Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You are listening to Food for Thought with Billy and Jenny,
brought to you by the Box Center. For more than
fifteen years, this dining duo has been eating their way
through New England, mixing it up with top chefs, jumping
behind the line of the hottest restaurants, and giving you
the inside scoop on where to whine, dine and spend
your time. So get ready, it's Food for Thought giving
you something to chew on.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Hey, everybody, welcome into Food for Thought, brought to you
by the Box Center. I have a great friend coming
on the show this week and someone I hugely respect
in the hospitality industry, someone I've known for certainly over
a decade and have loved watching her explode in so
many different ways, both on the local here in Massachusetts scene,
(00:43):
but also on the national scene. So executive Chef Tatiana
Rosana is a Chopped champion, So if you are a
fan of the food shows, you've definitely seen her there.
She's also regularly seen on Bar Rescue as a guest expert,
and it is my pleasure to have as Tatty on
the show at that's how.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
Are you Girl?
Speaker 3 (01:03):
I'm doing great? And the pleasure is all mine. Jenny,
thank you so much for having me on. I am
very excited to chat with you.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
Well, you have a beautiful story and I think it's
one that everybody will appreciate. We'd like to start when
we're kind of digging in deeper with one particular chef,
a little bit about your background, So if you can
kind of walk us through where you were born, where
you were raised, and kind of when the culinary peace
(01:31):
found its place in your heart to ultimately become your profession.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Absolutely, so the culinary industry definitely wasn't something that I
was born thinking I wanted to pursue. I am a
first generation Cuban American. I was born and raised in Miami,
and I think as the daughter the oldest daughter of immigrants,
I kind of felt like I had to go into
(01:58):
a more quote unquote successful industry, so becoming a doctor
or a lawyer or something like that, because you really
want to kind of make your parents proud. So I
did start off my career as a biomedical science pre
med major. I thought I wanted to be a doctor,
but throughout my life I did grow up a lot
(02:20):
around food. Food was always very centralized to everything that
we did, both culturally and just within my family. So
with that in mind, I started off my pre med
journey and I was absolutely miserable. I did not enjoy
what I was doing. I wasn't bad at it necessarily,
but just definitely didn't kind of hold my attention, and
(02:42):
I had what I called my quarter life crisis. I
called my dad. I was terrified. I'm like, I really
don't want to do this. This isn't you know where
I see my future. And his words to me are
something that I'll kind of always remember. But he said,
you know, you'll be good at what you put your
head into, but you'll be great at what you put
(03:03):
your heart into. And I really want you to follow
your heart. And my heart led me to the kitchen.
It really was, you know, kind of that simple Yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:13):
What an amazing support and what an amazing line to
be able to say over and over. And I'm sure
now that you're a parent, something that you can say
over and over that's so special and to be able
to have that appreciation and acceptance is certainly a big deal.
So I want to go back. You said the food
was definitely a part of your childhood, So tell me
(03:33):
a little bit more about what that looks like, and
you know how present the Cuban flavors were, and yeah,
bring us into your childhood kitchen.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
Absolutely so growing up in Miami especially, I was just
surrounded by really amazing Cuban food. My mom is a
great cook, especially with Cuban cuisine, but my grandmother and
my grandfather are the ones who really kind of pioneered,
you know, my food journey and my my love for food.
In Cuban culture, food is centralized to everything, so food
(04:06):
was centered to you know, moments of celebration, but also
moments of sorrow. It really kind of tugged on our
heart strings and every occasion of our life. And I
have such distinct memories of kind of being around my
grandmother's kitchen and she would have all the younger kids
sort beans black dried black beans to take out any
rocks or imperfections, and just even the sounds of the
(04:28):
black beans hitting the pan as we were sorting them
is something that I really hold very near and dear
to my heart. And it showed me how nostalgic and
visceral food can really be and that it's so much
more than just flavors. It's memory, it sounds, it's smell,
its feel, and that's something that I really wanted to
bring into my career currently.
Speaker 4 (04:52):
Yeah, that is so beautiful, and just like hearing the
sounds of the pans, and the idea of food being
present for both the great times and then not so
great times, I think is something that we can all
relate to. We can think of the more challenging times
and how the flavors can bring us right back to that,
but also how it nourishes us to sort of continue forward,
(05:14):
to step forward. And so were you present in the
kitchen with them a lot, and do you remember kind
of like some of those dishes that you'd be creating
at a young age.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Absolutely, I was really present, especially probably more so than
my sisters or my cousins. I loved kind of being
around them when they were cooking, and especially for so
Cubans celebrate no Chiquena, which is Christmas ease, and every
Christmas ever, every no Chaquena, we would roast a whole
pig over an open fire, and my grandfather would make
(05:47):
this amazing mohomernate from scratch and he would like store
it in big gallon jugs and that was one of
the first recipes I learned how to make, and we
would just really take time and love an effort into
fasteing this whole pig over the open fire and taking
the time to stoke the flames. And it showed me
(06:08):
how to care for something and also how to cook
a whole animal, right, not taking any piece for granted.
Utilizing every piece of something in cooking is something that
I still hold really near and dear to me. But
I learned it from those occasions of cooking, you know,
on no Chaguana with my grandfather.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
Well, that is so special. I can, I can. I
can just picture it right now, and it's so nice
to be transported back to these people who gave you
an appreciation for something that is now, you know, an
every day, probably every moment, part of your life. We're
going to take a break, but I also want to
put out there because I don't think I said this
in the beginning. Chef Tatiana Rosana is here in Boston
(06:50):
and she oversees Para Maria, which is a Latin inspired restaurant.
So I'm sore. We're sure we're getting some of those
flavors that you just described in the menu. I know,
a new menu, new seasonal menu is coming up. And
par Maria is part of the Envoy Hotel, which is
right there in the heart of the seaport. It is
such a special venue. It's a huge venue. I mean,
it's obviously a pretty extraordinary hotel. It has a legendary
(07:14):
roof deck, you know, and it hasn't I mean, it
hasn't been there for too too long, but long enough
that it's you know, certainly a fixture within that neighborhood.
So we'll talk more about that menu, but we're going
to talk more about chef Tati and her journey when
we come back with more Food for Thought. In just
a minute.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
You're listening to Food for Thought brought to you by
the Box Center and Salem Waterfront Hotel in Sweet.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
Welcome back to Food for Thoughts brought to you by
the Box Center. We have Tatiana Rosana, a wonderful chef
here in Boston and beyond because you see her on
the big screen, a chop champion, she's a bar rescue
guest with regularity. And she just told us a little
bit about her history and sort of how the love
for cooking came to be and I love the stories
(07:58):
of how it connects to parents and parents and the
flavors of your youth. And it's so great hearing some
of the Cuban influences that I want to talk more
about Chef Tatiana, But let's kind of move towards Are
you think you're going to become a doctor? It feels
like the right thing to do. You tell yourself it's not.
You tell your father it's not.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
You have the great.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Support for him from him, and so then what's next?
Speaker 3 (08:25):
So next I did? I want to finish out my
bachelor's degree. So I ended up getting a degree in English.
I had two years left and then after that I
went to culinary school, and that's kind of when my
whole world opened up. Culinary school was an experience. I
learned a lot, but I think the thing I learned
the most was that when I graduated, it did not
(08:47):
mean I was a chef. I still kind of had
to start from the bottom, which was not something I
was prepared for. It was very scary. I decided to
move from Florida to Boston to kind of broad in
my culinary journey. Miami was great, but it is kind
of secular in the food, and I wanted someplace that
(09:07):
had a bit more variety, but New York City felt
a bit scary for me, so Boston is where I landed,
and I kind of want restaurants to restaurant, begging for
someone to give me a chance, because all of my
experience was volunteering with doctors, and like, I didn't really
have a resume that had any kind of cooking experience
(09:28):
on there. You can't really put cooking on nochiuana with
your grandfather on your resume. So eventually, eventually someone did
give me a chance. Her name is Mary Dumont. She
was the executive chef of Harvest Restaurant in Harvard Square,
and she was the first one that really believed in
me professionally, and that made all the difference. To have
(09:51):
someone like her as a mentor helped me get through
these tough times because the industry is incredibly difficult. But
she kind of showed me the ropes. She showed me
kind of how to be a bit harder. I was
a bit soft coming into the industry, and softness is
not something that's always celebrated in the kitchen. So she
(10:12):
did toughen me up, for sure, But she did it
with love, and that's kind of what I bring into
my kitchens now when I mentor the current staff that
I have. It is a difficult industry. I need you
to be hard, but I also want you to still
love what you do. So she really showed me the
ropes when it came to that. After Harvest, I kind
of bounced around. I went to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel,
(10:35):
which was my first hotel experience. I worked at the
w Hotel and then I got my first shoe chef
job at the Envoy as the soux chef of what
was before Outlook Kitchen and Bar, and yeah, that was
really scary, my first shoe chef job.
