Smith & Robaina: always in the remembrance.

Text: Roberto Campos and Rolando Pujol
Photos: Rolando Pujol

On April last, two good Cubans, the chef Gilberto Smith and the tobacco harvester Alejandro Robaina passed away, remaining as a permanent presence in the memory of those who knew them.

Smith passed away at 90 on April 9, after a long and fruitful gastronomic career linking him forever to lobster recipes, while Robaina died on April 17 at 91 years of age, remaining a symbol of Cuban cigars.

Both achieved the summit of the international tourism industry due to their charisma and by a unique mastership of their work passions.

The chef, besides being Honorary President of the Cuban Federation of Culinary Associations (FACRC) obtained many titles from many culinary associations around the world.  He was Chef H. C. Dr, Honorary Member of the World Chef’s Societies and cook for outstanding cultural and political personalities in Cuba and abroad.

He was also a Member of Honor of the French Culinary Academy, the Gastronomic Association of the Americas (AREGALA) and H.C. Doctor of the University of Poznam in Poland.

His work made him a permanent promoter of CARIBEX, with lobster recipes of his own and professor of culinary schools in Japan, Canada and Spain.

Among other awards he was presented with the Gold Medal of the Japan Culinary Association, availed by Emperor Hiroito, or the Gold Medal of the German Federation, among more than twenty high level local and global awards.

He was a unique character, of easy conversation, full of culinary and historic knowledge, accumulating such interesting anecdotes as being cook in the fifties to Meyer Lanski the mafia capo, and choosing to stay in Cuba despite the gangster’s offer to accompany him to the U.S.

As for Robaina, he was the only living person to inspire a brand of cigars, the Vega Robaina, of great success in the international market.  Alejandro Robaina Pereda, was born on March 20, 1919 in the Havana town of Alquízar.

His family owned a state in Cuchillas de Barbacoa in Pinar del Río Province since the XIX century.  As far back as 1954, Robaina is awarded the category of  best tobacco harvester.  At the time the Cuban Harvesting Association named him as Best Producer.  In 1998 he was proclaimed as best tobacco producer in Cuba and in 2002 he obtained the title of Cigar Man of the Year in the communications field.

Since the new Vegas Robaina brand appeared in 1997, the world changed for this tobacco harvester and from that moment on he became Cigar Ambassador of the world without abandoning his agricultural duties; as such he visited Lebanon, Egypt, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, France, Russia, Luxembourg, Argentina and other places.

Both men were closely linked to Cuban tourism and its development as an industry, only compared to the relevance of the Cuban musician Compay Segundo (Francisco Repilado), deceased at 95 years of age.