Episode 72: What Does Elevating Puerto Rican Cuisine Look Like in Practice? - with Executive Chef Yari Vargas

We’re going to talk about Puerto Rican food in this episode. The underlying theme in our conversation surrounds the question - Is Puerto Rican food healthy? And by that we mean...how do we think about our food? Do we only look at it as fast food? Why do we eat the food we eat today? Are we ignoring other parts of our ancestral history in trying to maintain what we feel is the “right way” to make Puerto Rican food today? And - are we challenging ourselves enough to think of different ways that elevate the way Puerto Rican cuisine is presented without losing that same great flavor?

Today we welcome Yari Vargas - executive chef and owner of Casa Yari in Chicago - to discuss these questions and more. We’re also going to hear about her journey to becoming a small business owner, what being Puerto Rican and Honduran means to her, and her Puerto Rican food recommendations for people who want to be a bit more health conscious ahead of the holiday dinner season.