Speaker 4 (10:54):
Well, I love, you know, Mary, I'd known for so
many years, and I love sort of the way you
describe I have the need to kind of hard enough
but like remain with love and remain like connected to it,
because that's a great way to describe her, because there
was like, you know, I haven't seen her in a while,
but there was like a seriousness of art, like it
was like a passion about her, but it was, you know,
(11:16):
she took it very seriously and I can only imagine that,
you know, having not having spent your you know, your
intern years in hospitals with doctors and then moving into
this business. It's, you know, it took a lot to
be able to get there, but I love that She
was a great mentor to you. So talk about the
difference between going from a restaurant like Harvest into hotels
(11:40):
for folks who aren't familiar.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
Yeah, so Harvest was great because it was so creative.
It's an independent hotel. We were able to really have
fun with the menu. It was a bit of a
culture shock coming into hotels because it is so much
more structured. It's a lot more corporate. There's many more
people who have to approve of every dish that gets
on the menu before it gets on the menu. However,
(12:04):
I did love the structure. I loved the kind of
feeling of being backed by a company that was so
large and I didn't have to worry as much about
kind of coming up with these dishes and not really
knowing if it's what was right for the restaurant or
not because I had so many people to support me
(12:26):
with that. It also gave me experience working in banquets,
so I worked in banquets at the Mandarin Oriental and
they do huge banquets and really allowed me to learn
how to cook for large groups of people. And yeah,
my experience just really broadened in hotels, and I found
that as much as I loved the structure of hotels,
(12:46):
I wanted to find a hotel that had the backing
of a hotel with still giving me that creative freedom,
which is what I found in Para Maria. It's a
hotel restaurant, but it feels very independent.
Speaker 4 (13:01):
I love that. Yeah, let's move into Parra Maria. So
you're so, this is how many years have you been there?
I know previously it's a former named but now how
many years has it been?
Speaker 3 (13:11):
So I've been with the hotel for ten years. So
I was here since it opened day one, and par
Maria has been in existence since right after COVID. So
when we reopened after COVID, I had just had my son, Arlo,
and I was really looking for something that reignited my passion.
(13:32):
If I was going to be away from my son
for as long as you know, chefs are throughout the day,
I wanted something that I really love to do, and
I was fortunate that they gave me the opportunity to
come up with Parra Maria as a concept, and so
we started as a pop up and it did so
well that we ran with it for good.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
Oh well, I want to talk more about Arla, but
let's stick with Parra Maria for now. So you so
talk about the flavors and I or if I cannot
believe it's been ten years since the hotel opened, it
feels like it was yesterday, and having this new iteration
of Para Maria is so exciting and also really I
feel like still the void, certainly in the neighborhood but
(14:14):
also in the city. So tell us more about the concept.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
So the concept for those who don't speak Spanish, par
Maria translates to for Maria. Maria was my grandmother's name,
so it started off initially as kind of an ode
to her, but really has transformed to an ode to family,
to an ode to friends and friends that are like family.
So the flavors that I try to bring in are
things that tug on heartstrings, give you nostalgia. If I
(14:43):
can have someone come in here and feel something through
my food, then I've done my job. But you're also
going to find a lot of the fun flavors of
my childhood. So the Moha recipe is definitely going to
be on there. We have black beans on the menu,
like all the things that I kind of grew up
with that I feel like means something to me or
on there, and I'm hoping that because I cook it
(15:05):
with so much love that that translates to the food.
Speaker 4 (15:09):
Oh my gosh, no doubt. All right, So you mentioned
one of the dishes that I imagine can't come off.
Talk a little bit more about about the menu because
you do evolve it. Steven's season to season.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
Yeah. Yeah, So one of the dishes that has kind
of been tried and true that has been on for
quite a while and it's currently not on the menu,
but it is like a secret menu item is the
guavaglaze salmon. And that guava glaze is something that like
I could bottle and just to have on its own.
It is so delicious. But it's kind of the culmination
(15:41):
of what my cooking philosophy is. It's taking something from
my childhood, something that means a lot to me, and
transforming it into something that people are really going to
enjoy and that everybody can understand. Right, I want people
who have never had Cuban food to be able to
come in and not feel nervous or scared to try
it because it's not overly new, but it still does
(16:03):
have the flavors that I'm looking for.
Speaker 4 (16:06):
I love that, and I think the flavors do speak
to everyone. But can you describe, Like, if you were
to describe Cuban food for someone who says like, and
I don't really know what that means, like, how how
would you describe it?
Speaker 3 (16:18):
The first word that comes to mind is home. So
Cuban food is very homey, it's very comforting. It's a
lot of soups and stews. Generally, you know, especially in Cuba,
they don't have the most tender cuts of meat. So
we've had to find ways to coax the tenderness out
of the things that we cook, to coax the flavor
out of cuts that might not be you know, prime,
(16:40):
And because of that, we've really learned respect for the cuisine.
So you're going to find a lot of acid, a
lot of lime, juice onions, tons of garlic, of regano,
just flavors that are going to compliment kind of the
dishes that feel like home. Right, So yeah, I would
say home is how I've described Queuesan cuisine.
Speaker 4 (17:03):
I love that, and I love you talking about how
much love you put into the food. I study Araveta,
which I've talked about on the show a bunch of times,
and and sort of this concept of how you create
the food that you create makes such a difference in
so in actually your digestion and the way that you
feel about it and the way that you experience the food.
And so hearing that from you certainly speaks to me,
(17:25):
and I hope speaks to everyone else. Because you don't
want somebody angry putting food together. You don't want somebody.
You want someone who's like nourishing the food in order
to nourish you, which is what it does. Okay, so
we're going to take a break. When we come back,
we have a quick little break, and I want to
hear about some of your favorite places to visit the city.
Although I know that with a young son and a
family and a restaurant, you don't get out very often,
(17:47):
we always like to hear a few of the chef's favorites.
So we'll be back with our Food for Thought in
just a minute.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
You're listening to Food for Thoughts brought to you by
It's the Box Center and Sale and Waterfront Hotel in sweets.
Speaker 4 (17:57):
That Tatiana Rosana is our guest, the Overseas par Maria
inside the Envoy Hotel, among other places. We're going to
talk about a few of the other things that she's
doing in the city as well, but this is a
quick break Tatis. So I want to know some of
the places that you go in the city or the
state or the region, like some spots that you really love,
whether you're going with your son, whether you're going with
(18:18):
your family or going for a special date night out.
What are some of your favorites.
Speaker 3 (18:22):
Yeah, so one of our tops is definitely barbol Pay.
So we live very close to barbole Pay. We I'm
friends with Karen. She's like such an amazing chef and
I love supporting other strong female chefs in the industry.
But beyond that, Barblepay's food is like when I talk
about home like, it definitely feels homey to me. Arlow
(18:44):
is obsessed with everything on the menu, So we love
going there with him. Specifically, whenever my family visits from Florida,
that's kind of where I take them. So barble Pay
and Fox and The Knife are two of the places
that we frequent most often when I have a date night,
which is rare, but whenever that does happen, in tend
(19:05):
to like it is few and far between, but they
do happen occasionally. We do love going to Neptune over
in the North End. It's just can't beat the oysters.
The Johnny Cake is something that I have dreams about
and it's just so so so good. But I mean
predominantly we're cooking at home, So I would say those
(19:27):
are the restaurants that we probably frequent the most. Chicka
See is another one of our date night places. I
love Chickadee. The food is always so on point. But yeah,
I would say really supporting you know Karen what I
can is is probably one of the top things.
Speaker 4 (19:46):
Yeah, Karen is one of my good friends as well,
and love supporting her and also love you know, she's
a new mom. Rogue is younger than our Low. But
but I think there's there's so much one to think about,
you know, running a bitiness like you guys are running businesses,
raising children, you know, being having a family, and so
(20:06):
there's so much that goes into it, and so you're right,
there's when there's such limited time to be out, either
you know, with your partner or with your family, with friends,
whatever it is, you want to make sure that you're
going to a place that you value what they're putting
into it too. And I yeah, it's a purple day
and Fox and the Knife for two amazing ones, as
(20:27):
are the others you mentioned, and of course there are
so many. And one of the things that we always
say we find to be wonderful in the Boston area
is that there really are a lot of strong female voices.
Not to say that there aren't in other cities, but
in some ways, I personally feel like the female voice
from the culinary scene happens a little bit earlier than
(20:48):
in other cities. All Right, we're going to take a
quick break. We'll be back with more tef Tatie in
just a minute.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
You're listening to Food for Thought, brought to you by
It's the Box Center and Sale and Waterfront Hotel and sweets.
Speaker 4 (20:58):
Okay, we got more foods that brought to you by
the awesome Box Center. For people that are looking for
something great to do this summer, one of the things
we always suggest is go see a show the art
scene in Boston is thriving, and the Box Center is
certainly at the heart of that. Obviously, the Bock and
the Schubert. There have some amazing shows this summer, and
hopefully you're able to take some time.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
To enjoy it.
