TV AND RADIO
You may have seen us or heard us on the air!
Keith Famie's Adventures on the Food Network: "Miami and South Beach" Original air date: June 17, 2002
Tyler's Ultimate on the Food Network: "The Ultimate Paella" Original air date: May 2, 2003
ABC Family's Switched: "Mariel and Alyssa" Original air date: August 21, 2003
Christmas in America on the Food Network: "Miami Noche Buena" Original air date: December 2003 (Repeats each year around Christmastime.)
ABC Family's Switched: "Reunion" Original air date: July 2004
"Food & Wine Talk" on 88.9 FM WDNA Radio Miami Original air date: October 29, 2004
CBS Sunday Morning: Original air date: January 30, 2005
The Splendid Table on National Public Radio Original air date: March 5, 2005
La Cocina Cubana: Secretos de Mi Abuela (The Cuban Kitchen: My Grandmother's Secrets) Public Television Documentary: Original air date: May 26, 2005
Three Guys From Miami Cook Cuban Live! Cooking show on WPBT Public Television Miami 2005
Taste of America on the Travel Channel: "Cuban Tamales" Original air date: June 21, 2005
Despierta América: Camarones con Arroz Amarillo, Original air date: October 7, 2005
KARE 11 News Saturday: Christmas Special, Original air date: November 19, 2005
CBS 4 Sunday Morning: Original air date: October 1, 2006
"Food & Wine Talk" on 88.9 FM WDNA Radio Miami Original air date: October 2, 2006
"South Florida Today Show" Original air date: October 27, 2006
Telemundo: Original air date: October 28, 2006
"All Things Considered" on National Public Radio: Original air date: February 3, 2007
PRINT MEDIA
The "Three Guys from Miami' autographed copies of their new Cuban entertaining cookbook Saturday in Little Havana. Some fans traveled a long way to meet them.
If a weekend book signing in Little Havana is any proof, these three cookbook-writing guys have some loyal followers.
''I came from San Diego to see them,'' said Monica Davila, who was on a six-day vacation to see the Marlins' last game of the season and to meet the authors known as ''The Three Guys From Miami.'' The trio is actually a gringo from Minnesota and two Cuban-Americans living in Miami.
Glenn Lindgren, Jorge Castillo and Raul Musibay signed copies of their latest book, Three Guys from Miami Celebrate Cuban: 100 Great Recipes for Cuban Entertaining on Saturday at Sentir Cubano, a Cuban memorabilia store in Little Havana.
They were joined by artist Tony Mendoza, who was showcasing his ''Little Havana Comidas'' art and selling prints.
The trio published their first book, Three Guys from Miami Cook Cuban, in 2004. Since then, they have been featured on the Food Network and Travel Channel. For their second book, the cooks steered away from classic Cuban dishes to ones for entertaining, like the rum-and-Coke cake and mango margaritas.
''We were improvising, but staying loyal to the trinity of Cuban cuisine: in the name of the garlic, the onion and the green pepper,'' said Castillo, a regional sales manager for a medical equipment firm, who lives in West Kendall. ``And the amen is the olive oil.''
Fan Jorge Archillia, a 35-year-old vet technician from Argentina, said he liked how the guys infuse their recipes with other Latin American touches.
''I love Cuban food, and I like their approach to the topic – Cuban but with a touch for Miami,'' said Archillia, who lives in North Miami Beach.
Archillia said he bought three copies of the first book to give away to friends. ``Many recipes have tips from other cuisines, like chimichurri sauce from Argentina.''
Joshua Dixon, whose wife is Cuban, said he appreciated the guys' step-by-step recipes – and the fact that they write in English.
''I wanted to roast a pig in my own backyard,'' said Dixon, 31, who traveled from Tampa to see family and get the guys' book. ``They have good tips, everything from how to buy it to how to eat it.''
***
"Three Guys From Miami Celebrate Cuban"
PARTY TIME: You have to like a cookbook that devotes its first chapter to desserts. In fact, there's a lot to like about Three Guys From Miami Celebrate Cuban, an encore from Jorge Castillo, Raúl Musibay and Glenn Lindgren, the trio's Minnesota ringer and presumed driving force (the copyright is in his name). Besides standards like red beans and rice and escabeche, you'll find lesser-known and in some cases original dishes like Cuban deviled eggs (served warm with tomato sauce), Cuban-Chinese roast pork, rice with Vienna sausages, and rum and coke cake.
