This February 14 we are celebrating, together with Valentine’s Day, the first five years of the Café Laurent. With an exclusive atmosphere and a unique style, this sui generis space for gastronomic interpretation has been working intensely for half a decade vibrating with Havana at its feet. It is located on the topmost floor of a multifamily building designed and built in the 1950s, precisely in the middle of the part of the city that went up during that decade. The place seduces because of its vintage decoration. Magazine clippings from the period cover some of the locale’s walls. It has a spectacular bar set up in the air which highlights the decoration of those years and an alluring terrace that serves as a lookout point. Photo: Gustavo Ávila The surprisingly large spacious windows facilitate the extraordinary lighting and the natural glamor that goes with the versatile and imaginative menu. It is a progressive and flexible cuisine that escapes the conventional: an author and design cuisine. The meticulous recreation of textures, presentations, flavors, smells and colors make patrons have their senses alert to enjoy the food prepared in this restaurant that, without forgetting the dishes of traditional cuisine, combines them...

Just a few steps from Havana’s seaside promenade, where the city boils the warmth of its life, a new finely sensorial site palpitates. With an avant-garde, creative as well as exotic gastronomic proposal, the Media Luna Restaurant erupts in the city’s gastronomic panorama. It is possible to taste, in a heady lounge atmosphere, diverse cocktails, Cuban as well as international, try the delicious barbecued cuts and enjoy the creations of the imaginative chef. Magical, alluring, fascinating, this restaurant-cafeteria has become one of the spaces preferred by those venturing through Havana. In Media Luna the novel designs of the preparation of some dishes and cocktails stand out, drawing inspiration from the current tendencies. A place that is chic, casual, cosmopolitan, urban and very different, favorable for meeting with friends, special events and, of course, romance. The decoration also presents credentials of sophistication and good taste in a minimalist and very contemporary aesthetics. Entering Media Luna is full of surprises, just let go and enjoy the charm of its spells. Photo: Gustavo Ávila

Smoking a Cuban cigar is a real ritual. Many factors have bearing on this enjoyment, with its mystical, sensual aura. One of the most important is the case that holds the cigar and preserves its unmistakeable aroma. Cuba makes one of the best cigars in the world, and it is also home to a tradition of making the most exclusive and elegant humidors. These unique pieces of furniture, designed to store cigars and prevent their disintegration and drying, combine art with a utilitarian purpose. These splendid containers are designed by our artists, who utilize the qualities of Cuban precious woods, especially cedar, to keep Habanos safe from the vicissitudes of nature. Many artists are involved in creating humidors. OnCuba visited the workshops of three prestigious artists whose work has been featured in the auctions that have been part of the Habano Festival for years. They explain that humidors not only protect our cigars, but also preserve and safeguard a tradition that is part of Cuban history and culture. Raúl Valladares is one of the most prestigious Cuban contemporary sculptors and jewelry makers. This artist only makes humidors for very special occasions, because he feels passionately about the world of Habanos....

Chef Idian León’s story is one of perseverance. A graduate of the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu academy, she has been in the private restaurant business in Cuba for almost two decades, offering her own personal style of gastronomy, without labels. For many she is the other face of the Cuban restaurant business, with her daring, extreme imagination, intensity and elegance, both in the kitchen and in the dining room of Nao, her restaurant. She admits to having found in cooking the right setting to give free rein to the artistic creativity she’s always wanted to cultivate. Around one of the tables at this pretty locale, located at No. 1 Obispo street, where she is the soul and motor force, we had a conversation with this chef. She says that her thing is fusion, innovation and bringing the influences of universal cuisine to her kitchen. “I also try to bring to my creations the smells and flavors of my childhood, in a culinary offer that is multicultural, voyaging and experimental, on the basis of stylized Cuban cuisine and an attempt to search and find points of unity between distant cultures and diverse eras,” she tells OnCuba. Photo: Alain L. Guitérrez Almeida...