Speaker 4 (21:21):
And then what do we suggest. We suggest going to
support a local restaurant, and we'll put par Maria on
the top of that list for sure. So, Tati, I
want to talk about the dish that you've mentioned a
couple times that is important on the menu, was important
in your upbringing and certainly has a lot of those
Cuban flavors. Would you walk through kind of how to
(21:43):
go about that recipe? And obviously people can enjoy it
at the restaurant, but maybe it's something they want to
do at home as well.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Yeah. Absolutely so. One of the recipes that we use
most often in the restaurant and just in my daily
life is my grandfather's Moho recipe, which is a great
marinade for pork, for chicken, any of those bigger flavors,
and the recipe is actually very easy. Traditionally we use
something called Nadan hagria, which you can't really find here.
(22:09):
It's kind of a sour, bitter orange. So to mimic
that flavor, I do two cups of orange juice to
one cup of lime juice. I do about eight to
ten cloves of garlic, although I don't like measuring garlic
because I just measure it with my heart. So please
use as much as you like a decent amount of
black pepper. So about two teaspoons of black pepper, a
(22:31):
tablespoon of cueman, and two tablespoons of a regano, and
just mix that all up. Let it sit for about
four to five hours in the fridge, just so that
all those flavors marry, and then you can utilize that
in everything. Marin it, your pork in it, then braize
it in the same sauce like basee your chicken with it.
It is such a savory, delightful taste and such a
(22:56):
feeling of home for me that I really do use
it kind of on a.
Speaker 4 (23:02):
Oh gosh, that sounds sotalists and so easy. I love
I love that thought. So the so the orange flavor
that you typically get is from a fruit, is from
a Cuban fruit that just is we obviously can't get,
but it has a similar fitness to the Orange yeah,
and to the Orange Yeah. Okay, good. And I have
to ask, do you do you get to Cuba? Have
(23:22):
you been to Cuba at all? And I'm sure at
some point, but you get to go down there now.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
So I've actually never been to Cuba. My parents immigrated
on something called the Freedom Flights years and years ago
when they were about five and six years old. So
my grandparents have never been back, like they've just never
had the opportunity to go back. They're still it's kind
of still very tumultuous there. So they've brought kind of
(23:49):
Cuba to me. And growing up in Miami, it felt
very much like you were kind of in Cuba because
the Cuban community there is so large. But unfortunately, and
it is on the very top of my list I
would love to visit at some point in my life.
Speaker 4 (24:03):
Wow, wow, it's yeah. I it certainly is towards the
top of my list, and I hope I'm able to
get there as well. My best friend is actually first
generation keep An American and and I, you know, I
just I that she was able to go, and just
like the pictors and the flavors and the stories in history,
it's you know, it's so intense and immense, and well,
(24:24):
I look forward dinnering when you do get there. So okay,
So we talked a little bit about the menu at Parmeria,
but you're also overseeing other properties within the company. Can
you tell us about those?
Speaker 3 (24:37):
Yep, So I oversee the Whitney Hotel and their restaurant Paragrine,
which is kind of a large departure from what we
do at Parmeria. Pomeria is definitely much more homey, heart
stringing type of food. Paragrine is much more like coastal
European Mediterranean vibes, so a lot lighter, a lot brighter,
a lot of kind of crudos and raw bar. So
(24:59):
it's it's been really amazing for me to be able
to do both of them because I feel like it's
really got my creative juices going. I'm doing what I'm
doing at par Maria, but it is so comfortable for
me that I'm stepping outside of that comfort zone to
do menus at other properties. Now.
Speaker 4 (25:16):
I love that so much, and it is such a
beautiful space, and that's another beautiful hotel and exciting to
see as that evolves when you're cooking at home with Arlow.
What are some of his favorites.
Speaker 3 (25:28):
So, Arlow's big into baking right now, and I think
partly because he likes to eat the sugar and the
chocolate chips and everything as he's baking. So he is
big into baking. But something that's so important to me
is teaching him about where his food is coming from
and kind of how it grows and where it grows
(25:48):
from and who's growing it. So we grind all our
own meat at home. He's very comfortable with a knife
and chopping and doing all that. He's five, But for me,
teaching him those skills now is something that he's gonna
be able to take with him for the rest of
his life.
Speaker 4 (26:05):
It's so important. I was recently talking about what's something
that I would hope is part of a curriculum for
our young kids. I have a six and three year
old girls, and.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
That story of origin of like origin.
Speaker 4 (26:18):
Of food, the food that is going to nourish us,
the food that is going to help them grow, is
so important. And to have that be a part of
or like a you know, a part of the curriculum,
I think just brings so much of a full story,
you know, to our little people and then and then
help them be raised to sort of appreciate because I think,
unlike how you were raised, Tasi, like we moved so
(26:41):
far away. I think in like at least in the past,
I don't know ten fifteen years to like where that
food came from and how I think that that Yeah,
and that story is so important. And I love that
he has the nice skills as such a young boy.
That's just that's that's so awesome. And I feel like
I've seen a few things that you've done with him
on on you know, when when he's on social and
(27:04):
when you're on social, and it's just so it's so
fun to see because they're so pure and they're so
excited and there's such sponges of information. I want to
talk more about Arlow because one of the favorite books
on my girl's shelf is actually a book that you wrote.
So when we come back with more Food for Thought,
we'll talk about that.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
You're listening to Food for Thought brought to you Buy
in the Box Center and Salem Waterfront Hotel and Sweet.
Speaker 4 (27:29):
Chatting with Tatiana Rosanna. She is at the Envoy Hotel
right there in the seaport of Boston. Overseeing Para Maria
and all the food that you get at that hotel,
also Paragrine, which is a restaurant at the Whitney in
Beacon Hill that we touched upon. But we were just
talking about Arlow and his appreciation for food and your
prioritizing his education of knowing sort of where these foods
(27:53):
come from. Talk about the importance of that for you
both within your family and I'm certain like within your
work as you're working with all the folks you do
on a day to day basis absolutely so.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
I get a lot of questions from parents about how
to not make their kids be picky eaters, like is
Arlott a picky eater? How do you prevent that? And
the number one response I always have is to get
them involved in the food. I find that Arlow is
so much more interested in trying something new if he's
part of the process of preparing it. And it's kind
(28:26):
of the same as with cooks in the kitchen. They
get much more excited about we're coming into work every
day and you know, putting in the long hours when
they're learning something new, when they're able to get their
hands sturdy and learn new techniques and learn about where
the food's coming from. So I kind of do have
that same philosophy with Arlow and in the kitchen with
(28:47):
my cooks.
Speaker 4 (28:49):
I love that. I love it so much. Okay, well,
I want to talk about your book, which was so
I feel like, do you write it the year he
was born? Like it happens? I feel like so fast. Ye,
tell me a little bit about the inspiration and share
with folks who aren't familiar at the premise.
Speaker 3 (29:07):
Yep, So about a year when Arlow was about a
year and a half old, I wrote a book called
Arlow and the secret Ingredient. And it was an idea
that really was born when he was born. It was
something that was always in my heart and that I
wanted to get out and also a way for me
to have my writing degree, you know, kind of marry
(29:28):
my culinary degree. And it was just so fun. And
Arlow and the secret Ingredient is the story of Arlow
and he's in a family reunion and his mom needs
to find the secret ingredient and he's kind of on
this mission to help his mom find the secret ingredient
and along the way, he's learning a bunch of lessons
from his family and I don't necessarily want to spoil
(29:50):
the end of the book, but I'm sure a lot
of you can guess what the secret ingredient is because
we've spoken about it a lot on this podcast already.
But the secret ingredient is love, and love is really
what makes food taste so delicious. It's what makes food
feel so good when you eat it. And all the
recipes that are low discovers throughout the journey are on
(30:10):
the back of the book, with space for you to
add your own personal recipes to the book as well.
Speaker 4 (30:17):
It is such a nourishing book in so many different ways,
and you know, one that my girls certainly very much appreciate.
But it encompasses a lot of what we've discussed, which
is this idea of to like appreciate that with which
nourishes you and to appreciate who you're being nourished with.
And it's special because your kids are also Your kids
(30:40):
also have the opportunity to learn about different ingredients that
they may not otherwise know. And it just tells the
story of sort of all the themes we've been talking
about in this show in one very special book. So
can people get the book on Amazon and everywhere, Yes.
Speaker 3 (30:57):
Amazon, Barnes and Noble, anywhere that you normally get your books.
It's available.
Speaker 4 (31:02):
And how does Arlow feel about being the main character
in a special book?
Speaker 3 (31:07):
Oh, he absolutely loves it, he tells anybody who listens.
He also tells everyone that he's a better chef than
I am, and that they have to, you know, watch
him on social media. So he's not very humble about it.
So he is very happy with it. Oh my gosh.
I love that he's cooking.
Speaker 4 (31:24):
I love that he's into baking, and I love that
you know, who knows, some day he may follow in
your footsteps, but obviously follows in the footsteps of your passion,
which is so nice. Okay, So a little diversion away
from family for a second. You have done a lot
of national TV, So talk about the experience of that.
Do you enjoy it like you know? Or do you
(31:46):
hope to do more of it? And people are always
curious of what that's like and how you manage to
sort of both hold down the ford at home and
at work and able to fit that in as well.
Speaker 3 (31:58):
Yeah, I mean doing television pushed me way way out
of my comfort zone. I was a very shy kid,
growing up very introverted, and I had to kind of
put all of that aside when I started doing television.
