14ymedio.com | Cuba Hurón Azul, ten years after the fall from grace of a palate
A few meters from the crowded Rampa, in Havana's Vedado, is the little-traveled Humboldt street, previously full of dozens of tourists and national diners who came in search of the Hurón Azul paladar, intervened by the authorities and converted into a state restaurant.
"Ten years ago they killed this neighborhood," says Eduardo, a retiree with conviction who claims to have earned "a lot of tips" taking care of the vehicles of those who came to enjoy one of the most important gastronomic businesses in Havana at the beginning of the century.
Now, the bluish facade with merchant motifs that attracted attention is covered by scaffolding and two builders cover the old ornaments with cement. "A capital remodeling is being done to reopen soon with new offers," one of them explains listlessly to 14ymedio.
Since the restaurant became state-owned, its name has been disappearing from tourist guides and among customers the place has lost all the reputation of "good food and a pleasant atmosphere that it once had," recalls Eduardo. The stable has also suffered this fall and currently, he thinks, "not a single weight moves."
In December 2008, the Technical Directorate of Investigations (DTI) opened a file against the owner of Hurón Azul, Juan Carlos Fernández García, then 47 years old. In it, accusations were accumulated for alleged illegalities carried out in the business, having "acquired several homes" and having a "high standard of living".
In the Cuba of those years it was strictly forbidden to buy and sell houses, have more than 12 chairs in a private restaurant and serve dishes based on lobster or shrimp. Some of these restrictions were abolished shortly after with the so-called "raulista reforms", but for Fernández García it was too late.
"They began to investigate and ask the neighbors, until one day we woke up and there were a lot of patrols outside," says a neighbor from the upper floors of the building. "As soon as we saw the police, we knew it was against Juan Carlos, because the business had prospered a lot and it was a matter of time before they would shoot him," she says.
In a Power Point presentation made by the police and leaked to the independent media in mid-2009, the interior of the palate was seen with a greater number of tables than those allowed. Fernández García had been buying part of the adjoining houses and managed to expand the initially small space.
"What bothered the authorities the most were the trips abroad that he made with his wife to import supplies, in addition to an exhibition that he financed as a patron of art in homage to Carlos Enríquez. When some leader saw his face on television, his misfortune," says the sculptor and painter, Mario, a fictitious name for this article for fear of reprisals.
Fernández García had developed an interesting system to attract plastic artists to the place. "You gave him a work and he appraised it in quantities of meals and diners. It was good for all parties, the painter could invite his friends to a good meal and the piece was exhibited in the place," recalls Mario.
"In five of the occupied houses, the presence of hundreds of works of art was verified," the investigators wrote in the report prepared after the operation. "An important part of these works were by different contemporary artists, who in many cases delivered them on consignment to amortize expenses," the text adds.
During the raid, two more palates fell into the hands of the authorities, which, according to the officers, were also owned by Fernández García. The prosperous businessman ended up in jail and the Blue Ferret began a new stage, characterized by empty tables and instability in the service.
In the application A la mesa, a tool that brings together an extensive list of places to eat throughout the Island, the old palate converted into a state local is not included. "The food is bad, the rice is overheated and the workers always seem tired," sums up his experience Yudiel, a 42-year-old tour guide who does independent routes.
"The first time I came, in 2007, it was a palate and they served us in the wine cellar. It was a spectacular night," he recalls. "After that I went back with some tourists about four years ago and I wanted to cry, most of the pictures on the walls were gone and there was a stink of overheated grease everywhere."
Above the premises, an improvised "For Sale" sign announces that the owners of the tall apartments want to find a new site. "In this neighborhood there were several houses for rent, guides, Spanish teachers and even masseurs, who all lived off what moved around this palate," recalls Eduardo the parker.
"There are many good restaurants in this area and tourists prefer to visit private places, because the state ones do not have the same conditions," says a waitress from nearby Toke, a private place frequented by foreign visitors. "The Blue Ferret was a reference, we all took a little inspiration from him, but now only the memories remain."
In the streets of Havana, the case of the Blue Ferret provoked all kinds of opinions. "What they should have appointed that man was Minister of Tourism, not put him in prison," was one of the most heard comments. Others criticized what they considered "hoarding" and luxury. Today, the criteria remain divided.
In these years other restaurant owners have been, like Fernández García, prosecuted for irregularities. Many have migrated in search of new horizons and a handful survive despite constant hardship.
Since last August, the authorities launched a process of reordering "self-employment" and temporarily paralyzed the delivery of licenses to private restaurants and tourist rental houses, among other activities, to curb illegalities, "deviations" and "correct deficiencies."
Almost a year later, there is no sign of when these permits will be issued again, but "it is in the blood of those who are entrepreneurs, and Juan Carlos Fernández García was released from prison years ago and runs a business in Havana," says Eduardo. "He raised a palate on 26th Street to which he has done very well."
This newspaper tried to get an interview with him, but the former owner of the Blue Ferret is now avoiding the media. He knows that standing out comes at a high cost.
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