The recently opened King Bar has set its sights on becoming the monarch of Havana’s night time bar and restaurant scene. “It’s designed to make an impact, to attract, surprise and above all offer a good time,” states the owner of this family business, Yunior Romero, talking to OnCuba. “The bar offers a unique concept. It’s ideal for friends wanting to meet up in a relaxed atmosphere, a great place to chill out and chat.” The food is, if we had to describe it – minimal Creole, fused with international cuisine. Barbecue and grilled dishes feature extensively on the menu while there are also vegetarian options. “The idea is that the client creates their own dish. For example, pasta doesn’t feature on the menu, but if a client wants it, we oblige, while offering them the choice of combining their selection with other options on the menu. The client is king and can order whatever he/she likes from the kitchen; provided we have it. This is clearly explained on the menu so that everyone knows how the system works and can satisfy their desires,” explains Yunior. The space exudes an artistic ambience, notwithstanding the numerous artists who frequent the bar...

As the old Italian legend goes, visitors who toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain are sure to return to Rome. And according to a more current fable, but on the American continent, those who taste the delicacies served at Havana’s La Fontana are sure to return to that restaurant and to the Cuban capital. Founded in 1995 the popular restaurant La Fontana is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, while remaining in the vanguard of stylized Cuban and international cuisine. Located in the home of the Reyes Lovio family, a modern mansion in the tranquil neighborhood of Miramar, it has earned itself the description of best grill in the city, a place you always come back to. This sui generis temple to Cuba’s “national mammal” (pork) continues to win new followers. Here, roast pork and some of the best charbroiled meat and fish to be found can please the most demanding palates. Meat is prepared uniquely at La Fontana: the charcoal embers caress the textures of the cuts. To diners’ delight, at this restaurant, a wide selection of almost 70 dishes have been curated, including appetizers, main courses, and exquisite desserts, combining sophisticated and exotic Old World aromas with...

To say the name Valdés, in the world of Cuban music, is to invoke jazz, swing, improvisation and other words that refer to that genre. Lazarito Valdés, a well-known Cuban musician, arranger, and composer, leader of the popular band Bamboleo and an heir to the musical legacy of his surname, opened a new place a couple of months ago where music lovers can go to enjoy themselves; the Valdés Jazz Club. Located at 105 Calle E, between Quinta and Calzada streets in Havana’s Vedado district, this new temple to music and cuisine is a place where flavor and sound converge. Photo: Rolando Pujol Carefully decorated, the club comprises a cafeteria, restaurant and bar, and in the evening it mutates and becomes an attractive jazz club. It also has a large smoking area, with a splendid terrace, or courtyard. Photos of relatives, singers and musicians decorate its walls. The acoustics are fantastic, allowing the public to enjoy a good show. Every night, a different artist performs and the program is very open and constantly renovated. Maestro musicians such as José Luis Cortés, Bobby Carcassés, and Maraca are regulars, although others have brought a fusion of jazz and other genres, such as...

In different ways, Pedro Juan Gutierrez offers us a self-portrait in each of his books. On this occasion, he intentionally announces it with the title of Fabian y el caos (“Fabian and Chaos”), his most recent novel, just launched in Spain. Published by Anagrama, the novel scrutinizes a past more distant than the one tackled in the author’s Dirty Havana Trilogy. The main character is a gay pianist (Fabian) living in the times when homosexuals were persecuted in Cuba, the first two decades of the Cuban revolution. “The novel unfolds in Matanzas, the city of my birth. Fabian is a young pianist obsessed with his work. A young, teenage Pedro Juan then comes into the scene, somewhat desperate and volatile. The character is a lot like me and the story tells many of the experiences I had back then, which is why I claim it is an autobiographical piece. It’s a kind of account of our friendship, our time together and our misunderstandings. I don’t beat around the bush at all in this story. I go straight to the point at the beginning and try to go to the root of the matter. I hope my readers like it,” Gutierrez...