Chopped was my first show I ever did, and I
was so nervous. I was scared out of my mind,
(32:18):
but I wanted to push myself to do it to
prove to myself that I could. And then I ended
up winning that episode, and it was just such a
eye opening moment of that I am worthy. I think
a lot of times imposter syndrome and self confidence is
kind of very prevalent in this industry. So winning something
(32:39):
as big as Chopped showed me that I am worthy
of this industry and I am on the right path.
And after that, the whole kind of television world opened
up for me. I got asked back to do Chop
three more times. I was on Guys, Grocery Games, I
kind of did all of the cooking shows on the
Food Network, and that's around the time that Bar Rescue
(33:02):
noticed me. So Bar Rescue has been so much fun
because I get to travel to different cities for each
episode and learn about the culinary industry in each of
those cities, so then I can take all of that
and bring it back to par Maria and create amazing
dishes with the flavors that I tried along the way.
Speaker 4 (33:22):
I love that and I to me, it's one of
my favorite things to do is travel. And I'm so
lucky that so many of you talented chefs are my
friends where I have your cell phones and I just
text and say, Okay, I'm going here, where do I eat?
Speaker 3 (33:33):
What do I eat? You know?
Speaker 4 (33:35):
And it's so fun to that. What are some of
the cities that stand out from your travels?
Speaker 3 (33:40):
So Milwaukee was a really big one for me. It
was like, so so cool. Yeah, I did not expect it.
I think that's the one that surprised me the most,
but it is. It does have a surprisingly really good
food scene. Nashville is one of the more recent ones.
I just did and I've only been to Nashville ones
(34:01):
and that was to do the whole like Bachelor our
Party thing, so I didn't really get to see the
culinary side of it. And I did a lot more
exploring on the food side in Nashville, and they are
doing it right. It is just so amazing the things
that they're doing over there.
Speaker 4 (34:17):
I love it, and so do you have more other
more episodes coming up that we can expect, yep.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
So there there is quite a few that have already
been filmed that have not aired yet. So that does
air on Paramount on Sundays. So I think the season
just ended, but it should be coming back up pretty soon.
Speaker 4 (34:35):
I love it what we love seeing you there, and
I think it's so great for It's so great for
our city to have, you know, to have the opportunity
to have you guys on the national stage. And I think,
you know, we've certainly seen Boston evolved a lot over
the past decade. Talk to me about that for you,
because I know, you know, you mentioned supporting female small businesses,
(34:57):
you know, and and and and female shafts, Like where
do you feel like Boston fits in, you know, throughout
the country as it relates to, you know, supporting some
of those areas.
Speaker 3 (35:10):
So I think that we're getting better. I think that
I've seen the evolution in the years that I've been
here food wise, and we definitely are starting to list
up more minority voices in the industry, which I think
is super important and part of the reason why I
do television is to be one of those voices. I
(35:32):
do think we still have a ways to go. I
think if you look at the overall you know, restaurants
seeing here, a lot of it is the same and
it's still you know, the boys club, and we are
still trying to break out of that a little bit.
But I'm hopeful that with the other powerful female chefs
in the city, along with you know, the journey that
I'm pursuing, that we'll be able to continue raising the
(35:55):
bard here. When it comes to, you know, elevating minority
voices in the industry.
Speaker 4 (36:01):
It is so important and I'm so happy that we
have you as one of those voices. As it relates
to sort of diversity within cuisine, how do you feel
like we where we fit, you know, compared to the
rest of the country.
Speaker 3 (36:15):
I think we're starting, We're getting there. I'm definitely seeing
more restaurants, more diverse restaurants opening up in the city
and getting the notoriety that they deserve. So I do
feel like we're pretty on par with what's going on
in the rest of the country, if not maybe slightly above.
Considering the traveling I've done recently with Bar Rescue, I
(36:36):
do find us to be a bit above what some
of the cities are doing.
Speaker 4 (36:41):
So great to hear, so so great to hear. We're
going to take a break and we're going to talk
of it, just kind of come full circle, but give
people an idea of when they can come to permit.
You are in a hotel, So are you guys offering
food all throughout the day or tell us a little
bit about that.
Speaker 3 (36:56):
Yep, we are open breakfast, lunch and dinner. Lunch during
the week is served on the rooftop, so you get
the gorgeous view of the city. On the weekends you
can enjoy Brackets function center downstairs and para, but absolutely
breakfasting center down here seven days a week.
Speaker 4 (37:13):
I love it. And if you have not been to
the Envoy rooftop, it is quite the scene. I can
remember just and I know it still does. But like
the line on the weekends wrapped around, you know, just
sort of one of one of the most you know,
it's become really one of the most special summer and
you know, shoulder season places to enjoy, and I know
(37:35):
you guys figure out ways to get it activated in
the winter too. All right, we're going to take a break.
We move back with our last break with Chef Tatiana.
Speaker 1 (37:43):
In just a minute, you're listening to Food for Thought
brought to you by the Box Center and Salem Waterfront
Hotel and Sweet.
Speaker 4 (37:50):
Welcome back to Food beat Resky by the Box Center, Tati.
It's been so great to have you on the show
and hear a little bit more about your history and
everything that you're doing. So I want to make sure
to reiterate there is a new, a seasonal menu that
you have just put forth at par Maria inside the
Envoy Hotel in the Seaport of Boston. What are some
of the items on the menu. Describe some of them
(38:12):
and ones that have already been a hit.
Speaker 3 (38:14):
So our sweet trim tabich is one of the absolute standouts.
So it's great for the summer.
Speaker 4 (38:19):
It's light and bright.
Speaker 3 (38:20):
It comes with those sweet and spicy manguagua Chile, so
that's some must order. Our grilled corn ribs, considering that
we're in New England, tastes like a seafood boil without
the seafood. And then I needed to give a little
nod to my wife. She's Korean Americans, so I do
have a Korean fried chicken on the menu that even
she says is one of the best she's ever had,
So definitely try that out.
Speaker 4 (38:41):
Oh I love it, dail Down so delicious. And so
this will be through the summer and then I know
you're always changing your flavors. But it's great to get
in there, especially in New England during the summer because
there's so much that's coming from so close by and
you can just really really taste the difference in that. Okay,
So and I want to talk talk a little bit
about your nonprofit work and a lot of the events
(39:03):
that you support in the area, because I know that
that's also important to you.
Speaker 3 (39:07):
Yep, the Tremor Project is a really big one. As
a member of the LGBT community, I'm always finding ways
to support our LGBT youth and making sure that they
don't feel alone as a lot of us did growing up.
And then No Kid Hungary, especially after I had Arlow
and just realizing how important child said nutrition is. No
Kid Hungary will always see a charity that I support
(39:30):
and that I put a lot of my time and
effort behind.
Speaker 4 (39:33):
I love seeing all of the great chefs who support
No Kid Hungary. And yes, it's a wild shift in
becoming a parent to think of how many kids out
there are you know, don't know where their next meal
comes from. So I love supporting them as well. You
and I were able to do. It was actually called
a Gallantine's Day events for a lot of our elected
(39:54):
officials in the state of Massachusetts recently with some other
really amazing you know, female folks in the hospitality industry.
And so do you feel like I mean, we talked
about how there is still so much to do, but
do you feel optimistic? You know, like we're certainly talking
you know, from Massachusetts and in New England, But do
you feel, you know, optimistic with so much that's going on?
(40:18):
Or how do you stay optimistic? I guess is a
better way to ask the question.
Speaker 3 (40:22):
The way I say optimistic you is looking around at
the people who are at my table, and that's the
strong female chefs that are in this city and in
Massachusetts at large and New England. Just looking around to
see how much support we have together and that we
are not in competition with each other. We're in collaboration
with each other, and we're always finding ways to uplift
(40:44):
one another. Like that's something that is definitely a light
at the end of the tunnel. Moment for me, I do,
I do.
Speaker 4 (40:51):
I will say that the camaraderie is palpable, and I
truly like people could hear someone say, you know, we're
really not in competition and think that those are just words,
and I don't exactly know why, but I know in
my heart that that is true because I see it
(41:11):
among so many of you. And truth is, you guys
are all very competitive people, you know, because your perspectionist
in what you do and in what you're creating. But
yet that doesn't come through.
Speaker 3 (41:23):
Yeah, you know. I think we're competitive with ourselves and
always trying to make ourselves better every single day. The
competition is within us, but the collaboration and then more
with one another is where we really get better as
a group.
Speaker 4 (41:37):
Well, Chef, you are such a gem. I have so
much respect, love, admiration for you and all you're doing,
and so thank you so much for taking this time
to be with us this hour.
Speaker 3 (41:47):
Thank you, Jenny. It was my pleasure.
Speaker 4 (41:49):
All right, everybody head down to Para Maria to enjoy
some of the most nourishing, slaverful and filled with love
food you can in our area. Right there in the
Envoy Hotel and the Seaport. And that's it for this week.
We'll be back with more next week. Thanks so much.
