Order a drink, dessert, or sandwich at Ceiba, and chances are, one of three machines key to Latin American and Caribbean cooking will have a hand in its preparation. 

When Chef Jeff Tunks and his team made their excursion south in search of inspiration for Ceiba’s cuisine, they returned with more than ideas and recipes:  they came back knowing they needed three essential machines to do the heavy work in a number of beloved Latin dishes. 

The sugar cane press – a modern electric version of a time-honored tool – does double-duty for the kitchen and the bar, producing guarapo, the raw sugar cane juice used liberally at Ceiba.  The heavy machine consists primarily of three large cogs, two on top and one on the bottom.  When the lengths of raw sugar cane, anywhere from three- to six-feet long [and often still muddy from harvest!] arrive in the Ceiba kitchen, they are washed and their ends are chopped off with a cleaver.  These clean canes are fed into the press, in the center of the triangle formed by the three cogs.  The press crushes and cranks them flat, so that the fibrous matter emerges like a long skinny sheet of papyrus.  The guarapo expelled by the press is a light-green-brownish semi-sweet herbaceous liquid; a delightful morning eye-opener, according to Ceiba’s Wine & Beverage Director, Scott Clime. 

And he knows guarapo.  He uses plenty of the juice in one of Ceiba’s most popular cocktails, the mojito, as well as in a number of mojito variations on his menu.   Whereas most other bars north of the border will compromise authenticity by making the drink with a simple syrup [sugar dissolved in water], Ceiba’s have the advantage of real sugar cane juice, which Phelan tempers with a bit of mint-infused simple syrup for smoothness.  Thus, when you sip a Ceiba mojito, you are enjoying the tropical drink as it was devised in Havana at the turn of the last century – a favorite of Hemingway, as legend has it. 

Naturally, the sugar cane press also provides a sweetness authentic to the Latin-inspired desserts at Ceiba, such as the vanilla-infused cane syrup that is drizzled on the plate surrounding the popular Key Lime Meringue Tart. 

Even in the main kitchen, guarapo will turn up in an occasional sauce, such as that which once enhanced the seared foie gras appetizer…  More importantly, it is used as a marinade for the brined pork loin that goes into every Cuban pressed sandwich – bringing us to the next important piece of pressing machinery in the Ceiba kitchen… 

The Cuban sandwich press is best described as a heavy waffle iron with a griddle surface that is both smooth and flat, rather than patterned.  The sandwich is filled with its delectable cargo of smoked ham, gruyère cheese, and the cured and guarapo-soaked pork loin slices.  Into the press it goes; the handle brings the top griddle down, and clamps the sandwich between the hot irons under perfect pressure.  It emerges crisp and smooth on the surface, warm and gooey with melted cheese on the inside, and fairly flat and easy to eat – just like they make ‘em in Havana.  No wonder it’s a lunchtime favorite at Ceiba. 

The third and final piece of machinery pressing out the goods at Ceiba is the sole domain of the pastry chef:  The Churros Press.  The linear equivalent of a doughnut, churros are a common treat in Spain and Mexico, sold in cafés and made by street vendors still ubiquitous in many of the old town squares.  The heavy steel press, which looks something like a Ferris Wheel, was imported from Spain and custom-installed on a wall of the Ceiba kitchen.  It works just like a giant cookie press.  A wheel of levers forces the stiff dough from its canister through a star-shaped template, producing a fluted length that is cut with a wire mechanism, releasing it directly into the shallow fryer below.  The churros are not-too-sweet, and served up piping hot as Warm Cinnamon-Dusted Churros with a Mexican Hot Chocolate Shooter – a sophisticated spin on the traditional.  They’re pretty, they’re delicious, and even dressed up, they’re comforting:  an Old World treat, from an Old World machine. 

Pressing dough into shape, pressing sandwiches flat, pressing sugar cane for its pure, sweet liquid – the machines at Ceiba are kept busy, keeping the technique authentic and the patrons coming back for more.