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As we prepare for Thanksgiving, I'm grateful to have an amazing mother, Lourdes Rivero Garcia (that's her on the right-hand side in this photograph from Cuba).  She was (and still is) a talented singer and guitarist who's performed on television in both Havana and the United States (see picture below performing with her twin-sister on New York's channel 47). 

 

Raising three kids and earning a Masters Degree didn't leave time for music, but somehow she managed to perform and even record an album of her traditional Cuban music.  She never sold many copies (largely because popular salsa music was coming into vogue).  But in my book - she's still a star.  Click on the music Mpeg sample below to hear her beautiful voice.           

 

As a young boy, I remember falling asleep to the sweet sound of Cuban lullabies.  There was always music in my home  - a tradition dating back generations to great-grandfather, Julio.  Friends and family were a passion for him.  And he loved gathering people around the table for great conversation, food and of course, music. 

 

Preserving the richness of Cuban culture has been the motivation behind my family-owned specialty food company, Old Havana Foods.  You can see a picture of my mother and her sister as little girls, no doubt enjoying the ever-present music that's long been a family tradition.  

     

So this Thanksgiving, I say muchas gracias!   For a mother who gave me so much love - and the gift of Cuban music.        

 

A remarkable anti-violence program is drawing national attention at Roberto Clemente High School.  It's called "BAM" .. which is short for Becoming A Man.  It focuses very intensely on at-risk youth, which according to the University of Chicago's Crime Lab includes boys who are failing in middle school or high school.  Research shows that in 2008, nearly half of Chicago's gunshot victims were between the ages of 10 and 25 (and the vast majority of those victims were male).

Although experts say there's no quick and easy fix to the problem of street gangs, many believe BAM holds out the brightest promise.  The idea is to intervene in the lives of struggling boys beginning at the end of elementary school - before they drop out of school into a life of crime or evern gangbanging.     

On Wednesday, November 18th, we'll take an in-depth look at BAM on WGN News at 9PM.  And we'll talk to the man who created the program - a charismatic Chicago-born clinical psychologist who developed BAM over a ten-year period.

Hope you'll watch our special WGN News Cover Story on youth violence, as we look at what many say could be Chicago's best bet to reduce the killings.       

(Chicago)   From the Useless Information Department of WGN Morning News comes the story of the "Sloppy Joe" sandwich.  It might surprise you to know this lunch room  staple has a well-traveled past.  And it has nothing to do with cafeteria ladies wearing plastic gloves.  

The evidence shows this all-American classic was born 90 miles offshore, on the island of Cuba.  Sloppy Joe's Bar in Old Havana lays claim to this colorful piece of culinary history.  The famous watering hole is said to be the first to offer ground beef on a bun, beginning in the 1920's.  If nothing else, the hearty offering helped rum-soaked patrons absorb buckets of Cuban Mojito's.  Many believe the cooks served up a spicy, seasoned version of ground beef that's long been a favorite Cuban dish , known as Picadillo.     

Nevertheless, Cuban food aficionados say the exact origins are difficult to pin down.  My older relatives remember a slightly different version of the legendary sandwich at Sloppy Joe's, known as Ropa Vieja (which translated to English means 'old clothes').  Classic  Cuban recipes call for marinated skirt steak stewed in tomato sauce, fresh garlic, peppers and a splash of cane sugar.  And it's served steaming hot on a hamburger bun or bed of white rice.        

But on the other side of the Florida Straits, you'll hear competing claims from Sloppy Joe's in Key West.  They say their establishment is the birthplace of the legendary ground beef sandwich.  Frequented by Oak Park's Ernest Hemingway, and the site of the annual "Hemingway Look-Alike Contest," the people at Sloppy Joe's have been serving up sandwiches to dangerously sun-burnt tourists for decades (along with unfathomable quantities of gin and rum).

