There’s a new chef in town and he’s wasting no time in turning up the heat and stirring things up in the kitchen. Francisco Paiva has, for the past two months, been holding down the fort at the Chaconia Inn Hotel, Maraval, as the restaurant’s top chef and so far the palates of guests have been pleased. Paiva’s culinary skills were put to the test again recently when he and his team had to cater for some 3,000 masqueraders in the mas band Fantasy for Carnival Monday and Tuesday. According to Paiva, he passed that test, easily. “It was a great experience and the people really liked the food,” he told the T&T Guardian in an interview last week.
“My food has a lot of flavour because of my background. You can taste every ingredient off the plate.” Paiva’s background is diverse. The Venezuelan-born chef has worked in kitchens across the globe including France, Italy, America, Germany, Spain and Tobago. And although he specialises in Mediterranean dishes, the Petit Valley resident is quick to point out that Trini food is by far his favourite. Roti, saltfish accra and cowheel soup top his list. “I just love Trinidad food. It’s lovely, very well seasoned too,” he asserted in a thick Spanish accent. “It’s the blend of all the different races that makes it so good. The Trini palate is sweet, sour and spicy!”
This is my destiny
Paiva, the winner of numerous cooking competitions, said at the tender age of 12 he decided that he wanted to become a chef. He recalls going to his parents restaurants in Venezuela after school to do his homework but “spending all my time in the kitchen.” It was at those restaurants that Paiva first learnt the tricks of the culinary trade. “It was my passion and I said, ‘this is my destiny.’ That’s when I told my parents that I wanted to be a cook.” But despite his interest in furthering his craft, Paiva’s mother did not approve and discouraged him from becoming a chef. He did not listen. At 18, the father of three enrolled at the Culinary Arts Institute of Venezuela and the rest, as they say, is history.
Today at 45, Paiva, who’s celebrating almost three decades in the culinary industry, is planning to open his very own restaurant in Trinidad and a guest house in Tobago. Describing himself as “one of the luckiest guys in the world” because “they’re paying me and paying me very well for doing what I love,” Paiva is literally seeing the fruits of his labour and commitment. And with his 13-year-old son Miguel poised to follow in his footsteps as he “also loves to cook,” Paiva’s legacy seems to be in good hands. “He’s always with me during the vacation and I try to teach him as much as possible,” he asserted. “My wife is also a very good cook.” However, when asked who was the better cook, the outspoken chef suddenly seemed a bit tongue-tied. Choosing his words carefully, he replied, “I don’t want to answer that for you to put that it in the paper for her to kill me...But I’ll say that I’m the professional cook.”
