Chef Guillermo Pernot talks new Cuba Libre menu and being a trailblazer

Chef-partner Guillermo Pernot has been the man behind Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar's vibrant menu ever since he jumped on board in 2006. As the man on top, he's responsible for maintaining the quality and taste of its menu across its four locations in Philadelphia, Atlantic City, Orlando, Fla., and Washington, D.C.

And while changing the menu is typical in the restaurant industry (Cuba Libre's menu typically changes twice a year), Pernot will be debuting a new menu Wednesday that will put more focus on creating a family-and-friends atmosphere.

I spoke with the two-time James Beard Award winner who brought Nuevo Latino cuisine to Philadelphia about what inspired the new menu, misconceptions of Cuban cuisine and where he'd like to see the restaurant in the future.

What inspired this new menu?

All the traveling I've done through Cuba. We've talked about it and I experienced this all over the place. And I thought that instead of confining yourself to one item, [you should be able] to share with people that you actually sit in a table with, talk about [the food] and interact with the items among themselves. It was basically the Cuban traveling that did it.

What's significant about this new menu?

We have a section on the menu called Latin Grill. It has familiar cuts of meat like salmon, tuna, chicken and sirloin steak. All of the items are cooked in the plancha (flattop grill) paired simply and flavorfully with Cuban spices. That's one new section on the menu that we never had before, the Latin Grill. This style of serving these dishes creates a new format of "shareability" — the guests can interact. It's a more family approach; it's a sharing approach. That is very important on our menu.

Francis Hilario covers hospitality, restaurants and takes on general assignments and breaking news.