But regardless of who invented the famous sandwich, here's my argument for the best-tasting Sloppy Joe's you'll ever enjoy.  At Old Havana Foods (the family-owned specialty food company we launched earlier this year), we offer a tantalizing version of the old Cuban standby.  My famous Chili Cubano is a blend of centuries-old Cuban recipes that were passed down from my great-grandfather.  And the great thing is it only takes minutes to prepare this all-natural specialty.  All you do is brown ground beef and combine in a large pot with my ready-made saute seasoning (sofrito) and Old Havana black beans.  Serve it over a fresh Kaiser roll and watch the kids go loco.  My little crazies love the slightly-spicy but sweet family recipe.        

So the next time a cafeteria lady with big arms serves you a "Sloppy Joe," take the time to tell her the amazing story of this satisfying (but underappreciated) Cuban dish that's served in cafeterias from Schaumburg to Havana. 

They've extracted their revenge for all those years we kicked sand in their face.  The computer nerds are the new "masters of the universe," if you ask me.  And they had their way with me this weekend - as we toiled to revamp my Old Havana Foods website.  It's part of a top-to-bottom retooling that's been as about as much fun as having your pupil's dialated.  

As a former English-major and avid reader, it's hard to stay awake reading poorly-written manuals on Google adwards and keyword analystics.  You might as well club me over the head if you hand me a book on web marketing.  As necessary as it is, I prefer a visit to the proctologist over a session with my friendly neighborhood computer tech.    

But as I've discovered, to survive as an on-line business, you have no choice but to verse yourself in the language of search-engine optimization and meta-tagging.  It's as important as the product itself.  I can offer my centuries-old Cuban recipes and the world's best black beans and rice.  But it doesn't amount to a hill of beans (or frijoles negros) if my family-owned and operated business doesn't get picked up by search engines.  

So for the foreseeable future, whether I like it or not, "Web Marketing for Dummies" is required reading.  Even if it puts me to sleep.     

O.K.  They don't celebrate Halloween in Havana (unless you stumble across a party of embargo-busting Americans defying the travel ban).  But from the history department of Old Havana Foods comes this creepy Caribbean tale.

Legend has it the bones of Christopher Columbus are in Havana.  Of course, the Domincans have long claimed he's buried in Santo Domingo.  And the Spaniards say they have D-N-A evidence to prove the explorer's remains are in Seville.  For centuries now, it's been one of history's most famous unanswered questions.

But through the decades, sun-burned tourists (groggy from too many frijoles negros and Cuba libres) have been startled to see an other-worldly apparition, slipping through the shadows of La Habana Vieja.  Believers swear it's the ghost of Christopher Columbus!    

When he died in 1506, Columbus' will revealed a desire to be buried in the New World.  After a lot of arguing and disagreement, the Spaniards later transferred his bones to Hispaniola.

But when the French took control of the Caribbean island in 1795, the explorer's remains were rushed to Havana (the Spanish wanted to prevent his famous bones from falling into the hands of their arch-enemies).  Cuban history records that for more than a century, Columbus' weary bones got a well-deserved rest in Havana. 

When the Spanish lost colonial Cuba in 1898, however, Columbus' well-traveled remains were on the move again.  They shipped his dusty bones over the Atlantic - back to the place where he first embarked on his famous expeditions - Spain.  

But no matter what the Spanish may claim, to this day, many Habaneros still believe that a part of Christopher Columbus secretly resides in Havana.  And to this day, as visitors enjoy Cuban music and Cuban food in the historic capital city - there are sightings.  People still see the spirit of the old ghost, roaming the cobblestoned streets of Habana.  Happy Halloween everybody!   

Cuban black beans.  And plenty of laughter. That's the internal home-movie in my mind as I replay scenes from family gatherings.  As a boy, we'd travel to my late grandparents apartment in "Little Havana."  Though it's been decades since I left Miami,  the memories of those Sunday afternoons will always remain.  

