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Mena: Famed for its beautiful beaches
and bodacious bodies,
the evergreen everglade metropolis of Miami
is probably best understood
as big Latin culture.
(Singing in Spanish)
It's often called the capital of Latin America.
More than 70% of Miami's population identifies
as Hispanic,
and over half the city's residents
call themselves Cuban-American.
Hispanic culture is the heartbeat of the city,
distinct in architecture,
the music and, of course, the food.
Given the produce that flows out of the area,
it's no surprise that Miami
has a flourishing vegan scene.
The city is filled with chefs who are willing
to experiment and put money into veganizing
Latin staples and elevating French-Latin delicacies.
(Crunch)
So, get ready for the sunshine,
the beaches, and the heat.
♪
(Upbeat rock music)
I'm Mena Massoud.
I'm travelling across the world
and eating my way through
some of the coolest cities to show you how beautiful meals,
talented chefs and restaurateurs
are making plant-based living
delicious and attainable.
So, join me as I show you how the world
is evolving vegan.
♪
(Lively Latin music)
♪
I can't go to Miami without hitting up the beach.
South Beach, baby.
And I've got the best excuse to be here.
My friend and actor, Matt Murray, is in the hood.
He's helping his family get their vegan smoothie
food truck business-- What's in Your Cup?--
up and rolling in South Florida.
What's going on, my brother?
How you feeling?
How you doing, man?
Oh, man, I'm in the Sunshine State,
I can't complain about anything.
What the heck you doing in Florida, man?
Last time I saw you, you were in LA.
I'm just living different.
I had my time over there,
now it's now my time for over here.
You got the-- this is your food truck!
You got a smoothie truck.
Matt: It's a family truck.
My sister, she started...
she opened up a store about seven years ago
in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Where we're from, there's not a lot of healthy options.
We were seeing that a lot of our family members
were suffering from not even knowing
what is healthy for the body.
So, I figured we need something mobile.
We got the truck going.
This is all plant based, baby.
Mena: Matt and the fam are building
a brick-and-mortar resto nearby,
and the food truck is their way
of tapping into all that fresh Florida produce
to bring these tasty smoothies
to local communities.
Thank you very much.
Alright.
Look at this.
Mmm.
Yeah, that is refreshing!
We wanted this to be as organic as it can.
We're in Florida, Miami.
Like, so much is grown here.
We want to build relationships with the farmers.
They need that support, they need that help too.
We want to build relationships with them
so that we can get food straight from them.
That's amazing, man.
I'm taking Matt to a South Beach original,
the first ever vegan sit-down restaurant
in Miami Beach, Full Bloom.
Alright, here we go.
This is beautiful.
Mena: While we're catching up,
the house is preparing a dish with a Latin twist.
Black wild rice with smoked carrot sausage and BBQ tempeh,
all floating on a swirl of Peruvian aji amarillo
pepper sauce.
Have you had black rice before?
Yes, I have.
Definitely "doven" into the rice kingdom.
(Both laughing)
I'm an expert on rice, alright?
(Smooth funky music)
Alright, look at this.
♪
Mmm.
It's comfortable to eat. It's comfort food.
Mena: You get that
little bit of a kick from that Peruvian pepper in there.
Yes, that just hit the back of my throat.
Beautiful flavours put together with this.
And it looks wonderful.
I thought it was gonna be heavier
than what it actually is.
You grew up in Detroit.
Matt: Yeah, D-town, baby.
You moved to Toronto...
Yes, that's right.
...to go to theatre school over there and train over there.
Matt: Yeah.
And then I met you in LA.
LA!
And then, you know, you've had bases
and you've lived all over the place.
All over, brother.
I love Detroit, but Detroit doesn't have the upgrades that,
you know, a lot of these cities have.
Yeah.
But the people walk down the street,
"Hey, how you doin', man? What's goin' on?"
You know what I mean?
They just give that kind of-- the energy, the vibe.
Community. That sense of community.
Matt: And I get that here.
Florida's now becoming my new, you know, new home
and it's-- it's the people.
Mena: Next up, a vegan standard:
crispy cauliflower with mango barbecue sauce
on a bed of homemade ranch.
Let's dig in. This looks good.
♪
(Sighs)
Mm.
It's fluffy. How is this fluffy?
It's almost like tempura battered almost.
Matt: Yeah.
A nice hard shell of batter there.
And then the warm cauliflower on the inside.
It's still alive.
You know how, like, some cauliflower will fall apart?
Mena: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
These are whole pieces.
Yes, it's cooked really nicely.
