Many of us find that when we entertain, all the guests inevitably end up in the kitchen. Wynnewood resident Guillermo Pernot, the executive concept chef at Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar, prefers it that way. “We start cooking, then we eat something. Then we cook something else, then we drink something, and then we cook something else,” he explains. “That’s why we made a kitchen where people could come in and sit.”
For Pernot, a two-time James Beard Award winner, and his wife Lucia, the art of cooking and that of entertaining friends and neighbors are one and the same. In fact, says Guillermo, “usually the neighbors are in the restaurant business too, so we do courses together.” It makes for congenial, languidly paced parties where dishes are still being served late into the night.
They entertain “once in a while,” Guillermo says, but what he really means is around once a week. Recently, the Pernots invited us to an incredible Cuban inspired get-together for a small group of friends and neighbors—showing off not only Guillermo’s inventive Latin cuisine, but also their newly renovated kitchen, the perfect entertaining spot.

THE CAST
Argentine-born Guillermo wasn’t always a chef. He met Lucia nearly 20 years ago, when both were working at the Four Seasons (he was waiting tables). But when he was hired to run a bed and breakfast, he wowed guests with his seven-course meals and found his calling. He learned much of his Cuban flavor from Lucia’s mother, a practiced cook.
After accruing many ardent foodie fans at his famed Center City restaurant ¡Pasion!—Esquire magazine even named him “Chef of the Year”—Guillermo arrived at Cuba Libre in 2006 with the task of turning a lively Old City hangout into an epicurean destination—and by all accounts he has succeeded. He guided the kitchen through a menu overhaul, the opening of an Atlantic City offshoot and, now, plans for an Orlando location to open this fall.
For the past 10 years, the couple has lived in Wynnewood, and along the way befriended a slew of very lucky Main Line neighbors. Their daughter Viviana, now 15, grew up on Guillermo and Lucia’s Latin-infused cuisine; and their son Marcelo, 11, was making guacamole Cubano for show-and-tell by the second grade.

THE DIGS
Redesigning the kitchen, says Lucia, “was something we wanted to do since before we moved in here. We couldn’t entertain in our old kitchen.” But they had been filing away clippings from shelter magazines for a decade before they finally found the time to get started.
Guillermo designed the room around one focal point: The massive six-foot by seven-foot island, made of a single slab of green marinace granite that weighs around 900 pounds. There’s a six-burner, industrial-style stove and a stainless steel refrigerator, plus built-in speakers for music and bookcases for cookbooks. But, says Lucia, “We both have a real love for rustic things—if it looks old and beat up, I love it.” So they added a farm-style sink, a rough stone finish behind the stove, and they were finally able to hang the pot rack they had been given as a wedding present 16 years earlier. And, it was crucial that they find a spot for the antique butcher block they had owned since their first apartment together. Finally, Lucia says, “We wanted to do whatever we could to make it warm and inviting by adding color”—sunny yellow on the walls and moss green, cottage-style beadboard below the counters. Because of the oversize workspace, she says, “the kitchen lends itself to cooking together.” In fact, the whole idea was for the kitchen to be a chef’s version of a great room—for cooking, doing homework, coming together and, of course, for entertaining.

