Tastes Like Cuba: An Exiles Hunger for Home, A Tasty Read...

Tastes Like Cuba: An Exile's Hunger for Home - A Tasty Read…

Cuban playwright, Eduardo Machado, and co-author, Detroiter, Michael Paul Domitrovich, were featured at the Book Stall in Winnetka, IL, Saturday, October 27, 2007. The shop hosted a reading and book signing opportunity for locals to meet and greet the writers of, Tastes Like Cuba: An Exile's Hunger for Home. Michael is the son of Paul and Kathy (Hanzakos) Domitrovich. Born in Detroit, he has been raised in New York City, and Martha's Vineyard, MA. He is a graduate of New York University, Tisch School of the Arts. Michael is also a playwright and his work has been produced off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway. At the book signing, he described his history in the food industry and his effort to bring the flavors of Cuba to life in the book. His recipes are detailed and tailored for ease in execution.

Tastes Like Cuba is a memoir, shared by playwright and professor, Eduardo Machado who tells the story of his family's escape from Cuba and their assimilation into the U.S. Although his tale features a familiar triumph-over-adversity storyline, it distinguishes itself in descriptions of Cuban delicacies, complete with recipes, developed by Domitrovich. Recalling a hasty dinner of swordfish escabeche enjoyed in the midst of the Revolution, he writes, "Something about looking down at a golden slab, cutting into the thick flesh... made the meal feel like a luxury." To better share the tastes of home, the author studs the book with recipes for favorites like Roast Pork, heady with garlic and citrus, and Biztec Empanizado, a tropical country-fried steak that's surprisingly light, which really makes this memoir a tasty read.

On hand to celebrate his success were Michael's, Thea Elena Kerasiotis and Nouna, Toni Mellos, Aunt Harriet Hanzakos, Cousins, Drs. Nick and Jamie Kondelis, Peter and Dimitri, Dr. Pamela Papas, and Mariya Papas Corden.

Thea Elena shares, "Being published for the first time is a real accomplishment, and we are all glad to be a part of this special day. Michael and Eduardo's publishers have really planned a whirlwind schedule, from New York to Seattle; it is going to be a great time for them."

Toni adds, "Elena and I had the chance to read the draft version and today, we picked up several copies for family as Christmas gifts. It's funny, Elena said that she read the book cover to cover, skimming the recipes, I on the other hand, read the first chapter and had to stop to try the recipes, right to the finish. Gladys's Garlic Chicken is fantastic." (Page 317)

Speaking of Gladys, the group also had the opportunity to see Machado's play at Chicago's Goodman Theatre; "The Cook." The play poignantly describes four decades of Cuban history refracted through one woman's perspective.

The play opens, on New Year's Eve, 1958-the eve of Fidel Castro's march into Havana-a young Afro-Cuban cook, Gladys, is entrusted to care for the house of her fleeing aristocratic employer. As four decades pass, and her marriage is rocked by her husband's infidelity and his rise and fall through the ranks of Castro's government, Gladys resolves to remain faithful to her long ago promise-no matter how agonizing this difficult choice becomes.

The strength of Gladys's singular commitment to her mistress enables her to prevail despite all adversity. Hanging on to her truth, the cook defines herself by her friendship, which becomes a shadow that dims with each passing year, and finally is proven to have never existed at all. The cast literally embraces the audience and fills them with the flavors of Cuba, never allowing them to leave the warmth of the kitchen and home. The play runs until November 19, 2007 and is a must see.

It is always interesting to see the parallels in all immigrants, the theme of loss and rebirth. Whether Greece, or Cuba, the comfort that we seek are consistent, the love of family and country.

An amazing weekend, the book Taste's Like Cuba is available on Amazon.com

Malista!

Reviews -

"Eduardo Machado's and Michael Domitrovich's, touching, evocative, memoir not only makes the mouth water with its deliciously, descriptive accounts of Cuban Cuisine, but fills the tear ducts with longing for a culture and a people denied us for half a century by the regretful policies of the U. S, Government."
-Ed Harris and Amy Madigan

"This book is a feast for the senses and the soul. We bask in the earthly paradise of a boy's Cuban childhood, and when he is sent to the U.S. at age 8, we suffer. From then on we're in thrall to the drama, (painful, funny, bitter, sweet), of his search for a new life. What better metaphor than food? We all crave recipes for survival. We hunt down the ingredients that will nourish our hopes and memories. Machado has filled his book with richly drawn characters. The richest of them of all may be that neighbor whose complexities we have refused to accept or understand for so long: Cuba."
-Margo Jefferson, Critic and Pulitzer Prize winner

"Extraordinary, moving, a great read whether you come from Cuba or Greece."
-Olympia Dukakis

"As I have regrettably never traveled to my father's birthplace, Eduardo's vivid memories and specific writer's eye details made his life come alive for me. Maybe it's genetic. Because I share his love of family and the preparation of their meals that is so important in a Cuban household."
-Lucie Arnaz

"Tastes like Cuba is a wonderful multi-layered addition to the on going and ever expanding tapestry of exile history; part personal memoir, partly a cook book, it is also has a lot to say about the artistic life and, in particular, what it is like to be a Latino playwright in this country. That alone makes the book unique and worthy of a wide readership."
--Oscar Hijuelos

Malista!