(Above photo of the La Cocina Iberostar cookbook by Carrie Coolidge.)
Iberostar Hotel & Resorts, the family-owned and operated hospitality company with more than 100 hotels in 15 countries around the world, is celebrating the exceptional gastronomical offerings at its properties around the world with the launch of a cookbook entitled La Cocina Iberostar.
The 127-page long cookbook features recipes created by its international stable of highly trained chefs.
“Through this publication we aim to pay a small tribute to our chefs, whose hard work and dedication contribute to maintaining the excellent standards of our restaurants on a daily basis,” says Miguel Fluxa, executive chairman of Iberostar Group.
Indeed, Iberostar prides itself on the diversity and culinary expertise of its chefs and the international gourmet cuisine they create. “We have a lot of chefs and sous chefs who trained at some of the top schools and restaurants around the world, including those with one, two and three stars awarded by Michelin,” says Jordi Sole, Iberostar’s Director of Operations for Mexico. Cuisines featured at its properties range from French, Japanese and Italian to Mediterranean as well as the local cuisine where a property is located.
This diversity is also seen in the cookbook that features 42 recipes, including appetizers, main courses and desserts. Each recipe details the required ingredients, its level of difficulty, step-by-step instructions and serves four portions. There’s also a color photograph of the finished product that accompanies the recipe as well as a short bio and photo of the Iberostar chef who created the dish. The book was written in three languages including Spanish, English and German.
The book’s recipes are the creations of 14 chefs from Iberostar properties in a variety of locations, including those in Spain, Cuba, Andalusia, Hungary, Greece, Tunisia, Morocco, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico and Brazil. At a recent culinary event at Iberostar’s beautiful Grand Hotel Paraiso in Maya Riviera, Daniel Rodriguez Paredes, a native of Spain who is the Executive Chef at the Iberostar Cancun, ably demonstrated several of his recipes. The recipe for his shrimp raviolis filled with pen shells and corn smut is featured in the cookbook.
Recipes featured throughout the book represent the fusion between traditional dishes based on local products and innovative styles and new flavors. For example, the recipe for his Warm Lobster Saoco with Cuban Guacamole and Eddoe Crisps, which is the creation of Israel Gata, Executive Chef at the Iberostar Parque Central in Havana, Cuba. Born in Seville, Spain, Gata’s culinary creations are inspired by his respect for natural ingredients combined with a creative twist. As a result, the Iberostar Parque Central is considered to be one of the country’s top dining destinations.
Another chef featured in the book is Moez Maalaoui, the award-winning Executive Chef at the Iberostar Chich Khan in Tunisia, his native country. In the book, Maalaoui shares the recipe for his Fondok El Ghalla Salad, which is made with fresh tuna, Gruyere cheese and a variety of vegetables.
“Iberostar’s mission is for its customer to have unique vacation and culinary experiences, from the time they arrive until they go home,” says Sole, adding that one of the company’s most important objectives is gastronomy. “We believe that the key to a client’s heart is through their stomach, which is why variety and quality are extremely important to Iberostar.”
According to Sole, the average stay for its guests around the world is five nights, however some guests stay for as long as 20 nights. “They don’t want to eat the same thing every night,” he adds.
The main purpose behind the launch of the book is to enable its clients to bring a piece of Iberostar home with them. “We want our clients to enjoy the gastronomy at the hotel and then take a piece of this art home with them,” says Sole. “With this book, they can remember all the experiences they were able to enjoy with us.”
La Cocina Iberostar will be updated with new recipes every three years. The book, which retails for $33 (25 Euros), is available only at Iberostar hotel stores, including Starmarket and Starshop.