Playing Lecuona, a documentary exploring the life of one of the greatest Cuban composers of all time, premiered on September 5, during the prestigious Montreal World Film Festival, Canada. Starring three of the most important Latin jazz pianists in the world - Chucho Valdés, Michel Camilo and Gonzalo Rubalcaba - the film also features a genuine constellation of stars such as Ana Belén, Omara Portuondo, Raimundo Amador and Los Muñequitos de Matanzas. Pavel Giroud and Juanma Villar’s ambitious production was shot on location in Havana and Matanzas (Cuba), Miami and New York (the United States) Sevilla and Málaga (Andalusia), and La Laguna and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (the Canary Islands). A sneak preview of the film was shown during the Miami International Film Festival and San Diego Latino Film Festival, both of which take place in the United States. Speaking exclusively with OnCuba, Giroud who is creating a buzz with the premier of this film - almost two years in the making - noted that the documentary includes archive material and original music which is “neither biographical, nor chronological, so the challenge was to organically incorporate it into our narrative. There’s more musical than visual archive material, but I’m sure...

I first met Ana de Armas during the filming of Una rosa de Francia (A Rose from France), in which she starred, directed by Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón. At the time, the notable filmmaker had predicted success for the young actress. In Cuba, she acted in three movies, and now in Hollywood, she’s working on her fourth. Ana is very well-known in Spain, where she has spent a large part of her career. Since her debut there more than a decade ago, she has had parts in a dozen films and several television series, enjoying great success. Ana is in demand by directors from all over, from Spain to Hollywood, Latin America to Europe. She now resides in Hollywood, the so-called movie mecca, to continue her career. She is the first Cuban actress to enter the elite of the coveted U.S. industry. Born in Santa Cruz del Norte in the late 1980s, she defends her Cuban-ness wherever she may be. She’s been making headlines on this side of the world, too, and now it’s OnCuba’s turn for an exclusive interview with her. Still from the film Knock Knock When you were still a student at Cuba’s National Art School (ENA), you...

Summer is here, and in Havana, everyone’s got the urge to eat out, have fun with the family, and discover new places. Also during this time of year, more foreign visitors are in town, eager to explore the country’s dining options. OnCuba would like to suggest five places that you shouldn’t miss this summer. While they are all different, they share one thing in common: they are all very popular. Casa Abel Photo: Rolando Pujols Just a few feet from Havana’s Malecón, the Restaurant-Cigar Bar Casa Abel welcomes a select public, disposed to enjoying the exquisite pleasure of combining sophisticated dishes with excellent cigars. Owned by Abel Expósito, who received the honorary title of Habano Man (1999), the restaurant boasts a menu featuring many creations related to the world of cigars. The chef’s specialty is Pollo Casa Abel—chicken marinated for 24 hours in aromatic herbs and Havana Club Añejo rum, and then steam broiled with beer. This is a place where a taste for excellent cuisine and a gourmet passion for the best cigars in the world come together. La Bien Pagá Photo: Alain L. Gutiérrez Almeida Without question, the best sandwiches in Havana are to be had at La...

“La Poderosa” (The Mighty One) was the name Che Guevara gave the Norton 500 motorcycle that he and his friend Ernesto Granados used to do their famous tour of South America in 1952. The trip inspired the movie “The Motorcycle Diaries” (2004), which brought those events of the guerrilla fighter’s life back to the center of attention. Che Guevara’s youngest son, Ernesto Guevara, has founded a business that pays tribute to his father's adventurous spirit, a company that offers Harley Davidson tours of the island, and which he has named after his father’s bike. Ernesto, who for over 20 years worked as a Harley Davidson mechanic in Havana, had been dreaming of this initiative for a while. The opportunity finally came in collaboration with a group of friends. La Poderosa Tours was incorporated in Argentina by Mimi Kohen, and now it is jointly operated in Cuba by Gaviota, a state-run tour operator. The company’s team also includes Camilo Sánchez, Ernesto’s childhood friend, and Sergio Morales, a senior Harley Davidson mechanic with more than 40 years of experience, whose work has earned him a plaque with his name at the Milwaukee Harley Davidson Museum. The company profile was presented at the...

