Reunions in Havana, Cuba

This month, I returned to Cuba for the first time since my second cookbook, Comida Cubana, released in late 2017 and shared my illustrated cookbook in person with my collaborators. For those new to my work, Comida Cubana, A Cuban Culinary Journey is full of my of artwork and written experience cooking on the island with Cubans, plus over 100 recipes learned through my three trips over the last couple years. The book is like a refined version of my sketchbook journal celebrating Cuban culture, through the lens of food. 

 

Reuniting with my collaborators and gifting them copies of the cookbook has been so joyful. Adelaida and Maria were both my neighbors in Centro Habana in 2016, and we cooked together several times, allowing me to gain insight into classic Cuban dishes while learning about them and their families. This passion project has been tons of work over the last two years. To create cookbooks in this style, I take responsibility for most parts: research, travel, test kitchen, design, layout, illustration, and editing. The end product requires a lot of time and dedication to the project. 

To order your own autographed copy of Comida Cubana, click here!

The other reason I headed back to the island was for a fun mural project with non-profit Cuba Skate, a partnership that's been in the works a long time. Inside an old gymnasium in Cuidad Libertad, the skating community has transformed this structure into a multilevel skate park. As an organization, Cuba Skate has been instrumental in fostering the skateboard culture here in Cuba, supporting people by helping to build the skate park, bringing gear from the US, and making connections and friendships between Cuba and the international skating community.