Making memories meet masterpieces

Slow Food brings comfort at Mt. Lavinia Hotel

By Uditha Jayasinghe

Good food stays with you for life. It is an intractable part of living and defines one as little else does. For Chef Leonel Velazquez of Mt. Lavinia hotel and the founding member of Slow Food Sri Lanka the charm of food is intrinsically linked to a lifetime of memories and the respect derived from experience.

Chef Leonel Velazquez , Mt. Lavinia Hotel

“Slow food means different things to different people,” he said in answer to my quizzical look taking a simple but sumptuous set menu as an example as we sat buffeted by cool sea breezes at the Seafood Cove of the Mt. Lavinia Hotel. I was here to understand what the recently introduced concept of Slow Food was all about and Chef Velazquez proceeded to explain by example.
As the term suggests Slow Food is uncomplicated, fresh and flavoured food. In fact the best illustrations of this are from our own childhoods. Cuban by birth Chef Velazquez grew up with his grandfather and “Tia Dora” the beloved sister of his grandmother who taught him the value of traditional home based cuisine that he has continued to create since he started cooking at 15 years of age.

“When I think of slow food I remember how my grandfather would strew beans across a table and we would pick out the best ones by hand and make a dish out of that,” recalled Chef with a sentimental smile regaling us with stories of sandwiches eaten on beach outings with his siblings and delicious dishes that his Tia Dora would make and travel 40 miles to bring him while he was training to be a chef. Good food, in addition to making us happy, also forms the base for great memories as amply demonstrated by Chef Velazquez and he concentrates on making every eating experience at his restaurant a memorable one.

Slow Food reaches Lanka
To this end Chef arrived in Sri Lanka in February, without even knowing where the country was or what to expect. Sorely trusting to his friendship with the Mt. Lavinia General Manager whom he met while they were working together in Pennsylvania, his arrival caused waves to say the least. Introducing the concept of Slow Food to Sri Lanka Chef has since trained his staff and expertly expedited a hands on approach to discovering the best tastes of Sri Lanka and mixing them with his own unique South American style, literally.
“I go to the Negombo beach and help the fishermen pull in their boats. The catch is bought while it is still flapping and I personally oversee many of the purchases, which range from Trincomalee to Sigiriya.” A great believer in giving back to the community Chef Velasquez insists on sourcing all his ingredients from the local community thus ensuring sustainability of producers. “If you are a talented chef then you should have the capacity to duplicate tastes from different ingredients. I don’t believe in purchasing things from another country to get people to appreciate my food.” Chef even goes one step further and in the promotions that are planned every month he invites the producer to be present so when you go for the event you could well be sitting across from the person who grew the tomatoes for your meal. An extremely interesting encounter to say the least.
Regardless of his fascination for different cuisine Chef tasted himself into a hot spot when trying out Sri Lankan chili, and well spiced dishes that are loved by locals. He ruefully admitted that he likes to “go slow” on the hot spices but does not find this a limitation as he does not try to cook dishes that are country specific, preferring instead to stick to what he knows best. “I respect the countries that I have been to and learned to cook from. So while I will assimilate these practices into my cooking I don’t imitate them. No one can cook rice and curry like the Sri Lankans can and there is no point in my trying to when you can get a better meal at home.” Having said that Chef is a regular fan of many Sri Lankan favourites like Godamba Roti, Chicken and Cheese Roti, String hoppers, Biriyani and the Sri Lankan classic “Moju.”

Comfortable food
Moving on to the dishes of the evening that kicked off with Crispy Prawns in Creamy Curry Sauce that mixed succulence with just a hint of crispiness to the Pineapple Cheesecake that deserves a chapter to do justice to, the five course set menu at the Sea Food Cove is worth every penny of the Rs.2 800 it is budgeted at. The menu changes every week and Chef is keen to make sure that a variety of tastes are indulged in.
The Seafood Lasagna with homemade pasta doused with creamy herb sauce complete with a delectable tomato base was followed with a generous Pineapple Cheesecake with just the right balance of sweet and sourness to make it melt in your mouth. The simple caramelized sauce topped with a strawberry epitomised Chef Velazquez’s philosophy of “food to make people comfortable.” The Papaya Sorbet was also Sri Lankan inspired.
Having just completed the Cuban Slow Food Promotion he is busy making preparations for an Argentinean one that will feature pizza made on a charcoal grill in true traditional style. So if you want an experience true to heart as well as your stomach then head on over to Sea Food Cove where memories meet masterpieces.
Pix by Ravindra Dharmathilake