THE FOOD
Even when Guillermo is doing all the cooking himself, as he was at this event—and serving far too much food for a small get-together—he makes it look simple. The key is this: He actually starts far in advance, planning his menu and then creating a detailed timeline for everything from shopping to food preparation. He begins prepping and chopping, preparing stocks and bases for sauces a few days in advance, slowly scratching items off his master list.
On this day, Guillermo was showing off items on the menu of Cuba Libre’s recently launched catering service, which has already created Cuban-style fetes for Mainliners including Linda Swain. Because it was a party, there were, of course, plenty of mojitos—regular and watermelon—but all with Cuba Libre’s own house rum. “I always have a bartender or an open bar for the guests,” he says.
Since he literally wrote the book on ceviche, (he penned ¡Ceviche! Seafood, Salads and Cocktails with a Latin Twist in 2001), he started with a fiery shrimp version, with tomatoes, red bell peppers and jalapeños. He cut the spice with handfuls of fresh popcorn, adding cilantro as a crisp counterpoint.
“He always worries that there won’t be enough food—and there’s always plenty,” mused Lucia, as Guillermo set out more Cuban-inspired canapés: chewy fried green plantains, molded into cups and filled with chilled crab salpicon; crunchy plantain and yucca chips to dip into black bean hummus and salsa; a tangy guacamole Cubano, simply made with pineapple, avocado, scallions, lime juice and olive oil; ham-and-cheese croquettes with barbecue sauce; and empanadas picadillo (filled with ground beef savory enough to draw some unprintable Spanish exclamations from guests.)
And those were just the starters. The main dish was a complex paella, rich with chorizo, seafood and sweet plantains, and garnished with an asparagus salad. Guillermo whipped up three massive pans of the stuff, but it didn’t go to waste. “We like to pack up goodie bags for everyone,” says Lucia, whose neighbors each left toting bulging packets of paella.
But not before the desserts came: the creamy Tres Leches cake with chocolate mousse, flan with fesh berries, rich, raisin-studded coconut rice pudding, handmade truffles and guava bars, each more incredible than the last.
I asked Guillermo if he often tries out recipes at home for the restaurant, testing them on his family and friends. He laughed: “No—I usually try things at the restaurant for home. It’s much easier that way.”

WATERMELON MOJITO
Pernot’s number-one rule for entertaining? “Be sure your guests have enough to drink!” This refreshing twist on the Cuban classic is perfect for a summer afternoon, garnished with watermelon and sugarcane.

Serves 1

1¼ oz. white rum
2½oz. guarapo (pressed sugarcane juice)
or simple syrup
1¼ oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
6 fresh mint leaves, torn
¾ oz. fresh watermelon juice
club soda

Pour all ingredients except club soda into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and pour into a tall glass. Top with a splash of club soda. Garnish with a lime wedge.

SHRIMP CEVICHE IN BLACKENED TOMATO AND PEPPER GAZPACHO
Pernot is best known for his ceviche; this recipe was first published in his 2001 book on the topic, and it’s still a favorite.

Serves 8

4 plum tomatoes
1 red bell pepper
½ red onion with skin on
1 jalapeño chile
2 shallots, peeled
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup tomato juice
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 tbsp. fresh orange juice
1 tbsp. Crystal hot sauce
1 tsp. ketchup
2 tsp. kosher salt
2 lbs. large shrimp (21-25 count)
1 qt. basic braising liquid
2 tbsp. kosher salt
1 cup corn nuts or popcorn
In advance, make basic braising liquid: (In a large pot, combine 3 quarts water, 2 tbsp. pickling spice, 1 tbsp. crushed red pepper, ¼ cup kosher salt, ¼ cup Tabasco sauce and two lemons cut in half. Bring mixture to boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Strain and reserve for future use.)
Preheat a grill to very hot. Grill tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, jalapeño, shallots and garlic until almost entirely blackened. Remove from grill. When vegetables are cool enough to handle, peel the red pepper, leaving the skin on the jalapeño. Halve and discard the seeds from the red pepper and jalapeño. Grind grilled tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, jalapeño, shallots, garlic and raw cucumber in a food processor. Add olive oil, transfer mixture to a bowl and whisk in tomato, lime and orange juices, hot sauce, ketchup and 2 teaspoons salt.
Peel the shrimp, leaving tail sections intact, then split halfway down the backs to devein and butterfly. Bring a medium pot of braising liquid to boil with remaining salt. Drop in shrimp. Cool, stirring, just until opaque, about 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. To serve, pour the gazpacho into 1 large or 8 individual shallow bowls. Arrange the shrimp with butterflied tails down. Sprinkle corn nuts in between the shrimp and serve immediately.

