Asia De Cuba
A highly regarded Cuban born and educated chef, Chef Pous comes to Asia de Cuba most recently from the prestigious Noble House Hotels & Resorts, where he acted as Corporate Chef overseeing all culinary operations, playing a pivotal role in all restaurant concept decisions.
Previously, Pous acted as regional chef overseeing Noble House’s Little Palm Island Resort & Spa, Ocean Key Resort, La Playa Beach & Golf Resort and Gateway Canyons. Prior to that, and for more than five years, Pous had been the Executive Chef of one of South Florida’s most sought after dining destinations– The Dining Room at Little Palm Island Resort & Spa. During his time there, Chef Pous secured the restaurant’s #3 ranking in the country in Zagat, as well as #1 in Florida for hotel restaurants. Also, in 2008, the restaurant was named the #2 hotel restaurant in the country by Travel & Leisure Magazine.
“How Asia de Cuba has re-invented Cuban food and cocktails for modern capitalists” – City AM
Prior to joining Noble House Hotels & Resorts in 2006, Chef Pous manned award-winning kitchens for nearly two decades, including at Turnberry Isle in Aventura, FL and Hotel Plaza Athenée in New York City.
A resident of the world, Pous started his impressive career with training at the National School of Culinary Arts in Havana, where he cooked for numerous diplomats and foreign dignitaries (including at events which were attended by Fidel Castro). Pous arrived in the USA in 1997, where he made his first home in Miami.
He is a cookbook author (Little Palm Island Cookbook) and has been guest chef at the James Beard House in NY and the George V hotel in Paris.
Uniting his unique knowledge and perspective on Cuban cuisine with his modern full-flavored fresh approach to Asia de Cuba, Chef Pous is poised to deliver an exciting future for the Asia de Cuba brand.
“Pioneers of the fusion revolution” – The Evening Standard
If you’re wondering who or what Samphire And Salsify is, well that’s a good question. Samphire And Salsify is an award winning food blog run by foodie and Guinnea Grill’s front of house, Dominic Rowntree.
In 2018 he was awarded Influencer of the Year voted for by @londonrestaurantfestival. It’s no wonder with his stunning food porn released on a weekly basis, along with an interesting and charming read about all things restaurants, food and most recently hotels.
Samphire And Salsify has an impressive following of over 25k on Instagram so its no wonder people take his restaurant critiques seriously.
He was interviewed by Hot Dinners, which was an insightful look into his first week at The Guinnea Grill:
Monday 5th November, 2018
Meeting with Oisín Rogers, landlord of the Guinea Grill in Mayfair. Want to ask for some bar work. Need the money, and fancy hospitality again.
Tuesday 6th November, 2018
Meeting went well, but he’s staffed up for Christmas bar shifts, so no luck. He does have a vacancy on the door, though. You get to wear a fancy long coat and top hat, which sounds fun. Working alongside Shaun Pyatt. A Guinea legend who has been doing the door here for over 20 years. Not at all what I was expecting, but keen to give it a go.
Wednesday 7th November, 2018
5:30pm: Arrive at The Guinea. It’s absolutely rammed. Greeting the guests, keeping the entrance clear for them and taking coats is harder than it looks. It’s a bijou space and it always seems full of bustling people. I can see why I am needed, people need to be directed and explained to all the time.
11:42pm: First shift done. Loved it. It’s like a drug. Totally addictive. Want to go back.
Friday 9th November, 2018
Learned how to check in guests on the in-house booking system. Looks complicated, and there’s lots of reshuffling to do with no-shows, latecomers and people who bring extra guests with them. The buzz is brilliant, though.
Monday 12th November, 2018
Meet Osh for a coffee. He asks what I want to get out of working at the Guinea. I tell him I want to work hard and learn every aspect of the business. He offers me a full-time job. Super-happy.
Tuesday 13th November, 2018
Surprised how nervous I was taking guests to their tables. It is daunting, odd having people’s dining experiences in my hands. Simple things like handing over menus (always check the menu is the right way up!!!) and taking water orders felt terrifying. Must try and be less clumsy. Getting there though.
Saturday 17th November, 2018
A guest asks what the soup of the day is. I don’t know. Then he asks what the market fish is. Again, I don’t know. Won’t make that mistake again, I need to always read the restaurant shift briefing sheet! What a dumbie.
To read the rest, click here.
And whatever you do today, make sure you check out the Samphire and Salsify Blog.