That's it for Food for Thought, brought to you by
The Box Center
You are listening to Food for Thought with Billy and Jenny,
brought to you by the Box Center. For more than
fifteen years, this dining duo has been eating their way
through New England, mixing it up with top chefs, jumping
behind the line of the hottest restaurants, and giving you
the inside scoop on where to whine, dine and spend
your time. So get ready, it's Food for Thought giving
you something to chew on.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Hey, everybody, welcome into Food for Thought, brought to you
by the Box Center. I have a great friend coming
on the show this week and someone I hugely respect
in the hospitality industry, someone I've known for certainly over
a decade and have loved watching her explode in so
many different ways, both on the local here in Massachusetts scene,
(00:43):
but also on the national scene. So executive Chef Tatiana
Rosana is a Chopped champion, So if you are a
fan of the food shows, you've definitely seen her there.
She's also regularly seen on Bar Rescue as a guest expert,
and it is my pleasure to have as Tatty on
the show at that's how.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
Are you Girl?
Speaker 3 (01:03):
I'm doing great? And the pleasure is all mine. Jenny,
thank you so much for having me on. I am
very excited to chat with you.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
Well, you have a beautiful story and I think it's
one that everybody will appreciate. We'd like to start when
we're kind of digging in deeper with one particular chef,
a little bit about your background, So if you can
kind of walk us through where you were born, where
you were raised, and kind of when the culinary peace
(01:31):
found its place in your heart to ultimately become your profession.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Absolutely, so the culinary industry definitely wasn't something that I
was born thinking I wanted to pursue. I am a
first generation Cuban American. I was born and raised in Miami,
and I think as the daughter the oldest daughter of immigrants,
I kind of felt like I had to go into
(01:58):
a more quote unquote successful industry, so becoming a doctor
or a lawyer or something like that, because you really
want to kind of make your parents proud. So I
did start off my career as a biomedical science pre
med major. I thought I wanted to be a doctor,
but throughout my life I did grow up a lot
(02:20):
around food. Food was always very centralized to everything that
we did, both culturally and just within my family. So
with that in mind, I started off my pre med
journey and I was absolutely miserable. I did not enjoy
what I was doing. I wasn't bad at it necessarily,
but just definitely didn't kind of hold my attention, and
(02:42):
I had what I called my quarter life crisis. I
called my dad. I was terrified. I'm like, I really
don't want to do this. This isn't you know where
I see my future. And his words to me are
something that I'll kind of always remember. But he said,
you know, you'll be good at what you put your
head into, but you'll be great at what you put
(03:03):
your heart into. And I really want you to follow
your heart. And my heart led me to the kitchen.
It really was, you know, kind of that simple Yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:13):
What an amazing support and what an amazing line to
be able to say over and over. And I'm sure
now that you're a parent, something that you can say
over and over that's so special and to be able
to have that appreciation and acceptance is certainly a big deal.
So I want to go back. You said the food
was definitely a part of your childhood, So tell me
(03:33):
a little bit more about what that looks like, and
you know how present the Cuban flavors were, and yeah,
bring us into your childhood kitchen.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
Absolutely so growing up in Miami especially, I was just
surrounded by really amazing Cuban food. My mom is a
great cook, especially with Cuban cuisine, but my grandmother and
my grandfather are the ones who really kind of pioneered,
you know, my food journey and my my love for food.
In Cuban culture, food is centralized to everything, so food
(04:06):
was centered to you know, moments of celebration, but also
moments of sorrow. It really kind of tugged on our
heart strings and every occasion of our life. And I
have such distinct memories of kind of being around my
grandmother's kitchen and she would have all the younger kids
sort beans black dried black beans to take out any
rocks or imperfections, and just even the sounds of the
(04:28):
black beans hitting the pan as we were sorting them
is something that I really hold very near and dear
to my heart. And it showed me how nostalgic and
visceral food can really be and that it's so much
more than just flavors. It's memory, it sounds, it's smell,
its feel, and that's something that I really wanted to
bring into my career currently.
Speaker 4 (04:52):
Yeah, that is so beautiful, and just like hearing the
sounds of the pans, and the idea of food being
present for both the great times and then not so
great times, I think is something that we can all
relate to. We can think of the more challenging times
and how the flavors can bring us right back to that,
but also how it nourishes us to sort of continue forward,
(05:14):
to step forward. And so were you present in the
kitchen with them a lot, and do you remember kind
of like some of those dishes that you'd be creating
at a young age.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Absolutely, I was really present, especially probably more so than
my sisters or my cousins. I loved kind of being
around them when they were cooking, and especially for so
Cubans celebrate no Chiquena, which is Christmas ease, and every
Christmas ever, every no Chaquena, we would roast a whole
pig over an open fire, and my grandfather would make
(05:47):
this amazing mohomernate from scratch and he would like store
it in big gallon jugs and that was one of
the first recipes I learned how to make, and we
would just really take time and love an effort into
fasteing this whole pig over the open fire and taking
the time to stoke the flames. And it showed me
(06:08):
how to care for something and also how to cook
a whole animal, right, not taking any piece for granted.
Utilizing every piece of something in cooking is something that
I still hold really near and dear to me. But
I learned it from those occasions of cooking, you know,
on no Chaguana with my grandfather.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
Well, that is so special. I can, I can. I
can just picture it right now, and it's so nice
to be transported back to these people who gave you
an appreciation for something that is now, you know, an
every day, probably every moment, part of your life. We're
going to take a break, but I also want to
put out there because I don't think I said this
in the beginning. Chef Tatiana Rosana is here in Boston
(06:50):
and she oversees Para Maria, which is a Latin inspired restaurant.
So I'm sore. We're sure we're getting some of those
flavors that you just described in the menu. I know,
a new menu, new seasonal menu is coming up. And
par Maria is part of the Envoy Hotel, which is
right there in the heart of the seaport. It is
such a special venue. It's a huge venue. I mean,
it's obviously a pretty extraordinary hotel. It has a legendary
(07:14):
roof deck, you know, and it hasn't I mean, it
hasn't been there for too too long, but long enough
that it's you know, certainly a fixture within that neighborhood.
So we'll talk more about that menu, but we're going
to talk more about chef Tati and her journey when
we come back with more Food for Thought. In just
a minute.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
You're listening to Food for Thought brought to you by
the Box Center and Salem Waterfront Hotel in Sweet.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
Welcome back to Food for Thoughts brought to you by
the Box Center. We have Tatiana Rosana, a wonderful chef
here in Boston and beyond because you see her on
the big screen, a chop champion, she's a bar rescue
guest with regularity. And she just told us a little
bit about her history and sort of how the love
for cooking came to be and I love the stories
(07:58):
of how it connects to parents and parents and the
flavors of your youth. And it's so great hearing some
of the Cuban influences that I want to talk more
about Chef Tatiana, But let's kind of move towards Are
you think you're going to become a doctor? It feels
like the right thing to do. You tell yourself it's not.
You tell your father it's not.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
You have the great.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Support for him from him, and so then what's next?
Speaker 3 (08:25):
So next I did? I want to finish out my
bachelor's degree. So I ended up getting a degree in English.
I had two years left and then after that I
went to culinary school, and that's kind of when my
whole world opened up. Culinary school was an experience. I
learned a lot, but I think the thing I learned
the most was that when I graduated, it did not
(08:47):
mean I was a chef. I still kind of had
to start from the bottom, which was not something I
was prepared for. It was very scary. I decided to
move from Florida to Boston to kind of broad in
my culinary journey. Miami was great, but it is kind
of secular in the food, and I wanted someplace that
(09:07):
had a bit more variety, but New York City felt
a bit scary for me, so Boston is where I landed,
and I kind of want restaurants to restaurant, begging for
someone to give me a chance, because all of my
experience was volunteering with doctors, and like, I didn't really
have a resume that had any kind of cooking experience
(09:28):
on there. You can't really put cooking on nochiuana with
your grandfather on your resume. So eventually, eventually someone did
give me a chance. Her name is Mary Dumont. She
was the executive chef of Harvest Restaurant in Harvard Square,
and she was the first one that really believed in
me professionally, and that made all the difference. To have
(09:51):
someone like her as a mentor helped me get through
these tough times because the industry is incredibly difficult. But
she kind of showed me the ropes. She showed me
kind of how to be a bit harder. I was
a bit soft coming into the industry, and softness is
not something that's always celebrated in the kitchen. So she
(10:12):
did toughen me up, for sure, But she did it
with love, and that's kind of what I bring into
my kitchens now when I mentor the current staff that
I have. It is a difficult industry. I need you
to be hard, but I also want you to still
love what you do. So she really showed me the
ropes when it came to that. After Harvest, I kind
of bounced around. I went to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel,
(10:35):
which was my first hotel experience. I worked at the
w Hotel and then I got my first shoe chef
job at the Envoy as the soux chef of what
was before Outlook Kitchen and Bar, and yeah, that was
really scary, my first shoe chef job.