The recipes are clear, the many color photos inviting, the text often illuminating (e.g., the Cuban-Viking connection; who knew?) and the tone infectiously playful.
"Three Guys From Miami Celebrate Cuban"
"Celebrate Cuban" by Glenn Lindgren, Raul Musibay and Jorge Castillo, 248 pp, $29.95
This book could provide the perfect antidote to wintry weather. Everything about it reminds us of summer - the sky blue cover, glossy photographs of tall, chilly cocktails and plates filled with fresh, light fare, with a few hearty stews and soups in between. The authors, known as "Three Guys from Miami," vow that each day is a party; the first chapter is titled "The Cuban Party Tradition."
Appropriately, the first section of the book covers desserts - Rum and Coke Cake anyone? Then come the bebidas, or drinks, many made with rum. Primed for a party, we decided to sample from the appetizer section. Bruschetta Cubana is toasted bread smeared with garlic and topped with fresh tomatoes, sweet onion, cumin and garlic. It provided an easy, breezy nibble for an Indian summer soiree. No doubt, we'll be using this book to inject sunshine into our lives in the months to come.
Pairing suggestion: A bottle of Bacardi or Matusalem rum; a CD of Cuban music to cook by. Check the authors' Web site, icuban.com, for suggestions.
December 9, 2007
Mr. Musibay, 65, a Citgo station manager in nearby Coral Gables, took time between car-repair customers to speak of being a political prisoner in Cuba before fleeing with his family to Florida, via Spain, in 1980. “You will find more restaurants from other countries there now, just as you'll find Cubans all over Miami,” he said. “But Calle Ocho is the place.”
January 25, 2008
August 1, 2006
Rum drinks cast a spell on summer
Lucille Bigelow recalls the first mojito she was served in Havana.
"Our group was escorted to a hotel roof deck with a great view of the old city," says the Deerfield Township woman. "We were served these cocktails with mint in them.
"In fact, it was the whole plant, root and with a little dirt for good measure."
Bigelow and her fellow tourists, part of a University of Michigan-Flint-sponsored group, got many other chances to discover if the authentic Cuban mojito includes native soil.
They were pleased to learn it doesn't.
The mojito - say mo--HEE--toe - traces its origins to the sugar and rum-making industries in the Caribbean. The name derives from the African word "mojo," which as many know means magic spell...
A co-author of "Three Guys from Miami Cook Cuban" says the mojito seems headed down the same road that took the daiquiri to as many variations as there are fruity, sweet ingredients.
"I've encountered 'dry' mojitos on the East Coast, which is all wrong" said Glenn Lindgren. "I've seen ginger ale substituted for the soda water and 7-Up. They're being made with mango puree and even flavored syrups.
"I had one made with vanilla syrup that was dreadful."
For a variation Lindgren would accept, try a banana mojito from "Miami Spice" by Steve Raichlen (Workman, $12.95).
* * *
October 4, 2006
Cool Miami Cuban recipes from Three Guys
Is there a better cuisine to set out to master these days than Cuban? The spices are hot, the drinks are cool and the desserts are sweet.
Three Guys from Miami Celebrate Cuban is the second book from Raul Musibay, Glenn Lindgren, and Jorge Castillo. Musibay and Castillo were both born in Cuba while Lindgren came to Miami from Minnesota. Together the three buddies cook, run a Web site and are a source of Cuban cooking tips for professional and amateur chefs in Miami.
In this new book, subtitled 100 Great Recipes for Cuban Entertaining, they teach readers to party, Cuban style. While the book includes dialogue between the three which is on the silly side, it grew on me. Each recipe includes a conversation about ingredients, origins and why the dish fits into the Cuban style. As for the recipes, they are totally serious. It was difficult to choose only a few to share in the paper. From desserts, to side dishes, to meat and fish entrees to pizzas and cocktails, there's no lack of fresh ideas.
