Darlene Tenes of CasaQ to Join Inaugural Havana Culinary Exchange in Cuba

San Jose, CA, September 11, 2016 --(PR.com)-- When Chef Douglas Rodriguez, The Godfather of Nuevo Latino Cuisine, visited his parent’s homeland for the first time in 2013 he was inspired by the foods of the Caribbean island but shocked at the lack of resources and equipment available.

Havana, once a mecca for celebrities, socialites and American mobsters who fled to the island for luxurious getaways, was now frozen in time since the Cuban Revolution in the late 50’s. This inspired Chef Rodriguez to create the Havana Culinary Exchange and began to invite innovative chefs, sommeliers and mixologists to share new food techniques and recipes with the Cuban chefs and have them share their time-honored traditional cuisine with them.

“We reached out to Darlene Tenes of CasaQ who is renowned for creating exclusive Latino culinary events and cultural experiences,” remarked Chef Douglas, “who we thought would be a great addition to our roster of culinary talent.”

Ms. Tenes has been a food correspondent giving cooking demos and providing commentary on NBC, CBS, FOX and PBS and is an eHow Food and Entertainment Expert. Since 2005 she has been Co-Host and Founder of CasaQ & NBC Bay Area Best Darn Tamale contest, a national competition amongst professional tamale makers across America to compete for the title of Best Darn Tamale in the USA.

The impressive list of talent collectively have appeared on Food Network’s Chopped, Iron Chef, BravoTV’s Top Chef, FYI’s Man vs. Child: Chef Showdown, NBC’s Biggest Loser & Fox’s MasterChef include:

Aaron May (Scottsdale) - Executive Chef & Owner LTB Concepts, Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame
Bernie Matz (Miami) - “Connoisseur of Tacos,” Executive Chef & Owner LA Café, Bodega Taqueria y Tequila
Brad Kilgore (Miami) - 2016 Best Chef in America, Food & Wine's Best New Chef 2016, Executive Chef, Alter named Best New Restaurants in America 2016
Cheryl Forberg (Napa) - NBC’s Biggest Loser Nutritionist, James Beard Award Winning Chef, New York Times best-selling author
Darlene Tenes (Silicon Valley) - eHow Food & Lifestyle Expert, Owner & Founder of CasaQ by Darlene, co-host Best Darn Tamale Contest
Dean Corbett (Louisville) - Executive Chef & Owner Corbett’s: An American Place, Honorable Order of the Golden Toque named Esquire’s “Best New Restaurants”
Douglas Rodriguez (Miami) - Godfather of Nuevo Latino Cuisine, Executive Chef & Owner Alma de Cuba, James Beard Award Winner
Fernando Martinez (Louisville) - Executive Chef & Owner Olé Oh Let’s Eat Restaurant Group
Ivan Ruiz (Summit) - Sommelier and Owner of winelistsummit.com, Co-Founder The Wine List Sommelier
John Mooney (NYC & DC) - StarChefs.com Rising Star Sustainability Chef, Bell Book & Candle
Kevin Sbraga (Philadelphia) - Top Chef Winner Season 7, MasterChef Judge, Executive Chef & Owner Sbraga Dining
Michael Aeyal Ginor (New York) - Owner, Hudson Valley Foie Gras & New York State Foie Gras, James Beard Award Winner
Mike Isabella (DC) - Bravo T’s Top Chef, Top Chef Allstars, Man vs. Child: Chef Showdown, Executive Chef & Owner Isabella Concepts
Rodolfo Cuadros (Chicago) - Executive Chef, Carnivale Chicago
Collectively they have appeared as competitors and judges across Food Network’s Chopped, Iron Chef, BravoTV’s Top Chef, FYI’s Man vs. Child: Chef Showdown and appeared in Gourmet, Restaurant, Food & Wine, Condé Nast Traveler, Sunset Magazine, USA Today and every major network.

Food aficionados and adventurous travelers can partake in the Havana Culinary Exchange from September 24 – October 1, 2016 to explore the island’s beautiful culture and music then savor amazing cuisine every day from the top chefs in the USA and Cuba.

For more information, visitt www.HavanaCulinaryExchange.com or by calling 305-809-8042. To follow Darlene’s Cuban adventure live visit, http://CasaQ.com