The emphasis on sustainability as defined in the crucial values of Pacific Island culture through alofa, aloha and fa'alo'alo and in South African unbutu are the footprints we are creating today. Inspired by teachings of His Highness Head of State of Samoa, Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi who stated that "we constantly need to search for meaning, nuance, and metaphor to find substance and establish context in our dialogue with our ancestors, with ourselves and with our cultures.” Jesus and several community leaders in Hawaii, Samoa and Connecticut are working together to draft a hospitality industry educational course on the interconnection between peace and hospitality. Since 2009, Jesus and members of the Cubanakoa Foundation and Kahumana community have worked to improve relations between the United States and Cuba by way of cultural exchanges and anthropological studies linguistically linking the people of the Caribbean to the peoples of the pacific. Jesus and Henry Tamasese founded the Cubanakoa Foundation which serves to celebrate human kind’s shared history, stories and journey. In 2010, the Soul de Cuba Cafe franchise program was launched. I dance in the kitchen.Soul de Cuba Specialty Foods is the first ever nationally distributed Cuban food product line. If you’re new to the Cuban experience and feeling adventurous, try a malta hatuey (like a stout without the alcohol), jupiña, a sweet, pineapple soda pop or a fresh fruit batido, the Cuban version of a smoothie.Įl Cubo has 40 seats inside (counter and tables) and almost as many seats in the patio under the mango-colored umbrellas (the patio might be covered this winter), and there’s parking!Įscalera has been playing percussion in the northwest salsa and latin fusion band, Pura Vida for many years. ![]() Rum drinks are available from the bar as well as beer, and a winter special: a hot drink with espresso, coconut cream, and rum. Escalera says that it comes from Miami and not Cuba.Īt any rate, El Cubo makes a pared-down, traditional version (no condiments) with slow-roasted pork and smoked ham on light, crunchy bread that is flat-pressed on a panini-type grill.Ĭafé Cubano, a double-shot of strong espresso brewed with raw sugar so it almost caramelizes, is a great picker-upper with or without a sandwich. Roksam likes to mix these flavors and textures in a bowl and spoon them up together.Ĭuban sandwiches and a (vegan) Caribbean salad of mango, cucumber, avocado and red onion in lime dressing round out the entree choices.ĭebate swirls around the origin of the Cuban sandwich. Salty, sweet potato fries are an especially good accompaniment. Mojo pork, a good introduction to the menu, is slow-cooked, tender pork shoulder served with beans, rice – and mojo, a slightly tangy, garlic and lime sauce. “We wanted to focus on a small menu and do that well,” Roskam says, “in order to keep quality up and prices down.” Escalera’s beans are like his mama’s, he says – flavorful, with lots of garlic and onion, and some sugar because everything Cuban is a little sweet.Ĭhoose from six entrees, all under $10, and four gluten-free sides at $4.50 each. The staples of a Cuban diet include black beans and rice, pork, sweet potatoes, and sweet or salty fried plantains (maduros and tostones). ![]() The couple tested and refined Escalera’s recipes with friends to create a menu Portland-friendly and true to Cuban traditions. Havana-born Milko Vigil Escalera and Kansas transplant Emily Roskam bring Escalera’s family recipes, three years of cart savvy, and a praiseworthy use of color to their new brick and mortar on Hawthorne Blvd. ![]() The colors! Red, yellow, and blue – the color of the sky at Veradera Beach on a sunny day. El Cubo de Cuba is a warm hug on a chilly Portland afternoon.
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