The food glossary is also helpful but many of the recipes don't require a trip to a specialty market. That's another thing to celebrate with the Three Guys from Miami.
I'll admit these aren't recipes that are on the light-side. They are full-flavored and full-calories. Itâ ¬!"s no mistake the first chapter is desserts. They are rich including the seasonal Pumpkin Flan with Raisins and a Mango Upside Down Cake.
You'll find the clever Rum and Coke Cake recipe shared here. I whipped this up this weekend and it was a big hit with its sweetness and wonderful glaze. But make no mistake, you taste the rum. Iâ ¬!"d use a light hand adding it next time. Also, cook the cake on low end of the time suggested. It is dense but I found it to cook quickly. Though the Three Guys said they like to double the glaze recipe, I would cut it in half next time I made it. Though the directions call for spooning it over each slice, I glazed the cake and then spooned more. I still had plenty left over but I liked adding the glaze to soak into the cake.
* * *
- iCuban site got party guys cooking
Glenn Lindgren, one of the authors of the hot-selling new Miami Cuban cookbook, "Three Guys From Miami Cook Cuban: 100 Great Miami Cuban recipes with a Touch of Cuban Spice" isn't really from Miami. He grew up in Minneapolis and now lives in Eagan. But he does spend a lot of his free time in Miami, fishing and cooking with his Cuban-born co-authors Raúl Musibay and Jorge Castillo.
Their book, published last fall, is already in its third printing, with 15,000 copies. The three are also partners in a popular website, icuban.com, and have been featured on the Food Channel and Travel Channel.
They were connected first by marriage. Castillo is married to the sister of Lindgren's wife. Musibay is married to Castillo's sister.
Castillo left Cuba in 1980. He spent about three weeks in Miami and decided 'I am never going to learn English here. I want to be American.' So he went to Iowa," Lindgren said. "His family would send these big care packages, we would open them up and there would be these wonderful Cuban foods, a lot of them needing us to prepare them. That is how we learned to cook Cuban foods."
As for Musibay, in his family, the women did the cooking. But he tended to the roasting of pigs, which he learned from his father and father-in-law in Cuba.
In a recent interview, Lindgren talked about Cuban food, the Three Guys, and their book.
How did the Three Guys from Miami get started?
The website, now called icuban.com, started as a lark in 1996. Just for fun I made a website that featured a lot of our photos. What happened was that people started looking at that site – how I don't know – and then we started getting these questions – you guys are Cuban and like to have parties, don't you have any recipes? Little by little, we reluctantly added a recipe or two.
How would you describe Cuban food to someone who has never tried it?
The biggest misconception in the Midwest is that people equate it with Mexican food. The typical white bread Midwesterners say, 'Oh I could never eat that, that's too spicy.' It's highly spiced, but not spicy hot. If you like Italian food, think of the most spicy food you have had in an Italian restaurant – maybe Italian sausage. If you can tolerate that, that's probably the highest level of heat you will ever encounter in a Cuban dish. The [extremely hot] habanero pepper was supposedly named after Havana, but it is almost never seen in Cuban cuisine...
(Excerpt)
When you eat really good Cuban food, you feel like getting up and dancing," says Glenn Lindgren, a Cuban food fanatic and co-author of the Miami Cuban cookbook Three Guys from Miami Cook Cuban. "That's the spark for all sorts of fun and good times and good conversation..."
...Unlike Mexican cuisine, Cuban dishes are not spicy. As Lindgren likes to put it, "Cuban food is not spicy hot; it's highly spiced." Most of the flavor in Cuban food comes from sofrito, a trilogy of onions, garlic, and green peppers sautéed in olive oil. Cumin and oregano complete the classic spice notes.
Despite his cookbook's name, Lindgren is of Western European descent and hails from Eagan. His brothers-in-law Jorge Castillo and Raul Musibay, both of whom live in Miami, round out the three guys. Lindgren first encountered Cuban cuisine when his wife's sister married Castillo, a Cuban who found his way to Iowa. Castillo would get care packages of Cuban goodies from his family in Miami, and Lindgren would relieve him of large portions of the food while visiting his wife's family. "I just fell in love with it," he says...