MAINE LOBSTER AND SEAFOOD PAELLA
“Paella is easy to make once you have everything you need for it,” Pernot says. “But there are good paellas and bad ones.” This is among the best, created by Pernot for Cuba Libre.

1 lb. Maine lobster
4 medallions, 3 oz. each, monk
fish or other firm fish
1 small white onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
6 large shrimp
6 ripe plantains, sliced and fried
1 cup Calasparra rice
12 oz. fish broth (or clam juice)
1 pinch saffron
12 mussels
6 clams
4 oz. squid, cut in thin rings and tentacles
2 tsp. salt
½ cup green peas (frozen)

For garnish:
1 roasted red pepper, julienne
½ cup garbanzos, fried and
seasoned
6 asparagus spears, peeled and blanched
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. sherry vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400˚. In a salted pot of boiling water, place lobster and simmer 7 minutes. Remove and plunge in ice water. When cool, split in half and remove intestinal track. Set aside.
Heat oil in 10- to 12-inch paella pan. Sauté monkfish on both sides. Add onions and sauté until soft. Add garlic and peppers. Add shrimp and sauté 1 minute. Stir in rice and cook with pan mixture until well coated. Add fish broth and saffron. Place mussels and clams around edges of pan. Bring to boil. Add squid and maduros. Add salt and continue to boil for 3 more minutes. Arrange lobster on top of pan. Place paella pan in oven, uncovered for 5-8 minutes.
Meanwhile, assemble asparagus salad: coat asparagus in oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and set aside.
Remove paella from oven, add green peas. Test rice for desired doneness. If necessary, return to oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and garnish with crispy garbanzo beans, red pepper and asparagus salad and lemon wedges.

Coconut Rice Pudding
Cuba Libre pastry chef Jennifer Martin is responsible for this incredibly rich, sweet dessert, which can be garnished with a cinnamon stick.

Serves 6

5½ oz. Sello Rojo brand rice
½ vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
1 qt. water
1 can coconut milk
1 can condensed milk
¾ cup cream
3½ oz. raisins
1 tbsp. Coco Lopez

In a large saucepot, combine rice, vanilla and water. Cook over medium heat until all the water is absorbed. Add coconut milk and raisins; continue to cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add condensed milk, cream and Coco Lopez to the pudding and stir to combine. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight.
Note: Rice pudding must sit overnight in order for the rice to absorb the milks and come to the proper consistency. Stir to combine after it sits overnight. Shelf life for this pudding is about 3-4 days.

1. I love these recipes! I’m trying to make the coconut rice pudding. I’ve looked everywhere for the Sello Rojo brand rice, but can’t find it. Where can I go to purchase it? Many Thanks! Janelle

   Posted by Janelle Moore | February 8, 2009, 8:11 am

2. [...] MAINLINE LATIN LESSONS AT HOME WITH CUBA LIBRE 39 S GUILLERMO Posted by root 4 minutes ago (http://www.mainlinemag.com) By samantha melamed may 1 2008 print this post post a comment because of the oversize workspace she says the kitchen lends itself to cooking together crunchy plantain and yucca chips to dip into black bean hummus and salsa we like to pack up goodie bags f Discuss  |  Bury |  News | MAINLINE LATIN LESSONS AT HOME WITH CUBA LIBRE 39 S GUILLERMO [...]

   Posted by MAINLINE LATIN LESSONS AT HOME WITH CUBA LIBRE 39 S GUILLERMO | bean bag chairs | June 13, 2009, 7:37 pm

3. Querido Guillermo:
   Qué orgullo siento de ver tu página en internet y ver por ella A DÓNE HAS LLEGADO!!!!Maravillosa vida!!!!SOS UN GRANDE!, no se si me recordarás, -(ojalá que si!, yo nunca te olvidé).-
   Si alguna vez viajo a Philadelphia, seguro iré a visitarte a tu restaurante.-
   TE ABRAZO CON EL CORAZÓN!!!!!!
   Irene Sassi

   Posted by irene sassi | July 24, 2009, 12:30 am