Nuevo Kid On The Block

Cuba Libre Introduces Chef Guillermo Veloso To Philadelphia In four short months, Cuba Libre has already defined itself as one of the hottest restaurants north of Havana. Now, owners Barry Gutin and Larry Cohen are turning up the heat on their Old City establishment by hiring Guillermo Veloso, a seasoned chef from South Beach Miami's renowned Yuca restaurant.

"A native of North Jersey, Veloso worked as sous chef for famed chef Douglas Rodriguez at Yuca, considered the birthplace of Nuevo Latino cuisine. His Spanish and Puerto Rican heritage, plus considerable time spent traveling in South America, Puerto Rico, Spain and their Latin countries, expands his knowledge of Latin cuisine.

Veloso, who is moving his wife Pamela and two children from sunny Florida to accept this position, is excited at the prospect of enhancing Cuba Libre's menu and introducing dishes he has developed during his time at Yuca. "I especially like to work with seafood in such dishes as Zarzuela Negra - lobster, shrimp, mussels, fish, and select seafood in a rich black bean broth and fish broth served with steamed white rice," says Veloso, who describes his cuisine as hearty and flavorful created with Spanish techniques, Caribbean ingredients and indigenous influences, but lightened up for the modern palate.

Veloso's professional career took off in 1990 when he worked as executive sous chef at the Hotel St. Michel in Coral Bagles, FL. In 1991, he joined Douglas Rodriguez as the sous chef of the acclaimed Yuca. When Rodriguez left Yuca in 1992, Veloso was named Yuca's executive chef. Veloso has been named one of America's rising star chefs by PBS and included in such prestigious events as "Great Chefs of the South."

Veloso begins his tenure at Cuba Libre on Monday, April 23. Cuba Libre is located at 10 South 2nd Street, Philadelphia. For reservations, call 215-627-0666.