...Cuban desserts...are rich, creamy, and to die for, Lindgren says. Usually some form of custard like flan, they are typically made with cream or whole milk and lots of sugar. Another popular flavor that can be found in many cakes, cookies, and turnovers is guava, Lindgren adds...
(Excerpt)
Photo spreads and articles copyright 2005 Midwest Home
Three Guys From Miami Cook Cuban offers good food, humor, and a few subtle political twists--true to the country it represents. In addition to really interesting food shots (a half-loaf of bread floating on water), there are photos of folk art from Little Havana, restaurant signs, Cuban architecture, and the Three Guys from Miami with pineapples on their heads. The glossary is better than decent and obviously assembled with care. And the recipes, accompanied by comments from each Guy, offer just as much stimulation as the book's other elements. I like it. Highly recommended."
- JP Morgan Private Bank
- Sixth Annual Summer Reading List
September 2005
March 2006
From the article by Sarah Brueggemann:
"Dubbed the Three Guys From Miami, these brothers-in-law might not appear to have much in common. "Before I met Jorge Castillo, I only knew of two Cubans: Fidel Castro and Desi Arnaz," says Glenn Lindgren. Glenn grew up in Minneapolis far from hot Havana nights. But once Raúl Musibay and Jorge immigrated to the United States, fate (and women) brought the fellows together. They've been cooking ever since..."
"Whenever we do something for TV, it usually means a lot of work with three guys working hard in the kitchen," Raúl says. "The Coastal Living people came to town, cooked all of our recipes for us, decorated Jorge's house, and provided all of the place settings and tableware. We just had to show up and enjoy the party!"
"It was fun to see someone else preparing our recipes for a change," Jorge adds. "They really did a nice job preparing the dishes and styling the plates."
November 2005
"We looked to the Miami masters of fun, good times, and easy-to-do Cuban foods – Raul Musibay, Jorge Castillo, and Glenn Lindgren – to help us with a dinner that will reenergize travel-weary guests. These brothers-in-law call themselves the Three Guys From Miami, and we've adapted recipes from their Miami Cuban cookbook, Three Guys From Miami Cook Cuban, for you to try.
The main dish takes you outdoors to grill chicken. Dessert is a very relaxing and potent Rum Cake. As Raul tells it, entertaining company should be "No rush! Laugh and have a good time, do a little salsa [dancing], or whatever it is at your house. Greet everyone with a smile, and be happy." Some good words to set the mood in your home."
SHIRLEY HARRINGTON
Three Guys from Miami Cook Cuban
by Glenn Lindgren, Raul Musibay, Jorge Castillo
"Capping a 20-year love affair with all things Cuban, especially food, this trio will bring any kitchen to life with their recipes and stories. The three brothers-in-law deliver 100+ recipes peppered with culinary and social history."
TASTE Section
August 18, 2005
"This is more than just a Miami Cuban cookbook, although it is a very appealing collection of mouthwatering recipes. It's just as much a guide to Cuban culture. Every recipe comes with a "chat" between the three authors. Sometimes it's a bit of information, other times a humorous little interchange between them. The more than 100 recipes include some longtime Cuban favorites as well as dishes that were created by the Three Guys. Some of the classics have been retooled to make use of the great ingredients available in Miami.
"None of the recipes is particularly difficult, although there are a handful that require multiple steps. The photography is beautiful and inviting, making one ready to hop on a plane to Miami. For most of us that's not possible, so this cookbook is the next best thing."
Books for Cooks
Cuba Nostalgia
2006
Eat Their Words
Books for cooks and other food lovers
"You may recall reading about this winning trio in The Herald: a Minnesota gringo and two Miami Cubans, related by marriage, who bond through a shared love of Cuban culture and create a website to share their passion with the world.
The downloadable Miami Cuban cookbook they created for iCubancom has grown into an attractive hardcover book with handsome color photos and ``100 great Miami Cuban recipes with a touch of Miami spice.''
