LATIN TIMES MAGAZINE - 2019 Summer Edition | Page 31

entrepreneurial
Latina Lideres Awards
Chef Christina F. Suarez-Alvarez
2019 Latina Mover N Shaker
by: Victor Padilla
Come on, who doesn’t love a good cuban
sandwich?? I know I sure do! I love my
cubanos with all the fixings and pressed well
so that the cheese starts to melt off the
sides. I grew up eating Latin food and still
today, it is my favorite cuisine of all time.
I can never get enough of black beans and
white rice. Although I am a classically trained
French chef, I never have nor will I lose sight
of my roots; and my roots are LATINO!
LTM: Tell us about your family history and where you come from.
Chef Christina F. Suarez-Alvarez: I was born into a cigar family. Since
birth, cigars and the industry have been a part of my life. My parents
made the courageous decision to leave our home, our world in the
United States and move us to the Dominican Republic, where I spent
the first ten years of my life.
There, I not only attended school but also immersed myself, without
realization because it did feel so natural, in the industry- it’s all I ever
knew. It’s all my family knew, at least at that time
because that was when it counted the most. My grandfather, Carlos
Arturo Fuente, faced many trials and tribulations as he built the busi-
ness, the brand; but once he set foot in the Dominican
Republic, his world, our family’s world changed and has been grow-
ing and evolving ever since.
Our concept fuses different cuisines, but the main cuisine is Filipino.
In New York, I worked as a food stylist on a Japanese-California fusion
cookbook where I fell in love with Asian flavors. With that said, I was
thrilled and excited to be introduced to a new wave of Asian flavors
straight from the Philippines.
LTM: Growing up in Ybor/Tampa, what was it like for you, give us a
story.
Chef Christina: Ybor City, also known as “Cigar City” is where it all
began for our family. My great-grandfather started rolling cigars out of
his small wooden house in Ybor City over a decade ago. Since then, our
family has never left that part of Tampa. It’s there where we have our
administrative offices/corporate headquarters and our cigar warehouse
that was recently built to better store cigars for global distribution. Not
LTM: You come from one of the largest cigar families in the world, tell to mention, the street that these buildings are on was officially named
us what inspired you to become a chef?
“Carlos Fuente’s Way,” in honor of my grandfather. And of course, Ybor
Chef Christina: My family is the reason I decided to pursue a cu- City is now especially dear to my heart because it is where my husband
linary career. Unlike many chefs, I did not grow up in the kitchen. and I solidified our love, our 10-year relationship in front of our families
Instead, I grew up following my grandfather and family up and down and friends on our wedding day last May. Although I was opposed to
the cigar fields in Bonao, Dominican Republic. Looking back as an leaving the Dominican Republic and moving back to Florida, it was the
adult, I realize I did not have a traditional upbringing, but it's my best thing my parents did for my siblings and I. We were fortunate to
upbringing that has motivated me and further given me the courage be able to attend wonderful schools, meet incredible people and create
to go outside of the norm, our norm. In college, I remember being at meaningful connections & relationships along the way.
the UCF gym watching Chef Ina Garten on the Food Network and
thinking, “I can do that.” From that moment forward, I knew my fas- LTM: Who has always been your greatest inspiration and hero in your
cination towards food was more than a hobby; it was a real passion. life?
I was taught to follow your passion, just as my great-grandfather Chef Christina: My faith. Although not an actual person, my faith has
Arturo and grandfather Carlos did. With passion along with drive been the driving force that has led me through life. I was "saved" in the
and determination, you can do anything and everything you set your third grade, and since then, I have never been the same. I, along with my
mind to. That said, I decided to move to New York City, “the concrete family, have endured a number of ups & downs especially within the last
jungle where dreams are made of.”
five years- we’ve faced three significant losses and have had our world
turned upside down in more ways than one. It is my faith and relation-
LTM: Tell us about Chismis & Co. restaurant, what style of food is it? ship with God that has helped me navigate through these hardships and
Chef Christina: Shortly after relocating back to Tampa, I was intro- through daily stresses and struggles. My faith has not only helped me
duced to Chef Noel Cruz, who also moved to New York to pursue in hard times but it has provided me with fulfillment, strength and a
a career in food. After working on several projects together, we de- unique outlook towards the world and the people in it.
cided to take our professional relationship to the next level. He gave
me an opportunity to run a small restaurant within the Armature Read more at: www.LatinTimesMedia.com
Works, a premier community destination full of innovative eateries.
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A braza el calor de tu cultura !
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