Atelier: The Cuban Bistro Where Obama Had Lunch Tuesday

Like other boldface names that have visited Cuba, President Obama and his family swung by one of Havana's mom-and-pop bistros –known locally as paladares- called Atelier.

The aged magnificence of a Havana-based mansion houses one of the most one-of-a-kind restaurants in the Cuban culinary scenario, Atelier, where President Obama could have dinner or lunch during his stay in Cuba.

Paying tribute to what its name stands for, some five years after its opening Atelier has become a refined workshop of signature cuisine, always ready to please and innovate.

The exquisite taste for details and its gourmet passion were excellent pretexts to create this unusual place, a result of the efforts and capability of Higuera Martinez siblings (Hector, Herdys and Niurys).

The aim was well-defined since the word go: a signature cuisine style that would open up the chance of tampering with ingredients and reinventing the menu on a daily basis, according to the raw materials available in the fluctuating market.

“The menu is constantly changing. The card changes every day. If we’re shy of a product, we don’t offer it,” Niurys says and points out that “everything changes but the employees.”

The achievement of such goal has been linked to the talent and devotion of Chef Michael Calvo, who has greatly shown his skills in such countries as France, Martinique and Curacao. “Everybody tells me that I argue more with Michael than with my husband,” she admits with a grin.

The complicity between patrons and the space –she underscores– is the feature that characterizes this restaurant the most, with romantic (and even nostalgic) flashbacks from the past in every corner.

The house, one of the first mansions ever built in the Vedado area, was owned by Senator Vazquez Bello, who became President of the Parliament.

Its calmly eclectic decoration includes colonial furniture, baccarat cups, inlaid glasses, pieces of Bohemian glass, German porcelain dishes and chandeliers hangings from a ceiling crossed by lovely wooden beams. The terraces are absolutely charming, witnesses of the sensuality of this Caribbean land. They round up an atmosphere that always surprises.

“We want those who visit us to eat and drink with pieces of cutlery and dishes similar to the ones that could’ve been owned by their families in the past,” she explains.

The experience is topped off by an intimate and friendly service that makes customers feel like home. “The idea is that our patrons don’t feel the pressure of a formal restaurant, where everything must be correct and they need to follow the rules of etiquette, or they are exposed to an invasive waiter who tries to sell them something from the menu every five minutes,” Niurys underlines.

Perhaps that’s the reason why Atelier presently stands out as a favorite destination for national personalities, as well as artists, governors, senators, entrepreneurs who come to the largest island of the Caribbean and want to revel in excellent and well-presented meals with a variety of tastes. However –she underscores– “they are all treated as our regular customers.”

As far as the future is concerned, Niurys speaks out fearlessly and openly. She’s not afraid of the new scenario of Cuban gastronomy, with the opening of highly competitive restaurants. “We all need to do our very best. If customers spend seven days in Cuba and enjoy eating in seven different places, they have another reason to come back to the country. So you’ll have them once again in your restaurant,” she explains.

The formula to achieve it – Niurys says– is quite simple: there must be plenty of love in what we do.

ATELIER Calle 5ta. No. 511 high e/ Paseo y 2, Vedado, Havana, Cuba.

Tel: +(537) 836 2025 atelierdecuba@yahoo.es

Take a closer look at Cuba’s best restaurants and bistros on http://guiaexcelenciascuba.com