In honor of Cuban Independence Day on May 20, I am sharing the story of how the pandemic encouraged my sister-in-law to push me into doing something I love, producing videos. Together, we co-produced a docu-series called Forbidden Feasts. The 8 episodes unraveled the storied past of my husband, David Guas, a Cuban-American and his father, Mariano Guas - who was born and raised in Cuba and being forced to flee the country over five decades ago.
In 2016, David and Marinao [Mari] were planning their second trip to Cuba and my sister-in-law, Alexandra Stafford Rathlé, and I jumped at the chance to join. My husband is a first generation, Cuban American, New Orleans-born, chef and explorer. And, Mari is a man who is always up for an adventure and a history lesson. Mari had escaped Cuba, secretly, over 62 years ago - as he was on a plane, solo, on the cusp of the Cuban revolution. Landing in Louisiana to stay with his Mother’s family, then sent off to boarding school. His childhood became a distant memory. Mari needed to return and with his son, to uncover his past through sights, senses, and smells. Planning for the trip kicked my creative mind into full gear - the people, the culture, the food, the experiences were all going to be important to document. Alexandra and I put on our producer and director hats and planned everything to the finest detail, but little did we know, mojitos sometimes would get in the way! We hired a film crew for two days and they followed us as we uncovered the rich history of the Guas family.
We had all this footage - but the question became what to do with it? Some for a pilot, some for family holiday watching, and then the call came! Alexandra had a brilliant idea for us to take this unprecedented time and said “Let’s make a movie!” We sat in our respective, safe households - talking everyday, her in New Orleans and myself in Virginia, and started combing through the film. With a collective vision in mind, we began reliving every moment of the trip from start to finish. It was an extraordinary journey of the forbidden land through the eyes of Mari, sharing his heritage with his son. I could taste the Hemingway Daiquiris from the El Floridita all over again; I could feel the beating music beneath my feet as I reminisced about the show at the Tropicana, and I felt the wind in my hair as we traveled via Cocotaxi from one historic spot to the next. But, most importantly, my mouth watered as I remembered the Flan - from the day we visited Mari’s old house and made a connection with the new owners, who unsurprisingly became like family in 24 short hours. It was a truly authentic and unforgettable time.
As Alexandra and I dug deeper, it became more and more clear with the footage taking shape, that this was an important narrative, of a journey to Cuba, that had to be shared with more than just our family and friends. The simoneink team jumped on board and we all started splicing, editing, and putting film to “reel,” with a shared passion to tell this story.
The footage came together with aspects of history, culture, self, community, and exploration - something that should definitely be on Netflix today, but made it to YouTube first! The beginning episodes recount the path of Mari’s family exile from Cuba and the single photograph that David carried around to help us recount his father’s childhood. Each day was a new discovery, while keeping a low profile - careful not to say the Guas name out loud. The rich political history in Cuba encompassed David’s grandfather, and his great-great-uncle, Dr. Rafael Guas Inclan - a lifelong member of the liberty part of Cuba, the youngest person elected to the Cuban House of Representatives, and the first elected Mayor of Havana. As we walked around Cuba, Mari remembered his life as a 13 year old boy in a lush pre-Castro era - a place full of love, family, and tradition - and of a course young, innocent, rebellious behavior- that he passed down to my husband later in life.
A major component of the trip - which in turn became the last several episodes of the docu-series - was the connective power of food in the Cuban community. We ate some of the most incredible cuisine, full of distinct flavor, the freshest farmer’s market ingredients, and cultural influences from the Caribbean. The chefs and business owners we met on our travels were inspiring individuals that have faced great obstacles to gain access to the ingredients for these creative, culinary masterpieces. We visited true, organic farms and apiaries that have been in some of these families for generations and a gelato shop owner who works around the clock to perfect her craft - spending her hard earned dollars to get the finest Italian machines brought into Cuba. Street vendors offered authentic pressed cubanos that seasoned chefs would never dare attempt to recreate, along with homemade guava preserves and pastelitos. The love and passion that goes into these dishes, oozed in each and every bite. Aside from tasting these signature dishes, learning about what it takes to be a chef or restaurant owner in Cuba was eye opening. Two weeks in the states is equivalent to two months for Cuba in terms of revenue, supply chains, and general operations. With what the islanders experience daily - I’ve wondered during the past year and a half just how many of these businesses struggled to get food and supplies and how many months it may have taken to arrive, if they arrived at all.
Instead of waiting for someone else to document this compelling journey about history, family, and food - I loved every moment spending hour upon hour with Alexandra as we forged a path together to produce this docu-series that would share a very raw and truthful story of Cuba, [it also gave me a chance to enhance my video skills for other projects with my simoneink gal Maddie Caywood!] Creating something from almost nothing was only possible with David and Mari’s desire to explore and meet the people of Cuba and in turn the passion of the Cuban people, who welcomed us into their homes and businesses. The process of developing this show was a far greater and rewarding exercise than I could have ever imagined.