With Colombian arepas and Nicaraguan tres leches in the mix, the title might more accurately be ''Three Guys . . . Cook Miami,'' but there are plenty of Cuban standards here, from picadillo and arroz con pollo to rice pudding and flan. We even get the Elena Ruz, a turkey, cream cheese and strawberry-jam sandwich named for the customer who ordered it at a 1930s Havana restaurant.
Best of all, we get the good-natured byplay – Jorge: Someday we'd like to have a sandwich named after us. Raul: Probably something with plenty of spice and a lot of tongue! – that makes these guys such good company."
WORDS TO FEAST BY
"I mention "Three Guys From Miami Cook Cuban: 100 Great Miami Cuban recipes with a Touch of Miami Spice" by Glenn Lindgren, Raul Musibay and Jorge Castillo because there aren't too many Miami Cuban cookbooks around as of yet, and this one is very accessible. The authors are on the Food Network too. And they even tell you how to make that devastating Cuban coffee."
New cookbooks serve it fast and fun
"And what would the holidays be without a surprise under the tree? My choice for the "I want to try something new" cookbook is "Three Guys From Miami Cook Cuban." This is the first cookbook by the Three Guys, none of whom are classically trained but are, as it says in the Introduction, "three guys who share a passion for good food, good conversation and a good party." And guess what? Drink recipes lead the chapters. But you'll also find recipes for the Cuban Sandwich, Papa Rellena (fried stuffed potatoes), Empanadas (with a variety of stuffings) and Paella. The book is sprinkled with pictures of the guys (Glenn Lindgren, Raul Musibay and Jorge Castillo) and a sort of running (and often funny) commentary on the recipes and Cuban culture."
Hot Off the Shelf: Holiday cookbooks offer maps to delicious journeys
"Three Guys From Miami Cook Cuban: 100 Great Miami Cuban recipes With a Touch of Miami Spice:" Glenn Lindgren, Raul Musibay and Jorge Castillo are the three guys. They're all brothers-in-law. They share a passion for good food, good conversation and a great party.
Their Web site has been a hit since it went up. This is their first Miami Cuban cookbook. It won't be their last. The desserts are scrumptious, but rich, rich, rich. These three guys are the kind of zanies that make the world go 'round. Pass the tres leche cake, please.
Dec. 23, 2004
Glenn Lindgren, a 49-year-old gringo from Eagan, is better known as one of the "Three Guys from Miami" who have promoted Cuban culture and dishes through a popular Web site and multiple Food Network appearances. The trio – Lindgren is related by marriage to the other guys, who really do live in Miami – recently published a Miami Cuban cookbook called "Three Guys from Miami Cook Cuban."
Who he is: A typical 49-year-old Swedish-American guy and free-lance writer obsessed with Cuban culture. (Actually, he figures he's a mix of Swedish, English, German and French.) "I was a person in search of one identity," Lindgren jokes. In 1996 he created the Web site icuban.com, which offers advice on how to roast a pig, how to party like a Cuban and where to find the best Cuban sandwich in Miami.
How he became an honorary Cuban: Lindgren and Jorge Castillo married two sisters from Iowa. The first time the Minnesota man met his future brother-in-law, he listened for hours, enchanted, to Castillo's stories of the homeland he fled. "To me, a Cuban guy was a real novelty. The only Cuban I ever heard of was Fidel Castro or Desi Arnaz." The other guy from Miami, Raul Musibay, married Jorge's sister. Lindgren has never visited the country, primarily because he and his friends do not agree with Castro's Communist government.
A heritage of hot dish: Lindgren grew up in a family that didn't stray from Minnesotan cuisine. His mother started off her recipes with the essential cream of mushroom soup. His dad, a picky eater, refused even pizza. But Lindgren didn't share his parents' tastes for bland: When he was about 7, he would insist on boiling hot dogs in his own homemade broth, which included celery and Worcestershire sauce.
Should we be expecting to see an all-day pig roast in his neighborhood? "My neighbors keep bugging me to do it." Lindgren has attended friends' pig roasts, dismayed that they ignored his only piece of advice: Save the skin. "It's like a delicacy."
His suggested dish: Arroz con pollo, which he says is a more flavorful version of the old Minnesota standby of chicken with rice. "When you taste the Cuban version of it, you'll never go back to the Minnesotan one."