I can't help but remember those spirited get togethers - the great music - and the food!  Meal time was a sacred ritual in my family.  Cooking has always been a specialty for the Crews-Rivero bunch.  Our famous "frijoles negros" (Black Beans & Rice) ... served up with roast "Lechon" (pork loin) and Fried Plantains were always part of the festivities.  It's a menu as Cuban as the Mambo.      

But as we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, I'm struck by the universality of food and family.  Whether you're from Cuba, El Salvador, Mexico, Puerto Rico or anywhere in Latin America - family is the bedrock of who you are.  And where Latino families are gathered you've almost always got great food.

Bringing loved ones around the table for memorable meals is the foundation for www.OldHavanaFoods.com  - my Chicago-based family enterprise.  As I continue to work on this labor of love - when I'm not occupied with reporting duties at WGN or traveling for Cruisin' Illinois - I think about my late grandparents. 

Where would we be without the love of our family?  Parents, siblings and grandparents?  And the gift they gave me - all those wonderful recipes from Cuba!  So this Hispanic Heritage Month, I give thanks again for my familiy.  And for their unwavering love and guidance to make me who I am.  Muchas gracias!        

(Chicago, IL)  I've been so darned busy lately that I haven't had a chance to update you on www.OldHavanaFoods.com, my fledgling family food enterprise.  Many thanks to those of you who've messaged me asking for the latest on my Julian Crews: Bean Quest / WGN Morning News Blog.  

As you know, it's been almost a year now since I launched my dream to bring authentic, all-natural Cuban specialties, music and culture to Chicago.  

My easy-to-prepare stovetop meals were showcased earlier this month at the Ethnic Foods Symposium in Manassas, Virginia.  We were invited to participate by the southeastern United States offices of Anderson Daymon Worldwide (ADW) near Atlanta, GA.  ADW are the exclusive in-house food brokers for Costco. 

But with all the flooding that's been going on in Georigia and other parts of the southeast, I haven't heard back from them yet.  They've been busy dealing with the floodwaters and keeping their operations afloat (literally).

So when I get some news I'll pass it on.  Thanks to everyone who's written with so many words of encouragement.  It's much appreciated.           

  That's right.  It may surprise you to know that "Beisbol" isn't the the only game in Cuba.  Deep from the archives of Old Havana Foods comes a tantalizing piece of football history.      

For the better part of 40 years, thousands of football "fanaticos" flocked to Havana's La Tropical Stadium to see an event that historians say was alternately called the "Cigar Bowl," the "Rhumba Bowl," or officially, the "Bacardi Bowl."   Beginning in 1907, the capital city played host to America's gridiron giants for an annual holiday sports spectacular (see "Bacardi Bowl" in Wikpedia and mmbolding.com for more details).  
  
The inaugural bowl game kicked off on a balmy Christmas Day, 1907.  Sports historians say a crowd of 10,000 came to cheer the home team against Louisiana State University. Although the LSU Tigers manhandled the inexperienced islanders, 57-to-0,  sports-crazy Habaneros were hooked!

Things got really "loco" 14 years later, when the Cubans engineered a football Coup de' etat, turning the tables on their American guests.  On December 31st, 1921, a team of islanders pulled one of the biggest (and least known) upsets in college football history.  The University of Havana locked horns with the highly-vaunted  "Ole Miss" squad.  The mighty  Rebels from the University of Mississippi were heavily favored.  But the Habaneros stunned the football world with a 14-to-0 upset win.

The final score hit the mainland like a tsunami, sending shockwaves through the football-loving south.  Ole Miss fans reading the score back home figured it was a typo on the telegraph wire. But make no mistake - the Cubans were for real.  

Sadly, the last Bacardi Bowl was played in 1946. Though the island's turbulent political climate forced a suspension of the holiday bowl, older Havana sports "fanaticos" fondly remember the annual holiday happening.  No doubt Cubanos eagerly await the return of the American "futbolistas."  

Many thanks to www.andiamocreative.com for providing content and graphics for this story.

 

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