Greek-French film director and producer Constantin Costa-Gavras is an accomplished artist. For many years, he has been dubbed as a political filmmaker, something he prides himself on. In his eighties, this cult director of films that are studied in many film schools in the world, still believes in cinema as an art and a means of expression. His convictions made him one of the first friends of the Cuban Revolution and the cinema it created. “I've always admired Cubans’ desire to make art,” he said in an exclusive interview with OnCuba, “This small country emerged from a revolution, and quickly created a national film industry and films that have made history. It is exceptional.” "Cuban filmmakers’ will to preserve national cinema should be a model to imitate. It is an expression of their commitment to safeguarding the identity and values of the nation. There is no national cinema without political engagement,” he added. He visited Havana during the French Film Festival to present his latest film, Capital, a 2012 feature film inspired by the excesses of the financial mafia. What were your expectations about the screening of your movie in Havana? This film –which has nothing to do with the...

She is a singer, actress, and philanthropist, and she always introduces herself as CuCu Diamantes. They say she has the “tumbao” of Celia Cruz, the intensity of La Lupe and the magic of Frida Kahlo. In music, she has worked with a diversity of artists, including Carlinhos Brown, Vico C and Fatboy Slim. Under the direction of actor/director Jorge Perugorría, she starred in the autobiographical film Amor crónico (Chronic Love). She was part of the fusion band Yerba Buena, led by her husband, the well-known producer Andres Levin, and a few years ago, she began a solo journey with her Grammy-nominated album CuCuland. She lives in the “Republic of Manhattan,” as she likes to call that island: “It is like the United Nations, because of all the cultures it brings together, and what you learn.” In Cuba, CuCu became better known after appearing in the 2009 Peace without Borders concert, and in November of last year, she, Levin and Perugorría organized the first TEDxHabana, under the slogan “InCubando ideas.” Now she is busy preparing the second of these events. I don’t like labels because I consider myself a student of life, a woman under construction. Every day is part of...

A new perspective within the audiovisual creation in our country proposes the Fifteenth ICAIC Young Exhibition to be held in the capital from March 1st through April 5th. Out of the hundred works made by Cuban filmmakers under 35, brought to this event, less than half make up the official section, with special performances, tributes and theoretical events occupy the locations of Chaplin and 23 and 12 movie theaters, Fresa y Chocolate Cinematographic Cultural Center and Titón room on the fifth floor of the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry. OnCuba arrived at the headquarters of the Sample and chatted with Yumey Besú, producer and one of the main organizers of the event to know some details of this edition. Once again dominated the fiction and documentary in the selection, since these genres are precisely where young people find the perfect vehicle to express their film concerns. Most of these works were done independently; the rest comes from the School of Art Media Studies (FAMCA) of the International School of Film and Television of San Antonio de los Baños (EICTV) and other cultural institutions. The jury, presided by Marcel Beltran, shall select the winners in the various categories. The opening...

The XVII Habano Festival will take place from February 23 through the 27 and will honor the prestigious brands Montecristo and Romeo and Juliet. As every year the most prestigious international event dedicated to the Premium Cigars brings together the best cigar lovers of the world: The Habano. In the last edition of the event over 1300 participants from over 60 countries attended this prestigious annual event with 250 journalists and photographers from 142 media outlets from over 30 countries, who gave wide coverage to the festival that continues to increase year after year its international impact. In 2014 the fair received over 2,200 visitors and was attended by 60 exhibitors from 7 countries, confirming the great acceptance and success of it, being an ideal event for technical and commercial exchanges between businessmen, producers and suppliers in the world of cigars. This time the partcipants, including international personalities, will have the pleasure of tasting some exclusive new Habanos bands that will be launched this 2015, and may discover or re-discover the roots and secrets of tobacco culture in Cuba, centuries-old tradition of the island. With the opening of the Trade Fair at the Convention Palace the event will begin on...

