When Chef Hernan studied Culinary Arts in Toronto (Canada),\nhe realized that the\nlocal and its origin stood out in gastronomy. Hence the idea of \u200b\u200bcreating a\nconcept where everything is locally sourced, with ingredients brought from\nPanamanian farms of the highest quality and always fresh. From the cattle that\ngive the meat, the vegetables to the milk and the cheeses, all made by\nPanamanian hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n New Way to Enjoy Panamanian Food<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n His restaurant, which opened in 2013onthe\nground floor of the family residence, introduced a concept somewhat ahead of\nits time since the Panamanian diner was not used to eating Panamanian food\noutside their home, the classic inn or at a special event. However, the continued effort opened the\ndoor to good comments that reached the ears of more people. Which began to\ngenerate an interest in looking for a totally Panamanian gastronomic\nexperience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, his love for Panamanian ingredients was born\nduring the 6 months prior to opening the restaurant where he was able to tour\nmarkets, as well as the interior of the country, and meet new producers and\neverything they were producing. There he began to fall in love with the local\nproduct, the stews, the achiote, the cultural influences that we have had such\nas Afro-Antillean food, the cuisine of the indigenous people, what is made in\ncentral provinces and in Panama City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n History Through Our Gastronomy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Chef Hernan thinks that it is necessary to investigate\nour history, since there are many culinary recipes that can be rescued. Either\nindigenous recipes that were lost by the Spanish conquest, or the\nAfro-Antillean in the times of the trans-systemic railroad. It is discovering\nPanamanian history through dishes that evoke feelings of those times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learning During the Pandemic<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When the pandemic hits, the service industry stopped,\nbut not Chef Hernan, who took advantage of that pause to do an internship at a\nrestaurant that focused on grilled food in a small town in Belgium and where he\nwas able to learn new techniques. .<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, there is a lesson that Chef Hernan, learned during\nthe pandemic, and that was to give himself the opportunity to create the time\nto live moments with other people without so much pressure, living in the\npresent. For this reason, their restaurant now receives fewer people per night,\nallowing them to focus more on the customer and the details that make the\nexperience unforgettable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Family Support is Key to Success<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n By having the restaurant on the ground floor of the\nfamily residence in El Cangrejo, for Chef Hernan the family is the cornerstone in the\nsuccess of the restaurant and its culinary creations. Chef Hernan says that at first, his mother\ncame from work and helped in the restaurant, and today she is more in charge of\nserving the diners and coordinating the beverage program. For him, it is more\nthan a restaurant, it is his home, the only place where he has lived, has\ncreated close relationships with friends and neighbors. He is also very\ngrateful to his uncle and a first cousin who always help him bring activities\nand new diners to the restaurant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Experiment to Innovate<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Since 2019 they have a laboratory on the top floor of\nthe restaurant where research and development lead the Chef and other experts\nto test new dishes and recipes. After winning Top Chef in 2016, Chef Hernan acquired some Roto\nVapores and machines that infuse by sound waves. Acquisitions that were the\nresult of a course in ferments where he met Sandor Katz, a fermentation guru\nworldwide and that in 2019 Chef Hernan invites him to teach a course in this specialty, helping\nthem to polish the technique. Today, unique flavors are developed that allow\nyou to create very personal recipes, where you can also create fermented mango,\nuvitas, borojo, or\nwhatever fruit you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Food Safety, a Plan for the Future<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the projects that this innovative Chef has been\nworking on is through the Fundacion Rescate de Alimentos Panama, where they are\nresponsible for acquiring all the products that can no longer be sold to cook\nand distribute food to people who need it. Based on this work, Chef Hernan wishes to\nwork on the food security of the Panamanian population. They are already\nworking on that future, by signing with the ITSE (Specialized Higher Technical\nInstitute) an agreement to use their kitchens and prepare food. In this way, we\ncan reach many more people who require healthy and balanced meals, as well as\nreduce food waste, since today 60% of what is produced ends up in the garbage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chef’s Favorite Dishes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The favorite dishes of Chef Hernan to cook in his restaurant are the\nChurros de Yuca, the Lengua, the Ron Abuelo ice cream, guachos or preparations\nbased on honeyed rice with black or red rice from the regions with enough\nCreole \u201csofrito\u201d and any vegetable from the farm mother earth roasted in a wood\noven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the Chef shares his simple taste for\nPanamanian Creole food: \u201ctorrejitas\u201d with suckling pig and pressed white\ncheese, fried freshly ground corn tortilla, stewed meat with macaroni, macaroni\nwith chicken stewed and fried, octopus with coconut and heavy doe nance as one\nof his favorite desserts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/esp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/IMG_9768_opt.jpg\")
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