The two Boricua-cuisine experts hand-selected four of their favorite Puerto Rican chefs for the series of high-seas voyages aboard the Sea Cloud Spirit: Wilo Benet (January 4 to 10, sold out<\/em>); Julie Carrion (January 10 to 17); Francis Guzman (January 17 to 24); and Mario Pagan (January 24 to February 1).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Familia Kitchen friends, if you\u2019d like to set sail on any one of the four Sea Cloud itineraries to Puerto Rico, start your planning here<\/a>. As a special invitation, Familia Kitchen community members are invited to receive a 2-for-1 BOGO special offer when booking any one of the Sea Cloud Spirit sailings featuring one of these four chefs<\/strong>. Book your passage with this special offer by contacting Maritza Moreno and using promo code FAMKIT24<\/strong>. To book: email: MMoreno@seacloud.com or call 888-732-2568. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ronnie Rodriguez and his business partner: award-winning food journalist, co-proprietor, and wife Kathleen Squires<\/a> are two of our first Familia Kitchen true believers. They regularly travel between Puerto Rico and New York City, where they live and run Chef\u2019s Dinner Table<\/a>, a private kitchen and culinary salon. We asked Ronnie about his vision and inspiration for this Puerto Rican high-profile culinary series partnership on the high seas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Q: What are you most excited about in this new Chef’s Dinner Table at Sea culinary series with Sea Cloud Cruises?<\/strong> Q: How did you and Kathy select the star chefs you invited to represent the island\u2019s culinary legacy on the cruise? And what is one dish that stands out to you from each one to whet people’s appetites?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n First, let me say that narrowing down the list to just four chefs was an excruciating endeavor given the vast and deep pool of talent available on the island. We landed on chefs whose names you might have seen on Top Chef Masters<\/a>, The Next Iron Chef<\/em><\/a><\/em> or were cited by the James Beard Foundation Awards<\/a>. Francis Guzman, for example, was nominated for Outstanding Chef in the Nation, representing the first time a P.R. chef has been recognized for this most prestigious award. That came on the heels of Natalia Vallejo<\/a> [of the Puerto Rican restaurant Cocina al Fondo] having just won Best Chef: South James Beard Foundation Award in 2023.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n The first trip which runs from January 4 to 10 features Wilo Benet<\/strong>, widely known as the godfather of elevated Puerto Rican cuisine. My favorite invention of his is his pegao with chipotle mayo.<\/p>\n\n\n The next voyage from January 10 to 17 features pasteles from chef Julie Carrion<\/strong>, who spent the early part of her career in New York City, where her experience included Restaurant Daniel<\/a>. Pasteles are a centuries-old blend of Taino (Puerto Rico’s indigenous people), Spanish and African flavors made with a mash of green bananas and plantains bolstered by sturdy Caribbean root crops like yautia and yuca. Wrapped in a smoky-sweet banana leaf, they\u2019re typically filled with seasoned pork, stained with sunset-hued annatto oil, and boiled up by the dozen. (Check out Julie Carrion\u2019s sofrito<\/a> here, an essential ingredient in making pasteles. We will be posting her pasteles recipe very soon, stay tuned.)<\/p>\n\n\n As for Francis Guzman<\/strong>, whose cruise itinerary runs from January 17 to 24, his palette of dishes is so extensive that it’s just about impossible to identify the one dish that he is known for. At the moment, his acclaimed restaurant, Vianda<\/a>, is featuring sorullitos de maiz (corn fritters), which is a childhood favorite of mine.<\/p>\n\n\n Finally, I am sincerely hoping that on the final voyage, running from January 24 to February 1, The Next Iron Chef<\/em> <\/a>Mario Pagan<\/strong> will serve up his famous tuna tartare tostones, which I never miss when I go to his flagship restaurant Mario Pagan<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Q: How would you describe Puerto Rican food, one of the world’s great cuisines?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I am thrilled that the premise of your question builds on the notion that Puerto Rican cuisine is \u201cone of the world’s great cuisines\u201d because it bears directly on why a small nation of just 3.2 million people makes such an impact around the globe \u2014 whether it be in terms of music, sports, beauty pageants and countless other fields. My personal theory as to why is the fact that Puerto Ricans are blessed with just the right mix of European, African, and Native American DNA (there\u2019s even an academic study<\/a> explaining why Puerto Ricans are the most perfect humans!). Similarly, our cuisine benefits from the same diversity. .. with pasteles, the dish that chef Julie Carrion<\/a> is serving during her week aboard, being the quintessential representation of our unique heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is part 1 of our series on this delicioso Puerto Rican culinary partnership inviting Boricua chefs to showcase the island’s cuisine on the high seas. In part 2, we will talk to chef Julie Carrion about her approach to her Sea Cloud Spirit menu during her week aboard. She\u2019ll be sharing her legendary recipe for pasteles, in preparation for the interactive pastelada she\u2019ll be leading during her showcase week, January 10 to 17, 2025.<\/em> In the meantime, you can find chef Julie\u2019s personal sofrito recipe here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSpecial Cruising Offer for Familia Kitchen Foodies<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Meet Sea Cloud Spirit\u2019s San Juan Guest Chef’s Week Co-Curator Ronnie Rodriguez, the Ultimate Puerto Rican Foodie<\/strong>
<\/h3>\n\n\n![\"Kathleen](\"https:\/\/familiakitchen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Kathleen-Squires-and-Ronnie-Rodriguez.jpg\")
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You just can’t help feeling excited when a world-class, top-notch outfit like Sea Cloud taps into the world-class, top-notch culinary talent that Puerto Rico has to offer. Not only am I fiercely proud of the mark Puerto Rican talent is making in the culinary space, but to be asked to build the bridge between the worlds of luxury yachting and luxury dining is an honor and a privilege.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Wilo](\"https:\/\/familiakitchen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Wilo-Benet.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"Julie](\"https:\/\/familiakitchen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Julie-Carrion-chef.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"Francis](\"https:\/\/familiakitchen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Francis-Guzman.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"mario](\"https:\/\/familiakitchen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Mario-Pagan-v3.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"Ronnie](\"https:\/\/familiakitchen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IMG_8258-Ronnie-Rodriguez-1024x768.jpg\")
For information or to book your Sea Cloud San Juan Chef Series cruise, visit Chef\u2019s Dinner Table on the High Seas<\/a><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00bfQu\u00e9 es lo que m\u00e1s te gusta de vivir en Puerto Rico? S\u00ed, vivimos por sus playas, su belleza tropical, su m\u00fasica en vivo y por pasear por las calles del Viejo San Juan. Pero, si tuvi\u00e9ramos que elegir nuestro favorito n\u00famero uno, no habr\u00eda competencia: la comida de Puerto Rico. Su cocina criolla captura el alma de la isla de una manera que, para nosotros, informa y da forma...","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45185,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,95],"tags":[1433,1435,1434],"ingrediente":[],"comida_type":[],"destination":[49],"food_mood":[],"class_list":["post-45170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-featured-recipe","tag-puerto-rico-chefs","tag-ronnie-rodriguez","tag-sea-cloud","destination-puerto-rico"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n