The young filmmaker Carlos Lechuga is immersed in preparing his second feature film: Habana, territorio vampiro (Havana, vampire territory). With this suggestive title it comes to us this project that will become the first Cuban film showing flesh and bone vampires, heirs, in a way, of the disciples of Dracula who decades ago broke into our screens by the hands of Juan Padrón. The capital of all Cubans was already overrun by zombies and now it is the turn of these resurrected to make their incursions in the city. OnCuba was on the trail of this new release and found its filmmaker who gave exclusive details. Why shooting another vampire story in Havana? Our filmography is very small and sometimes if two comedies are made in the same year, several people say: Another comedy? O this year that there are several LGBT movies, you hear people saying: Another gay movie? My friends and neighbors ask me: Why doing a vampire movie? Why another one? And I always tell them: And why not? In Cuba we are not accustomed to horror films, in fact this would be the first feature film about vampires, previously we only had two animated films. It...

Four original paintings by US playwright, poet and novelist Tennessee Williams (1911-1983) are shown for the first time in Cuba, in the National Museum of Fine Arts (MNBA by its Spanish acronym) in Havana. The works, the result of a little-known facet of the writer, belong to private collectors and Tennessee Williams Foundation, said Nance Frank, director of The Gallery on Greene, Key West (Florida). The Gallery on Greene collaborates since 2013 with the NMFA in a project called "One race," whose second phase is the exhibition Tennessee Williams: playwright and painter, said Frank. The specialist welcomed the realization of this cultural action between institutions of the two countries after more than 50 years. This exhibition comes to the island following the announcement last December of the restoration of diplomatic relations between the governments of Cuba and the United States, which were interrupted from 1961. Among the paintings (acrylic on canvas) contains the portrait of Mr. Paradise, neighbor of a friend of the writer. The exhibition also includes information about the presence of Williams in Cuba and Key West; programs of his plays premiered in Cuba, costumes and sketches made in Havana for their works and pieces inspired by the...

For thousands of years, horses have been man’s most faithful companion in everything from transport to agriculture, where they have played an essential role. We could say that horses helped to pave the road to civilization. Their intelligence, capacity for adaptation, expressiveness, and deft movements justify the admiration that these beasts persistently provoke among human beings. They could be described as the most docile wild animal that exists, because over time they became domesticated, and as such they were brought to Cuba by the Spanish more than 500 years ago. The work of our National Enterprise for the Protection of Flora and Fauna has been decisive in improving horse breeds. With the use of technical and human resources that will guarantee success, a specialized approach has been taken to every breed that exists in our country. Flora and Fauna’s national equine genetic program has 40 genetics centers, eight centers for mules and five for donkeys, in addition to a laboratory for extracting and freezing semen. At the Enterprise’s ranches, 17 breeds are developed, including Arabian, Cuban Pinto, Cubano de Paso (Cuban gaited), Criollo de Trote (Cuban Trotter), Patibarcino, Quarter Horse and Royal Dutch Warmblood. Parque Lenin, a sprawling recreational center...

The Cuban filmmakers grouped in what has been called G-20-a representation of who, from May 2013, call for the enactment of a Film Law in Cuba - announced that the base document is already finished and ready for submission to the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC). In a recently released summary, these creators state that "When the ICAIC makes delivery effective, we will have fulfilled an important part of our objectives and the final stage of putting ideas into practice opens" The group recalled that in the last two years it has been the target of "misunderstandings, insults, indifference and defamatory", but neither has lacked "solidarity, much less own stubbornness". As they advanced, the document "has been prepared jointly by the filmmakers and ICAIC" and collects all the "aspirations" discussed at meetings. " These assemblies were held several Saturdays in the Fresa y Chocolate Cultural Film Center. The filmmakers have mainly three aspirations or requests: a law regulating the activity; the creation of the legal concept of audiovisual creator and the creation of a fund for the promotion of the film industry. It is also about redesigning the functions of ICAIC. The approaches include cinema law to keep the Institute...