Speaker 4 (10:54):
Well, I love, you know, Mary, I'd known for so
many years, and I love sort of the way you
describe I have the need to kind of hard enough
but like remain with love and remain like connected to it,
because that's a great way to describe her, because there
was like, you know, I haven't seen her in a while,
but there was like a seriousness of art, like it
was like a passion about her, but it was, you know,
(11:16):
she took it very seriously and I can only imagine that,
you know, having not having spent your you know, your
intern years in hospitals with doctors and then moving into
this business. It's, you know, it took a lot to
be able to get there, but I love that She
was a great mentor to you. So talk about the
difference between going from a restaurant like Harvest into hotels
(11:40):
for folks who aren't familiar.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
Yeah, so Harvest was great because it was so creative.
It's an independent hotel. We were able to really have
fun with the menu. It was a bit of a
culture shock coming into hotels because it is so much
more structured. It's a lot more corporate. There's many more
people who have to approve of every dish that gets
on the menu before it gets on the menu. However,
(12:04):
I did love the structure. I loved the kind of
feeling of being backed by a company that was so
large and I didn't have to worry as much about
kind of coming up with these dishes and not really
knowing if it's what was right for the restaurant or
not because I had so many people to support me
(12:26):
with that. It also gave me experience working in banquets,
so I worked in banquets at the Mandarin Oriental and
they do huge banquets and really allowed me to learn
how to cook for large groups of people. And yeah,
my experience just really broadened in hotels, and I found
that as much as I loved the structure of hotels,
(12:46):
I wanted to find a hotel that had the backing
of a hotel with still giving me that creative freedom,
which is what I found in Para Maria. It's a
hotel restaurant, but it feels very independent.
Speaker 4 (13:01):
I love that. Yeah, let's move into Parra Maria. So
you're so, this is how many years have you been there?
I know previously it's a former named but now how
many years has it been?
Speaker 3 (13:11):
So I've been with the hotel for ten years. So
I was here since it opened day one, and par
Maria has been in existence since right after COVID. So
when we reopened after COVID, I had just had my son, Arlo,
and I was really looking for something that reignited my passion.
(13:32):
If I was going to be away from my son
for as long as you know, chefs are throughout the day,
I wanted something that I really love to do, and
I was fortunate that they gave me the opportunity to
come up with Parra Maria as a concept, and so
we started as a pop up and it did so
well that we ran with it for good.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
Oh well, I want to talk more about Arla, but
let's stick with Parra Maria for now. So you so
talk about the flavors and I or if I cannot
believe it's been ten years since the hotel opened, it
feels like it was yesterday, and having this new iteration
of Para Maria is so exciting and also really I
feel like still the void, certainly in the neighborhood but
(14:14):
also in the city. So tell us more about the concept.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
So the concept for those who don't speak Spanish, par
Maria translates to for Maria. Maria was my grandmother's name,
so it started off initially as kind of an ode
to her, but really has transformed to an ode to family,
to an ode to friends and friends that are like family.
So the flavors that I try to bring in are
things that tug on heartstrings, give you nostalgia. If I
(14:43):
can have someone come in here and feel something through
my food, then I've done my job. But you're also
going to find a lot of the fun flavors of
my childhood. So the Moha recipe is definitely going to
be on there. We have black beans on the menu,
like all the things that I kind of grew up
with that I feel like means something to me or
on there, and I'm hoping that because I cook it
(15:05):
with so much love that that translates to the food.
Speaker 4 (15:09):
Oh my gosh, no doubt. All right, So you mentioned
one of the dishes that I imagine can't come off.
Talk a little bit more about about the menu because
you do evolve it. Steven's season to season.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
Yeah. Yeah, So one of the dishes that has kind
of been tried and true that has been on for
quite a while and it's currently not on the menu,
but it is like a secret menu item is the
guavaglaze salmon. And that guava glaze is something that like
I could bottle and just to have on its own.
It is so delicious. But it's kind of the culmination
(15:41):
of what my cooking philosophy is. It's taking something from
my childhood, something that means a lot to me, and
transforming it into something that people are really going to
enjoy and that everybody can understand. Right, I want people
who have never had Cuban food to be able to
come in and not feel nervous or scared to try
it because it's not overly new, but it still does
(16:03):
have the flavors that I'm looking for.
Speaker 4 (16:06):
I love that, and I think the flavors do speak
to everyone. But can you describe, Like, if you were
to describe Cuban food for someone who says like, and
I don't really know what that means, like, how how
would you describe it?
Speaker 3 (16:18):
The first word that comes to mind is home. So
Cuban food is very homey, it's very comforting. It's a
lot of soups and stews. Generally, you know, especially in Cuba,
they don't have the most tender cuts of meat. So
we've had to find ways to coax the tenderness out
of the things that we cook, to coax the flavor
out of cuts that might not be you know, prime,
(16:40):
And because of that, we've really learned respect for the cuisine.
So you're going to find a lot of acid, a
lot of lime, juice onions, tons of garlic, of regano,
just flavors that are going to compliment kind of the
dishes that feel like home. Right, So yeah, I would
say home is how I've described Queuesan cuisine.
Speaker 4 (17:03):
I love that, and I love you talking about how
much love you put into the food. I study Araveta,
which I've talked about on the show a bunch of times,
and and sort of this concept of how you create
the food that you create makes such a difference in
so in actually your digestion and the way that you
feel about it and the way that you experience the food.
And so hearing that from you certainly speaks to me,
(17:25):
and I hope speaks to everyone else. Because you don't
want somebody angry putting food together. You don't want somebody.
You want someone who's like nourishing the food in order
to nourish you, which is what it does. Okay, so
we're going to take a break. When we come back,
we have a quick little break, and I want to
hear about some of your favorite places to visit the city.
Although I know that with a young son and a
family and a restaurant, you don't get out very often,
(17:47):
we always like to hear a few of the chef's favorites.
So we'll be back with our Food for Thought in
just a minute.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
You're listening to Food for Thoughts brought to you by
It's the Box Center and Sale and Waterfront Hotel in sweets.
Speaker 4 (17:57):
That Tatiana Rosana is our guest, the Overseas par Maria
inside the Envoy Hotel, among other places. We're going to
talk about a few of the other things that she's
doing in the city as well, but this is a
quick break Tatis. So I want to know some of
the places that you go in the city or the
state or the region, like some spots that you really love,
whether you're going with your son, whether you're going with
(18:18):
your family or going for a special date night out.
What are some of your favorites.
Speaker 3 (18:22):
Yeah, so one of our tops is definitely barbol Pay.
So we live very close to barbole Pay. We I'm
friends with Karen. She's like such an amazing chef and
I love supporting other strong female chefs in the industry.
But beyond that, Barblepay's food is like when I talk
about home like, it definitely feels homey to me. Arlow
(18:44):
is obsessed with everything on the menu, So we love
going there with him. Specifically, whenever my family visits from Florida,
that's kind of where I take them. So barble Pay
and Fox and The Knife are two of the places
that we frequent most often when I have a date night,
which is rare, but whenever that does happen, in tend
(19:05):
to like it is few and far between, but they
do happen occasionally. We do love going to Neptune over
in the North End. It's just can't beat the oysters.
The Johnny Cake is something that I have dreams about
and it's just so so so good. But I mean
predominantly we're cooking at home, So I would say those
(19:27):
are the restaurants that we probably frequent the most. Chicka
See is another one of our date night places. I
love Chickadee. The food is always so on point. But yeah,
I would say really supporting you know Karen what I
can is is probably one of the top things.
Speaker 4 (19:46):
Yeah, Karen is one of my good friends as well,
and love supporting her and also love you know, she's
a new mom. Rogue is younger than our Low. But
but I think there's there's so much one to think about,
you know, running a bitiness like you guys are running businesses,
raising children, you know, being having a family, and so
(20:06):
there's so much that goes into it, and so you're right,
there's when there's such limited time to be out, either
you know, with your partner or with your family, with friends,
whatever it is, you want to make sure that you're
going to a place that you value what they're putting
into it too. And I yeah, it's a purple day
and Fox and the Knife for two amazing ones, as
(20:27):
are the others you mentioned, and of course there are
so many. And one of the things that we always
say we find to be wonderful in the Boston area
is that there really are a lot of strong female voices.
Not to say that there aren't in other cities, but
in some ways, I personally feel like the female voice
from the culinary scene happens a little bit earlier than
(20:48):
in other cities. All Right, we're going to take a
quick break. We'll be back with more tef Tatie in
just a minute.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
You're listening to Food for Thought, brought to you by
It's the Box Center and Sale and Waterfront Hotel and sweets.
Speaker 4 (20:58):
Okay, we got more foods that brought to you by
the awesome Box Center. For people that are looking for
something great to do this summer, one of the things
we always suggest is go see a show the art
scene in Boston is thriving, and the Box Center is
certainly at the heart of that. Obviously, the Bock and
the Schubert. There have some amazing shows this summer, and
hopefully you're able to take some time.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
To enjoy it.