"These fellows are funny. They call themselves ''Three Guys from Miami,'' but hey, we've got the scoop here: In real life, they are two cubanazos from Miami and one gringo from Minnesota. Meet Jorge Castillo, Raúl Musibay and Glenn Lindgren – the masterminds behind one of the most entertaining Cuban food and culture sites on the Internet, iCuban.com, and authors of the Miami Cuban cookbook ("Three Guys From Miami Cook Cuban: 100 Great Miami Cuban recipes With a Touch of Miami Spice,")... The idea for the website sprang up six years ago while they were on what they call one of their ''in-laws or out-laws cruises,'' a fishing trip to Key West. The website was simply ''something fun to do'' among friends with a passion for succulent eating – a k a lovers of family gatherings around a pig in a pit, of pounds and pounds of salmon on the grill, of thick frijoles negros bien cuajaditos (black beans of impeccable consistency), of the mashed plantain dish fufu...
On a recent afternoon, Food Network host Tyler Florence invaded Jorge's kitchen in West Kendall to film the Guys making a paella for a segment to run in February or March as part of his new show, (Tyler's) Ultimate. Florence has been to New Orleans for gumbo crab cakes, Seattle for apple pie, Valencia, Spain, for authentic paella and now Miami to get the Cuban spin. The Guys take their place in the light gray kitchen, now lit to a bright white hue with studio lights. They gather around platefuls of fresh lobster, oysters, shrimp. Rice simmers on the stove...
This is television, and the smooth cooking you see on the show is not exactly what goes on at a taping. Food is spilled. The camera is not quite quick enough to capture Jorge's dog trick with Spanish sausages. Dozens of takes are required to get a segment right. Raúl goes back to work, leaving Jorge and Glenn to finish the paella. It's almost ready now, a gorgeous yellow rice packed with seafood, the mussel shells sticking out from the plate. ''Like Stonehenge,'' Jorge quips. He sprinkles peas over the yellow rice. Glenn comes after him and adds some more. Then, he and Glenn add lobster shells and red peppers for decoration. ''That is a very lovely paella,'' Florence finally says. And it's a wrap. In Miami, anyhow. As for Glenn, he now serves paella for Thanksgiving – in Eagan."
(Excerpt)
In this new work, which is part historical guidebook and part cookbook, Plimoth Plantation Food Historian Kathleen Curtin and co-author Sandra Oliver have created the definitive work on this quintessential American holiday. The authors joyfully dispel many myths surrounding that first harvest celebration and bring to light many new historical details and anecdotes that really bring that first Thanksgiving to life.
The recipes are great, and the authors have even included some ethnic twists on typical Thanksgiving fare. You'll even discover how Miami Cubans have 'Cubanized' the traditional American turkey with black beans and rice. That's right, the Three Guys From Miami have a featured recipe in this book.
Giving Thanks: Thanksgiving Recipes and History, from Pilgrims to Pumpkin Pie is a great holiday gift idea. If you're going to the in-laws or a friend's house for Thanksgiving this year, instead of bringing that same old "dish to share," order this book and bring it along. It makes a great gift that will get your hosts and all of the partygoers into the Thanksgiving spirit. And on Thanksgiving, who really needs Aunt Edna's green bean casserole anyway? At our house, there's always PLENTY of food to go around!
With recipes contributed by outstanding American chefs and food writers such as John Thorne, nationally acclaimed food writer and author of Serious Pig and Pot on the Fire (Bahn Mi); Marlene Parrish, food writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (The Original Devonshire Sandwich); Chuck Taggart, host of the popular website gumbopages.com (Creole Roast Beef Po-Boys); and Three Guys from Miami, authors of Cuban Food with Attitude (Cuban Sandwich).
- You Really Haven't Been There
- Until You've Eaten The Food
Excerpt from the book, "You Really Haven't Been There Until You've Eaten the Food."
- Copyright © 2003 by Keith Famie
- Photograph Copyright © 2003 by Joe Vaughn
- Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers New York, New York
- Photograph Copyright © 2003 by Joe Vaughn
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