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.

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