Speaker 4 (21:21):
And then what do we suggest. We suggest going to
support a local restaurant, and we'll put par Maria on
the top of that list for sure. So, Tati, I
want to talk about the dish that you've mentioned a
couple times that is important on the menu, was important
in your upbringing and certainly has a lot of those
Cuban flavors. Would you walk through kind of how to
(21:43):
go about that recipe? And obviously people can enjoy it
at the restaurant, but maybe it's something they want to
do at home as well.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Yeah. Absolutely so. One of the recipes that we use
most often in the restaurant and just in my daily
life is my grandfather's Moho recipe, which is a great
marinade for pork, for chicken, any of those bigger flavors,
and the recipe is actually very easy. Traditionally we use
something called Nadan hagria, which you can't really find here.
(22:09):
It's kind of a sour, bitter orange. So to mimic
that flavor, I do two cups of orange juice to
one cup of lime juice. I do about eight to
ten cloves of garlic, although I don't like measuring garlic
because I just measure it with my heart. So please
use as much as you like a decent amount of
black pepper. So about two teaspoons of black pepper, a
(22:31):
tablespoon of cueman, and two tablespoons of a regano, and
just mix that all up. Let it sit for about
four to five hours in the fridge, just so that
all those flavors marry, and then you can utilize that
in everything. Marin it, your pork in it, then braize
it in the same sauce like basee your chicken with it.
It is such a savory, delightful taste and such a
(22:56):
feeling of home for me that I really do use
it kind of on a.
Speaker 4 (23:02):
Oh gosh, that sounds sotalists and so easy. I love
I love that thought. So the so the orange flavor
that you typically get is from a fruit, is from
a Cuban fruit that just is we obviously can't get,
but it has a similar fitness to the Orange yeah,
and to the Orange Yeah. Okay, good. And I have
to ask, do you do you get to Cuba? Have
(23:22):
you been to Cuba at all? And I'm sure at
some point, but you get to go down there now.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
So I've actually never been to Cuba. My parents immigrated
on something called the Freedom Flights years and years ago
when they were about five and six years old. So
my grandparents have never been back, like they've just never
had the opportunity to go back. They're still it's kind
of still very tumultuous there. So they've brought kind of
(23:49):
Cuba to me. And growing up in Miami, it felt
very much like you were kind of in Cuba because
the Cuban community there is so large. But unfortunately, and
it is on the very top of my list I
would love to visit at some point in my life.
Speaker 4 (24:03):
Wow, wow, it's yeah. I it certainly is towards the
top of my list, and I hope I'm able to
get there as well. My best friend is actually first
generation keep An American and and I, you know, I
just I that she was able to go, and just
like the pictors and the flavors and the stories in history,
it's you know, it's so intense and immense, and well,
(24:24):
I look forward dinnering when you do get there. So okay,
So we talked a little bit about the menu at Parmeria,
but you're also overseeing other properties within the company. Can
you tell us about those?
Speaker 3 (24:37):
Yep, So I oversee the Whitney Hotel and their restaurant Paragrine,
which is kind of a large departure from what we
do at Parmeria. Pomeria is definitely much more homey, heart
stringing type of food. Paragrine is much more like coastal
European Mediterranean vibes, so a lot lighter, a lot brighter,
a lot of kind of crudos and raw bar. So
(24:59):
it's it's been really amazing for me to be able
to do both of them because I feel like it's
really got my creative juices going. I'm doing what I'm
doing at par Maria, but it is so comfortable for
me that I'm stepping outside of that comfort zone to
do menus at other properties. Now.
Speaker 4 (25:16):
I love that so much, and it is such a
beautiful space, and that's another beautiful hotel and exciting to
see as that evolves when you're cooking at home with Arlow.
What are some of his favorites.
Speaker 3 (25:28):
So, Arlow's big into baking right now, and I think
partly because he likes to eat the sugar and the
chocolate chips and everything as he's baking. So he is
big into baking. But something that's so important to me
is teaching him about where his food is coming from
and kind of how it grows and where it grows
(25:48):
from and who's growing it. So we grind all our
own meat at home. He's very comfortable with a knife
and chopping and doing all that. He's five, But for me,
teaching him those skills now is something that he's gonna
be able to take with him for the rest of
his life.
Speaker 4 (26:05):
It's so important. I was recently talking about what's something
that I would hope is part of a curriculum for
our young kids. I have a six and three year
old girls, and.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
That story of origin of like origin.
Speaker 4 (26:18):
Of food, the food that is going to nourish us,
the food that is going to help them grow, is
so important. And to have that be a part of
or like a you know, a part of the curriculum,
I think just brings so much of a full story,
you know, to our little people and then and then
help them be raised to sort of appreciate because I think,
unlike how you were raised, Tasi, like we moved so
(26:41):
far away. I think in like at least in the past,
I don't know ten fifteen years to like where that
food came from and how I think that that Yeah,
and that story is so important. And I love that
he has the nice skills as such a young boy.
That's just that's that's so awesome. And I feel like
I've seen a few things that you've done with him
on on you know, when when he's on social and
(27:04):
when you're on social, and it's just so it's so
fun to see because they're so pure and they're so
excited and there's such sponges of information. I want to
talk more about Arlow because one of the favorite books
on my girl's shelf is actually a book that you wrote.
So when we come back with more Food for Thought,
we'll talk about that.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
You're listening to Food for Thought brought to you Buy
in the Box Center and Salem Waterfront Hotel and Sweet.
Speaker 4 (27:29):
Chatting with Tatiana Rosanna. She is at the Envoy Hotel
right there in the seaport of Boston. Overseeing Para Maria
and all the food that you get at that hotel,
also Paragrine, which is a restaurant at the Whitney in
Beacon Hill that we touched upon. But we were just
talking about Arlow and his appreciation for food and your
prioritizing his education of knowing sort of where these foods
(27:53):
come from. Talk about the importance of that for you
both within your family and I'm certain like within your
work as you're working with all the folks you do
on a day to day basis absolutely so.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
I get a lot of questions from parents about how
to not make their kids be picky eaters, like is
Arlott a picky eater? How do you prevent that? And
the number one response I always have is to get
them involved in the food. I find that Arlow is
so much more interested in trying something new if he's
part of the process of preparing it. And it's kind
(28:26):
of the same as with cooks in the kitchen. They
get much more excited about we're coming into work every
day and you know, putting in the long hours when
they're learning something new, when they're able to get their
hands sturdy and learn new techniques and learn about where
the food's coming from. So I kind of do have
that same philosophy with Arlow and in the kitchen with
(28:47):
my cooks.
Speaker 4 (28:49):
I love that. I love it so much. Okay, well,
I want to talk about your book, which was so
I feel like, do you write it the year he
was born? Like it happens? I feel like so fast. Ye,
tell me a little bit about the inspiration and share
with folks who aren't familiar at the premise.
Speaker 3 (29:07):
Yep, So about a year when Arlow was about a
year and a half old, I wrote a book called
Arlow and the secret Ingredient. And it was an idea
that really was born when he was born. It was
something that was always in my heart and that I
wanted to get out and also a way for me
to have my writing degree, you know, kind of marry
(29:28):
my culinary degree. And it was just so fun. And
Arlow and the secret Ingredient is the story of Arlow
and he's in a family reunion and his mom needs
to find the secret ingredient and he's kind of on
this mission to help his mom find the secret ingredient
and along the way, he's learning a bunch of lessons
from his family and I don't necessarily want to spoil
(29:50):
the end of the book, but I'm sure a lot
of you can guess what the secret ingredient is because
we've spoken about it a lot on this podcast already.
But the secret ingredient is love, and love is really
what makes food taste so delicious. It's what makes food
feel so good when you eat it. And all the
recipes that are low discovers throughout the journey are on
(30:10):
the back of the book, with space for you to
add your own personal recipes to the book as well.
Speaker 4 (30:17):
It is such a nourishing book in so many different ways,
and you know, one that my girls certainly very much appreciate.
But it encompasses a lot of what we've discussed, which
is this idea of to like appreciate that with which
nourishes you and to appreciate who you're being nourished with.
And it's special because your kids are also Your kids
(30:40):
also have the opportunity to learn about different ingredients that
they may not otherwise know. And it just tells the
story of sort of all the themes we've been talking
about in this show in one very special book. So
can people get the book on Amazon and everywhere, Yes.
Speaker 3 (30:57):
Amazon, Barnes and Noble, anywhere that you normally get your books.
It's available.
Speaker 4 (31:02):
And how does Arlow feel about being the main character
in a special book?
Speaker 3 (31:07):
Oh, he absolutely loves it, he tells anybody who listens.
He also tells everyone that he's a better chef than
I am, and that they have to, you know, watch
him on social media. So he's not very humble about it.
So he is very happy with it. Oh my gosh.
I love that he's cooking.
Speaker 4 (31:24):
I love that he's into baking, and I love that
you know, who knows, some day he may follow in
your footsteps, but obviously follows in the footsteps of your passion,
which is so nice. Okay, So a little diversion away
from family for a second. You have done a lot
of national TV, So talk about the experience of that.
Do you enjoy it like you know? Or do you
(31:46):
hope to do more of it? And people are always
curious of what that's like and how you manage to
sort of both hold down the ford at home and
at work and able to fit that in as well.
Speaker 3 (31:58):
Yeah, I mean doing television pushed me way way out
of my comfort zone. I was a very shy kid,
growing up very introverted, and I had to kind of
put all of that aside when I started doing television.