Tomas Piard is the Cuban filmmaker who holds more titles with his work . Since breaking into the Cuban audiovisual scene in the 1970s he has not ceased to amaze with his imaginative and diverse films, including those related to fantasy and catastrophe. He is one of the most consistent, persistent and prolific of our filmmakers and leaving behind Los desastres de la guerra (2012) and the stage adaptation Si vas a comer, espera por Virgilio (2013) he is back in the news thanks to his new film that will be released next March. The city is a very human and spiritual drama on current circumstances and conflicts, according to what he told OnCuba, with which he experiences a significant theme, generic and conceptual transition in his career. Emigration, spirituality, nostalgia, faith, friendship, love and disappointment are some of the topics addressed by the film that by these days is finalizing details of dubbing and soundtrack. This is a feature film which script has a somewhat circular structure. It consists of three stories, different from each other, which common thread is precisely the current issue of the exodus, migration and the dilemma of leaving, staying and returning. This phenomenon is...

Four young Cuban filmmakers will receive sponsorship from the Miami International Film Festival to participate directly in the event, share their projects with colleagues from the filmmaking industry and access professional exchanges to promote the completion and distribution of their works.

Since ancient times the humidor has accompanied the cigar for conservation. There have been many artists who have displayed their creativity and imagination in the design of these useful pieces of furniture using them as supports for their works. With a unique touch, Cuban humidors take advantage of the benefits of precious woods especially cedar to protect the cigars. More than a box for storing cigars, they are genuine works of art out of the hands of a score of Cuban visual artists gathered in this creative task and led by Sikerei Corp. and Genesis Art Galleries. With five years of created, this is a project of production and design where they appeal to the aesthetic sensibility of art. In it several artists who have made different types of humidors are grouped. A few days ago this project launched a new limited edition of 21 humidors made by these artists to commemorate the twenty-first anniversary of the prestigious Casa del Habano. For this occasion they had a unique and unrepeatable design of a humidor, where the docility of their appearance, with smooth lines and a superb finish, enabled the artist to recreate themselves in the piece. Made with cedar wood...

Adorgraf is a Cuban private enterprise devoted to the production of containers, which it personalizes with the brand of the company that requests them. With a wide-ranging portfolio of products, it has many clients, both from the state-run as well as the private sector. As they underline in their slogan (“the first packaging new relations”), they are a tailor-made complement for establishing diverse businesses. This small Cuban business was invited to the United States last year to participate, together with another three Cuban private enterprises, in an important business event. The contacts and exchanges with a counterpart company started coming to fruition there: it is Commonwealth, a New York corporation of great prestige that has been working for more than 50 years with important companies from different parts of the world. It offers a product of excellent quality. The Lacoste and Valentino brands, to cite just two examples, place their trust in their work. During the last edition of the Havana International Trade Fair, Adorgraf and Commonwealth shared a stand in the U.S. pavilion, promoting the products of both companies and setting the coordinates of the new trade relations and strategies that will soon be established. Rubén Valladares is the...

Flamenco is an emotion, Paco de Lucia used to say and the audience attending the recent tribute concert to him at the National Theatre could feel that through Reynier Mariño and his group. Mariño is an exceptional guitarist. His mastery of the instrument is even more relevant if we consider that he is a musician born across the Atlantic where this Andalusian genre emerged in the eighteenth century. Guitarist graduated from the academic conservatories of Cuban art education, this performer has taken classes with major international figures such as Tomatito, Gerando Nunes, Manolo Sanlucar and others, earning recognitions and an interesting international projection. Since he burst onto the national scene as first guitar of Liszt Alfonso Company, he won great acceptance and popularity despite that flamenco is not exactly one of the favorite genres of Cuban public. He works and lives in Spain since 2006 although he returns to Havana every year. He performs in various scenarios of the Cuban geography with his group as part of his repeated national tours. "When I spend more than a year without going to Cuba I need oxygen. Cuba is my life and its public is the most special of the universe, "he...