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RECIPES FOR SURVIVANCE- FOCUS ON CUBA
Cena Cubana por la paz y contra el bloqueo

MONDAY, JULY 6 at 5:30 and 7:30pm
TICKETS $30 -$100
Location: Marz Brewing 3630 Iron Street - back room
A project co-created by Public Media Institute’s Community Kitchen program, in collaboration with Marz Community Brewing, HotHouse and The Chicago Cuba Coalition
AN URGENT NEED - HOW YOU CAN HELP
As Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez pointed out, the White House is constructing, “without any legitimate excuse, day after day, a fraudulent case to justify the ruthless economic war against the Cuban people and eventual military aggression
The indictment of Raul Castro sits alongside everything else Washington has deployed against Cuba in recent months: a fuel blockade that left the island with no diesel and no fuel oil reserves as of May 14, a visit from CIA Director John Ratcliffe carrying Trump’s ultimatum for “fundamental changes,” a $100 million aid offer conditioned on political concessions, and at least 25 U.S. military surveillance flights near Cuba’s coast since Feb. 4 — the same platforms used before the Jan. 3 kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The United States is escalating its imperialist threats against the sovereign nation of Cuba, calling for direct military intervention and regime change. We condemn these acts of aggression and calls for an international campaign to counter this escalation.
Proceeds from the dinner will be directed to Global Health Partners
https://ghpartners.org/
MENU
Pollo Asado
Arroz y Gandules
Yuca con Mojo
Maduros
Green Salad
Flan

RECIPE
Equipment
• Baking Sheet with Wire Rack
• Food Thermometer
Ingredients

• ▢ 1/3 cup neutral oil
• ▢ 3/4 cup sour orange juice, naranja agria
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic, minced (or more if your heart desires!)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons complete seasoning
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons annatto powder, for color
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ Salt + pepper to taste
• ▢ 4 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, (and/or chicken drumsticks)
Instructions
In a bowl, whisk together the oil, sour orange juice, garlic, complete seasoning, annatto, cumin, salt and pepper to taste. This is your marinade.
• Into a resealable freezer bag, add the chicken pieces and pour in the marinade. Toss and massage the chicken pieces really well with the marinade. Place the resealable bag in the fridge to marinate for 2 hours or up to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place a wire rack inside a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spray the wire rack with cooking spray. Set aside.
• Place the chicken thighs on the rack about 1-2 inches apart.
• Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a food thermometer reads 165°F internal temp in the thickest part of the chicken.
• Broil on low for 5 minutes if you like that charred, golden brown skin on the chicken.
• Remove the chicken from the oven. Serve with white rice, black beans, and/or sweet plantains. Enjoy!

ORAL HISTORY
"Cuba y Puerto Rico son
de un pájaro las dos alas,
reciben flores o balas
sobre el mismo corazón".
“Cuba and Puerto Rico are two wings of the same bird, receiving flowers or bullets upon the same heart” Jose Marti
Why is our meal catered by a Puerto Rican Restaurant?
Cuba and Puerto Rico are two wings of the same dove - both were Spanish colonies until 1898 when they passed from Spanish hegemony to the sphere of US geopolitical influence. Historically and ethnologically: the presence of Taíno, Spanish, and African influences, as well as parallels in their pre-colonial, colonial, and contemporary circumstances continue to link the islands.
In Chicago, the Cuba solidarity movement pre-dates the 1959 Cuban revolution. The “ July 26 Movement” was a Cuban vanguard revolutionary organization and later a political party led by Fidel Castro. The movement's name commemorates the failed 1953 attack on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba, part of an attempt to overthrow the dictator Fulgencio Batista.
External supporters raised funds via July 26 to support Fidel and the rebel insurgents, and were part of establishing the Chicago Cuba Coalition – an affiliated project based group of individuals who have worked to normalize relations between Cuba and the US for many decades.
In the 1960’s, allies in Chicago’s Puerto Rican Community were also fighting colonization and self-determination, and the long struggle to release political prisoners. These allies were significant in the formation of the “rainbow coalition” in Chicago. The Black Panther Party, Young Lords, Young Patriots, AIM and Brown Berets were all heavily influenced by Che and Fidel and the internationalist liberation campaigns. It is this deep and historical support that Cuba has extended to anti-colonial and anti-imperialist work that has forged inexorable relationships in solidarity work.
However, Cuban Americans in Chicago who supported the Revolution have been in the historical minority. For many years, the community has been decidedly anti-communist and reactionary as well as hostile to Cuba solidarity work. While this dynamic is changing, it is rare to find progressive businesses or chefs that are PRO revolution. It is for these reasons and to honor our Puerto Rican allies that our menu is provided by La Cueva de India.
ACTION STEPS
At tonight’s dinner we are providing complimentary postcards produced in Cuba. These images are iconic photographs taken by Raul Corrales during the revolutionary period. We are asking diners to hand write a note to their elected members of Congress and support the BILLS to prohibit military action on Cuba.
SPEAKERS AND PROGRAM
At the 5:30 Program
Dr. Christina Perez is an activist-scholar specializing in Latin America and gender, with a lifelong commitment to solidarity work. She is currently writing a book on the Cuban Revolution from the perspective of an everyday activist.

About Global Health Partners
Global Health Partners is launching an urgent drive to send desperately needed surgical sutures to Cuba’s dedicated doctors. The current shortage is delaying and cancelling surgeries. Please join us to rush sutures and other lifesaving supplies to Cuba as it confronts unprecedented shortages of vital surgical supplies.
Program Organizers
HotHouse is a non-profit cultural project that is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2026. It is one of the country’s premiere presenters of Cuban culture and organizes annual delegations to the Jazz Plaza festival in January. It is a producer of the film “The Other Guantanamo” to be released later this year.
The Chicago Cuba Coalition is the primary force for local activism and solidarity with Cuba. Among its many successful achievements, the coalition was key in passing City and State referendums to normalize relations. Projects include: organizing delegations to Cuba, coalescing wi