When you meet Bren Herrera, you will notice that she is not shy about her love for cooking and food. Reinventing traditional Cuban and Latin recipes for a host of family, friends and clients, Herrera calls her style “Latin fusion cooking with a chic twist.”
Cooking came naturally to Herrera who moved with her family from Havana, Cuba to the suburbs of Washington, DC when she was young. She remembers that cooking and eating dinner was a family affair and so much so that her grandmother would begin preparing meals as early as noon.
And it was her late grandmother who introduced her to Cuban, Afro-Caribbean and European dishes often prepared in Havana. Herrera also credits her mother with being an inspiration and teacher from a young age. The more she helped her in the kitchen, the more she fell in love with cooking.
Currently living in Atlanta, Herrera is in a league of her own. An accomplished chef, artist, writer and traveler, she is passionate about life and all of the adventures that come along with it. Because she knows that cooking can be very sexy, you won’t catch her without her stiletto heels in the kitchen. And her creative writing style has allowed her to work for many prominent publications covering travel, lifestyle and culinary trends on assignments in Europe and the Caribbean.
She’s cooked for and with some of the best in the industry and has appeared with Chef Emeril Lagasse on his show “Emeril Green.” This month, Herrera will have the distinct honor of meeting with Chef Joel Robuchon in New York. Chef Robuchon is a legend in the culinary industry with eight beautiful restaurants around the world and boasts 25 Michelin Stars which is currently the most awarded to any chef in the world.
Her personal style is infused in international flavors and inspired by cooking techniques learned when traveling the world. An avid user of the pressure cooker, she combines traditional African, Spanish and European dishes with modern flavors and textures. Her signature dessert is flan and is available to clients in 40 flavors.
When she is not writing or cooking for clients, Herrera can be seen monthly doing cooking demonstrations and sharing her culinary perspective on the national syndicated TV show “Daytime.” In addition, she teaches cooking classes regularly at the Cook’s Warehouse in Atlanta which are currently booked though the end of this year. She is due to release her first cookbook in the Spring of 2010 that will highlight the ease of pressure cooking and is currently working on developing her own cooking/lifestyle show.
With her love of food comes memories of Cuba and the fact that food is still rationed there. She remembers how her grandmother would come to the United States and eat so much that she would gain up to 60 lbs on her visits. These memories and just seeing the current situation of hunger around the world has prompted her to take action and do what she can to make a difference.
She recently launched a program called One Comment. One Eats. This program encourages participation from readers and will help give food to needy families and food banks. For each designated post that Herrera makes on her blog at the beginning of each month, readers are asked to provide a positive comment. Each time a comment is made, that will account for one item to be donated. The more comments, the more food and more families will be fed.
With so much talent and passion, the world and culinary industry as yet to see all that Herrera has to offer. So watch out Ingrid Hoffman, we’re sure the Food Network has room for the next Latin celebrity chef, Chef Bren Herrera.
For more information about Bren Herrera, visit www.flanboyanteats.com.
To participate in the One Comment. One Eats. program, click here