Chopped was my first show I ever did, and I
was so nervous. I was scared out of my mind,
(32:18):
but I wanted to push myself to do it to
prove to myself that I could. And then I ended
up winning that episode, and it was just such a
eye opening moment of that I am worthy. I think
a lot of times imposter syndrome and self confidence is
kind of very prevalent in this industry. So winning something
(32:39):
as big as Chopped showed me that I am worthy
of this industry and I am on the right path.
And after that, the whole kind of television world opened
up for me. I got asked back to do Chop
three more times. I was on Guys, Grocery Games, I
kind of did all of the cooking shows on the
Food Network, and that's around the time that Bar Rescue
(33:02):
noticed me. So Bar Rescue has been so much fun
because I get to travel to different cities for each
episode and learn about the culinary industry in each of
those cities, so then I can take all of that
and bring it back to par Maria and create amazing
dishes with the flavors that I tried along the way.
Speaker 4 (33:22):
I love that and I to me, it's one of
my favorite things to do is travel. And I'm so
lucky that so many of you talented chefs are my
friends where I have your cell phones and I just
text and say, Okay, I'm going here, where do I eat?
Speaker 3 (33:33):
What do I eat? You know?
Speaker 4 (33:35):
And it's so fun to that. What are some of
the cities that stand out from your travels?
Speaker 3 (33:40):
So Milwaukee was a really big one for me. It
was like, so so cool. Yeah, I did not expect it.
I think that's the one that surprised me the most,
but it is. It does have a surprisingly really good
food scene. Nashville is one of the more recent ones.
I just did and I've only been to Nashville ones
(34:01):
and that was to do the whole like Bachelor our
Party thing, so I didn't really get to see the
culinary side of it. And I did a lot more
exploring on the food side in Nashville, and they are
doing it right. It is just so amazing the things
that they're doing over there.
Speaker 4 (34:17):
I love it, and so do you have more other
more episodes coming up that we can expect, yep.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
So there there is quite a few that have already
been filmed that have not aired yet. So that does
air on Paramount on Sundays. So I think the season
just ended, but it should be coming back up pretty soon.
Speaker 4 (34:35):
I love it what we love seeing you there, and
I think it's so great for It's so great for
our city to have, you know, to have the opportunity
to have you guys on the national stage. And I think,
you know, we've certainly seen Boston evolved a lot over
the past decade. Talk to me about that for you,
because I know, you know, you mentioned supporting female small businesses,
(34:57):
you know, and and and and female shafts, Like where
do you feel like Boston fits in, you know, throughout
the country as it relates to, you know, supporting some
of those areas.
Speaker 3 (35:10):
So I think that we're getting better. I think that
I've seen the evolution in the years that I've been
here food wise, and we definitely are starting to list
up more minority voices in the industry, which I think
is super important and part of the reason why I
do television is to be one of those voices. I
(35:32):
do think we still have a ways to go. I
think if you look at the overall you know, restaurants
seeing here, a lot of it is the same and
it's still you know, the boys club, and we are
still trying to break out of that a little bit.
But I'm hopeful that with the other powerful female chefs
in the city, along with you know, the journey that
I'm pursuing, that we'll be able to continue raising the
(35:55):
bard here. When it comes to, you know, elevating minority
voices in the industry.
Speaker 4 (36:01):
It is so important and I'm so happy that we
have you as one of those voices. As it relates
to sort of diversity within cuisine, how do you feel
like we where we fit, you know, compared to the
rest of the country.
Speaker 3 (36:15):
I think we're starting, We're getting there. I'm definitely seeing
more restaurants, more diverse restaurants opening up in the city
and getting the notoriety that they deserve. So I do
feel like we're pretty on par with what's going on
in the rest of the country, if not maybe slightly above.
Considering the traveling I've done recently with Bar Rescue, I
(36:36):
do find us to be a bit above what some
of the cities are doing.
Speaker 4 (36:41):
So great to hear, so so great to hear. We're
going to take a break and we're going to talk
of it, just kind of come full circle, but give
people an idea of when they can come to permit.
You are in a hotel, So are you guys offering
food all throughout the day or tell us a little
bit about that.
Speaker 3 (36:56):
Yep, we are open breakfast, lunch and dinner. Lunch during
the week is served on the rooftop, so you get
the gorgeous view of the city. On the weekends you
can enjoy Brackets function center downstairs and para, but absolutely
breakfasting center down here seven days a week.
Speaker 4 (37:13):
I love it. And if you have not been to
the Envoy rooftop, it is quite the scene. I can
remember just and I know it still does. But like
the line on the weekends wrapped around, you know, just
sort of one of one of the most you know,
it's become really one of the most special summer and
you know, shoulder season places to enjoy, and I know
(37:35):
you guys figure out ways to get it activated in
the winter too. All right, we're going to take a break.
We move back with our last break with Chef Tatiana.
Speaker 1 (37:43):
In just a minute, you're listening to Food for Thought
brought to you by the Box Center and Salem Waterfront
Hotel and Sweet.
Speaker 4 (37:50):
Welcome back to Food beat Resky by the Box Center, Tati.
It's been so great to have you on the show
and hear a little bit more about your history and
everything that you're doing. So I want to make sure
to reiterate there is a new, a seasonal menu that
you have just put forth at par Maria inside the
Envoy Hotel in the Seaport of Boston. What are some
of the items on the menu. Describe some of them
(38:12):
and ones that have already been a hit.
Speaker 3 (38:14):
So our sweet trim tabich is one of the absolute standouts.
So it's great for the summer.
Speaker 4 (38:19):
It's light and bright.
Speaker 3 (38:20):
It comes with those sweet and spicy manguagua Chile, so
that's some must order. Our grilled corn ribs, considering that
we're in New England, tastes like a seafood boil without
the seafood. And then I needed to give a little
nod to my wife. She's Korean Americans, so I do
have a Korean fried chicken on the menu that even
she says is one of the best she's ever had,
So definitely try that out.
Speaker 4 (38:41):
Oh I love it, dail Down so delicious. And so
this will be through the summer and then I know
you're always changing your flavors. But it's great to get
in there, especially in New England during the summer because
there's so much that's coming from so close by and
you can just really really taste the difference in that. Okay,
So and I want to talk talk a little bit
about your nonprofit work and a lot of the events
(39:03):
that you support in the area, because I know that
that's also important to you.
Speaker 3 (39:07):
Yep, the Tremor Project is a really big one. As
a member of the LGBT community, I'm always finding ways
to support our LGBT youth and making sure that they
don't feel alone as a lot of us did growing up.
And then No Kid Hungary, especially after I had Arlow
and just realizing how important child said nutrition is. No
Kid Hungary will always see a charity that I support
(39:30):
and that I put a lot of my time and
effort behind.
Speaker 4 (39:33):
I love seeing all of the great chefs who support
No Kid Hungary. And yes, it's a wild shift in
becoming a parent to think of how many kids out
there are you know, don't know where their next meal
comes from. So I love supporting them as well. You
and I were able to do. It was actually called
a Gallantine's Day events for a lot of our elected
(39:54):
officials in the state of Massachusetts recently with some other
really amazing you know, female folks in the hospitality industry.
And so do you feel like I mean, we talked
about how there is still so much to do, but
do you feel optimistic? You know, like we're certainly talking
you know, from Massachusetts and in New England, But do
you feel, you know, optimistic with so much that's going on?
(40:18):
Or how do you stay optimistic? I guess is a
better way to ask the question.
Speaker 3 (40:22):
The way I say optimistic you is looking around at
the people who are at my table, and that's the
strong female chefs that are in this city and in
Massachusetts at large and New England. Just looking around to
see how much support we have together and that we
are not in competition with each other. We're in collaboration
with each other, and we're always finding ways to uplift
(40:44):
one another. Like that's something that is definitely a light
at the end of the tunnel. Moment for me, I do,
I do.
Speaker 4 (40:51):
I will say that the camaraderie is palpable, and I
truly like people could hear someone say, you know, we're
really not in competition and think that those are just words,
and I don't exactly know why, but I know in
my heart that that is true because I see it
(41:11):
among so many of you. And truth is, you guys
are all very competitive people, you know, because your perspectionist
in what you do and in what you're creating. But
yet that doesn't come through.
Speaker 3 (41:23):
Yeah, you know. I think we're competitive with ourselves and
always trying to make ourselves better every single day. The
competition is within us, but the collaboration and then more
with one another is where we really get better as
a group.
Speaker 4 (41:37):
Well, Chef, you are such a gem. I have so
much respect, love, admiration for you and all you're doing,
and so thank you so much for taking this time
to be with us this hour.
Speaker 3 (41:47):
Thank you, Jenny. It was my pleasure.
Speaker 4 (41:49):
All right, everybody head down to Para Maria to enjoy
some of the most nourishing, slaverful and filled with love
food you can in our area. Right there in the
Envoy Hotel and the Seaport. And that's it for this week.
We'll be back with more next week. Thanks so much.
That's it for Food for Thought, brought to you by
The Box Center
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