I’m on a boat

GIOVANNY GUTIERREZ, Chat Chow

WORK • Thursday Routine

GIOVANNY GUTIERREZ • content curator and storyteller, Chat Chow • ambassador, Havana Club Rum
Neighborhood you live in: Little Havana

It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
Every week is different. Today, I’m actually writing from the inaugural @ChefsMakingWaves cruise, which is a food, wine, and spirits festival at sea. I’m on my stateroom balcony, catching up on emails before a full day of events.

What’s on the agenda for today?
I’m recording a podcast with chef Andrew Zimmern for Heritage Radio in front of a live studio audience. Then, leading a 100-person rum cocktail masterclass, where we’ll be diving into the history of several Caribbean cocktails. I’m ending the night as co-host of “Cabana Cubana Party” with Miami chefs Eileen Andrade and Ana Quincoces. In between, I’ll walk around, sampling the daily featured cocktails we created for the cruise. I’m two piña coladas in right now. 

Any bar or restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
I’ll be back home Friday, attending a friend’s birthday party at their house for a Ralph Lauren-themed dinner. Saturday, I reserved the eight-seat Chef’s Table at Gordon Ramsay’s Lucky Cat, which just opened in Miami Beach. After dinner, I’m going to Bacardi’s traveling Rum Room, which is currently at La Otra in Wynwood just for the night, for all-vinyl Latin beats and free cocktails.

How about a little leisure or culture?
I love driving down Little Havana and seeing the vibrant Latino community. If a parking spot opens up, I’ll always pull in and walk a block or two to any of the neighborhood institutions for either a croqueta, cafecito, or mojito — and sometimes all three, especially if I am en route to a Miami Heat game. 

Any weekend getaways?
I’m excited every time I get a chance to visit Tampa. From cigar factories and roosters crowing to the famous Columbia Restaurant, a lot of Cuban history connects with me in Ybor City. As a food-focused traveler, I like The Tampa EDITION for its Michelin-starred restaurant, Lilac, and North America’s first Punch Room. Then you have the institution that is Bern’s Steak House, opened in 1956, with its flocked wallpaper and huge wine list. 

What was your last great vacation?
Speaking of wine… A few weeks ago, our group of 12 best friends traveled together to Sonoma to enjoy the region’s beautiful wine. This is our 14th or 15th time visiting Wine Road (hard to keep track), but the ritual is a great time of the year for us besties to catch up, stock up on some of our favorite vinos for the upcoming year, and be thankful that we survived another trip around the sun.