WHO I AM

I'D LOVE TO TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MY PROFESSIONAL CARE

My first contact with cooking

I've always been fascinated by gastronomic culture, and I started my training at the Rafael Freyre International Cooking School in Holguín, Cuba, in 1993. Between 1994 and 1996, I did my internship at the Brisas Guardalavaca Hotel, located on the beach of the same name. I was lucky enough to have my first kitchen experience there from the very beginning, when the hotel first opened its doors that same year.

My first trip abroad

In 1996, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to the United Kingdom for six months to learn new techniques and teachings. I was lucky enough to share experiences with several renowned chefs and learn new techniques from the Celtic culture.

A BIT OF A CLASH BETWEEN IDEAS AND COMMON SENSE

When I returned to Cuba, I knew that the country was too small for me. I couldn't stand the dictatorial rules of the Castros regime. Without hesitation, I bought a plane ticket to Canada and started a new life in Quebec. The first years were hard, but I got through them with strength and determination. I moved away from the kitchen to learn the language and get used to the rules and characteristics of my new life in Canada, and I succeeded! Although it took a lot of hard work and sacrifice, especially leaving my mother and family behind, I made it. After arduously learning the language and adapting to the customs of the country, I returned to the kitchen with renewed determination and a deep desire to explore Canada's rich culinary culture.

LE MIEUX-ÊTRE DES IMMIGRANTS

After leaving the kitchen, I was lucky enough to be accepted into the Le Mieux-Être des Immigrants centre, which helps newcomers to the country, in this case to the province of Quebec, and where I was helped to adapt to my new life as a Canadian resident. I would like to express my sincere thanks to an extraordinary person who has played a fundamental role in my journey: my friend Andree Bernard. I would also like to thank Mrs Gloria, the director of the centre in 2001. She supported me in difficult times, I learned to communicate in French and to know the history of Canada, a nation that welcomed me with open arms and that has been my refuge and source of security for years. I am and will always be indebted to the Monarchy, to the French and to the First Nation.

Oh, those years were so tough! Everything was so different and new for me.

The harsh northern winter, with its freezing and sub-zero temperatures, along with the challenges I faced on a daily basis, helped me realize my true purpose, taste and dedication to cooking. All of this helped me to realize my true purpose, a taste for cooking, as the door of dawn was just around the corner. I knew I had a long road ahead of me in the world of gastronomy.

WORKING LIFE

My first job was at La Province restaurant in Quebec, Canada, between 2001 and 2003. It was such a great experience! I'm not sure if it's still around, but I hope so! I quickly learned that the restaurant and food world is never safe or stable. Unfortunately, many restaurants close their doors after three or five years due to mismanagement and problems. Some put all their budget into it and leave others to work things out. It's emotionally conflicting and hard because you know your finances have entered the Las Vegas gate. You either win or you lose everything!

LIFE GOES ON AND ON

The harsh northern winter, with its freezing and super-frozen temperatures, along with the challenges I faced, helped me realize my true purpose. I knew that a long journey lay ahead of me in the gastronomic world. Then I got to know another style of cuisine: the unique Japanese tradition of the Sushi Zen restaurant, which was totally new to me. But my ambition and my eagerness to get to know the world of professional cooking led me to work in this sector for a short period of time, between 2003 and 2005.

In 2005, I decided to put my knowledge into practice and moved to Miami, where I thought I would obtain legal documents. Miami is the city of the Cuban (another Cuba, but without dictatorship), and it's a fascinating place! It's different from what I already knew, but in a good way.

In 2005, I began my studies in the basic culinary arts program at Johnson & Wales University. Unfortunately, I had to do this program again, as I had done it in Cuba and graduated in 1993. At that time, I could not prove my documents had been left behind in my home country.

In 2006, I started an internship at the Delano Hotel, which was an absolutely wonderful experience! After that, I returned to Canada.

In 2007, I joined forces with a Frenchman and a Cuban woman to open my first restaurant, a cozy little café bistro right here in Toronto.

In 2009, I decided to move on from this project and negotiate my percentages. I then embarked on my own exciting venture!

In 2010, I took a year to organize my ideas and enjoy the Olympics and other activities outside of gastronomy. I needed to understand the basics of construction, and between 2010 and 2015, I was able to acquire other professional skills and earn money. Thanks to the help of friends, I got the right funding for my first restaurant project in the construction industry.

AND SO, MY FRIENDS, I COME TO THE END OF MY TALE. I HOPE YOU HAVE ENJOYED IT AS MUCH AS I HAVE ENJOYED SHARING IT WITH YOU.

I started to develop my first business plan, but I still felt I was missing something. So I went back to work at the Hilton Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia until 2014. That's when I started studying at the Arts Institute of Vancouver in Burnaby (British Columbia) for a degree in Culinary Arts, Restaurant Ownership, Entrepreneurship and Restaurant Management.

British Columbia was where I had my best personal and professional years! I became a Canadian citizen during my studies and graduated from what was then called The Arts Institute of Vancouver. I think the school has changed its name since then. In 2016, I opened my first restaurant, Giovanni Restaurant (Bistro), in Vancouver, British Columbia. I sold it in 2020, just before the pandemic hit.

I was lucky enough to travel to France and Italy between 2018 and 2020, where I had the incredible opportunity to work with some of the most highly regarded haute cuisine chefs in the world. It was such a shame that the pandemic hit when I was already in the US. Luckily, I'm now back with my family and friends from years ago. Miami was the perfect place for us to reconnect! However, I felt there was still more for me to learn. I had already studied molecular cuisine and gastronomy, but I was really excited to explore the restaurants and the work of Ferran Adrià. That's when I decided to dedicate myself to learning more and more about the science of cooking! When I returned to Miami, I decided to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Culinary Science and Product Development (PVD). I felt like I wanted to explore other avenues, even though I already had my Culinary Arts and Restaurant and Business Management degrees, as well as my first years of CCA 1 and 2 coursework.

Let me tell you my story: to date, I am only missing two experiences in the catering sector: working on a cruise ship and cooking for soldiers, where I feel I still have a lot to learn and where I can grow as a person. I would give anything to have decided earlier, I am sure my life would be different today.

I had the opportunity to train while I was working, learning at each job. Then came school again, and during those years I felt I was already too small; I felt I was above any teacher or student, and I say this with humility, because the techniques used in education were old and, in my opinion, wasted my time. Still rebellious in my ideas and stoic, I developed my own technique and today I continue to improve. Knowing that there is no such thing as perfection, I work every day to perfect my recipes and to make families and customers happy, to make them feel like they are in a dream and to leave them with a positive impression.

Today, I would like to work on a cruise ship and, if I can't do that for lack of time, I'd like to fulfil my other goal: to serve in the army, where I will learn other techniques and, above all, where I will be able to find logical foundations and identify myself personally. Because in my youth and childhood everything was a disaster for Chimera. Yes, friends, between communism, the dictatorship of the Castros, social conflicts in the family and my desire to do something important and honourable, I fell into oblivion, but the kitchen saved me over time and, thanks to my passion, I continue to move forward. I repeat for the umpteenth time: