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Winner of two Michelin stars, Belgium chef Ron Blaauw, Spanish chef Israel Gata, from Havana’s Iberostar Parque Central, and sommelier Cuno Van’t Hoff are going to be playing the leading role throughout the Trinidad Night within the framework of the 16th Habano Festival, to take place at the historic Museum of Fine Arts.
The combination of the knowledge has brought about a daring and transgressor menu that ranges from tuna tartar with a touch of sesame, ginger and ponzu; chicken pie with foie gras and truffle sauce; or the grilled beef tournedó with potato, red onions and red wine sauce; to a citrus cocktail, almond cream and crunchy pistachios, bathed with Italian and French wines, in a necessary epilogue for a fine Cuban coffee and a cup of Ron Vigía 18 años to accompany the presentation of Trinidad’s Vigía vitola.
Perhaps it was a plot to put together in the already-named Trinidad Dinner that symphony of knowledge and culinary cultures, which have Belgium chef Ron Blaauw as one of the main flagships, who opened his own restaurant in 1999 in a small town near Amsterdam.
“Our restaurant became quite popular in a short span of time because we tried to do things different. Quickly we were seen as a nominee for a Michelin star, but it was not until 2004 that we finally received our first Michelin star.  Then two years later, to our own surprise, we won the second Michelin star. I’m currently working on fine tuning our Gastrobar concept and our mini farm where we can grow our own crops”.
In your professional career you’ve worked in several restaurants and on different projects. What cuisine is the one you like working on the most?
I’m a long-time fan of the French and Spanish cuisine and love to combine them with Asian influences. As well I like to add elements from our Dutch-Indonesian cuisine.
Do you like Habanos? How do you imagine Trinidad Dinner in such a way that it could lead to a perfect close with a Habano?
A Habano has something magical, as I save them for special occasions. I enjoy these moments with friends where we relax, talk about life and enjoy a good Habano. The festival’s dinner shouldn’t be too heavy and have a refreshing dessert so there’s appetite for a close with a Habano.
What drove you to come up with a dinner that honors the Trinidad Habano brand?
I would like to show Cuba what Holland is about.  In a totally different way, but like Cuba we can be found almost everywhere in the world.
“My chef and I will do our best to create some refreshing dishes that will surprise our guests and make them curious about the next course!”