `yum'.
I have great faith in the gourmet taste buds of Felicia Sorensen, who
recommended these special dishes including Leonel's specialities,
tortilla and pork chop served with mashed sweet yam, garnished with
pineapple chutney. Chicharones, sauteed chicken in sauce, tasted out of
this world. She was absolutely right. Leonel turns out heaven in a dish
with every morsel he cooks. He had traversed the culinery capitals of
the world and gathered more flavours than he can remember in a lifetime.
But we can taste them all in every bite. That's the miracle of Leonel.
- Charmaine |
