{"id":5084324,"date":"2019-11-14T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-14T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ctlatinonews.com\/sazon-de-connecticut-verdura-granby\/"},"modified":"2019-11-14T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-11-14T05:00:00","slug":"sazon-de-connecticut-verdura-granby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/2019\/11\/14\/sazon-de-connecticut-verdura-granby\/","title":{"rendered":"Saz\u00f3n de Connecticut: Verdura, Granby"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Karen Cort\u00e9s, CTLatinoNews.com<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

Ahead of the December opening of tapas and wine bar\u00a0Verdura in Granby,\u00a0chef\u00a0Samuel Rivera is hosting pop-up tasting nights this Friday and Sunday at sister restaurant La\u00a0Figata. The pop-up will feature dishes under development for his new\u00a0Caribbean, African and Spanish inspired\u00a0menu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a community where just 1% of residents identity as Hispanic or Latino, the menu\u2019s offerings are expected to be a new taste for many guests, and Rivera hopes that this weekend\u2019s tasting will help him learn more about his patrons\u2019 preferences before he finalizes recipes for the 18 different tapas complemented by cheese and charcuterie from Spain that will be served at Verdura.<\/p>\n\n\n

\u201cWe want to get people out of their area of comfort. We want them to arrive for the food but stay for the experience, the impeccable service, the seductive aromas, and our unique selection of wines and rums,\u201d says Rivera. At the same time, he wants Verdura to be a destination for guests from across the region who are already well-versed in Latin flavors.<\/p>\n\n\n

On the pop-up menu this weekend are pasteles with roasted pork prepared with Spanish pumpkin, yautia, plantains, red pepper and sofrito, served with chimichurri, sorullos con queso with spicy guava sauce, and mofongo con camarones al ajillo.  <\/p>\n\n\n

\u201cThe menu is \u2018poor people food\u2019 elevated to fine dining…Everything is from scratch.\u201d<\/p>Chef Samuel Rivera<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n

Rivera attended school in Bristol, and began working in the restaurant industry doing prep work at Joey Garlic\u2019s. He attended Lincoln Culinary School, and went on to work at Blue Plate Kitchen and Peppercorn\u2019s before relocating to Puerto Rico. \u201cMy goal was to better learn cooking techniques from Puerto Rico and Latin American countries,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n

He honed his skills in the kitchen at Verde Mesa in Old San Juan, the acclaimed restaurant serving Moroccan, French and Spanish influenced dishes. There he also met his now-wife Nicole, who was a server at the restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n

When the couple was expecting their first child, they returned to New England– just a month before Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico. Their daughter Amelia was born in January 2018. <\/p>\n\n\n

Rivera says that the hurricane elevated awareness of the island\u2019s struggling economy and infrastructure needs, along with Puerto Rico\u2019s long-suffering agriculture sector. \u201cAgriculture died in the 1950\u2019s and more industrial food was introduced. Goya cancelled traditional island cooking. We can do it without Goya, with fresh ingredients.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\u201cI want to make Verdura feel like part of home,\u201d says Rivera.\u201d I miss the flora, the ambience and the traditions of Puerto Rico.\u201dWhile Rivera is currently using local purveyors to source his ingredients, he hopes to be able to procure produce from Puerto Rico, and he is currently experimenting with fermentation techniques on root vegetables to change their flavors and textures.<\/p>\n\n\n