And I love the ranch on the bottom
instead of on the side to dip 'cause it seems like
they're just picking the perfect amount of flavour.
Mena: Exactly, yeah.
Oh, here we go. Oh, yes.
And finally, their signature:
a mocha-salted caramel chocolate lava cake.
So good, it has an almost emotional punch to it.
♪
I haven't had a soft chocolate brownie type thing
like this since, like, I was a kid.
There's certain things
that are hard to find sometimes plant-based.
Yeah.
And molten lava cake is definitely one of them.
Yes.
I don't know if I've had a vegan molten lava cake.
Matt: Never.
I've never had it.
Mena: But look at that.
That's just wow.
This is a nice balance.
I think that's what the cacao brings out, right?
It still has that chocolate flavour, still healthy for you,
but it's not too much.
Not the added sugars, the added syrups.
This is wonderful.
I'm thrilled that we got to reconnect
after all these years as well.
Man, this has been so nostalgic.
And full circle too, right?
Matt: Yes.
I started my journey in LA
and you were one of the first people I met.
Yeah, brother.
And so to enjoy this meal with you has been incredible.
Full circle. Aho, my brother.
Mena: Cheers.
♪
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Mena: Cuba is the cultural influence
in Miami, but there's no doubting the growing impact
of other Hispanic cultures on local cuisine.
Hey.
Hi!
Mena: Like the traditional
Puerto Rican dishes served up by wife and husband chefs,
Jiomy and Rafy Alers.
They're cooking plant-based Puerto Rican food
under the thumping name, Bangara.
Jiomy and Rafy, both raised in Puerto Rico, moved to Miami
with the goal of offering up authentic Puerto Rican cuisine
without compromising the flavours that taste like home.
All right, so tell me about Bangara.
You know when you go to your grandma's house
'cause maybe you're, like, a little down,
and they give you a plate of food,
and you eat it, and then you just feel like
everything's gonna be okay?
Yeah.
Like you can take on the world.
Mena: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Rafy: That's Bangara.
And just a feeling.
It's the feeling.
So we're gonna make mofongo. Tell me what mofongo is.
It's everywhere.
It's made 101 different ways. Nobody makes it the same.
You can make it with vegetables, you can make it with pork,
you can make it with seafood, you could make it
with mushrooms.
So what is it?
Plantains.
(She giggles)
Fried, mashed plantains.
Okay, fried and mashed plantains as the base of the mofongo,
and then you can use different things to, like, top it off.
Okay, interesting.
Mofongo, that's really what it comes down to.
This grows everywhere wild in the Caribbean,
so if you're hungry, you need a heavy starch,
you just cut it down from the tree with a machete,
fry it, look around, whatever you have to top it with,
that's what you top it with.
That's mofongo?
That's mofongo, baby!
Mena: Today, Jiyomi's topping her mofongo
with local oyster mushrooms.
But first, we gotta prep the star of the dish,
the mighty plantain.
Does it matter if the plantains are ripe or not?
Rafy: Huge difference.
Jiyomi: Yes, you want them green.
Because if they're yellow, it's gonna be a sweet mofongo,
and mofongo is savoury.
Mena: Jiyomi whips up the batter for the oysters;
a mix of chickpea flour, turmeric, and achiote,
a peppery Caribbean spice.
Jiyomi: And you can either do clusters,
or you can do 'em individually.
I prefer individually 'cause I like
the perfect crisp on every bite.
Mena: Yeah, the crunch, yeah!
Rafy: And I like the cluster, 'cause I like to feel like
I'm biting into a fried chicken piece.
Jiyomi: A vegan fried chicken piece!
I'm not eating meat no more, this is the perfect substitute!
Mena: Now, this is Florida.
Alright, I love the setup outside, man!
So why cook inside, when you can get your mushrooms
frying out in the sun?
Those oyster mushrooms are lookin' amazing.
Rafy: What you want is, you want the outside to be golden brown.
In Puerto Rico, like, if you like this outside cooking,
there's a place called Levittown.
And literally, there's this row
that's right on the side of the beach,
and you have tents with food vendors,
all along the road.
That was our inspiration, I told my wife,
how can we take a little piece of Levittown,
and like, that memory of going to the beach
and getting, like, street food,
but completely plant-based?
Now the plantains are starting to flow to the top.
I'm smelling all the spices from the batter
of the oyster mushroom,
ah, and it genuinely smells a little bit
like fried chicken.
And look, there's our chicken friend.
She's safe with us.
Mena: Yeah, you're safe over here!
Rafy: She feels with us!
Mena: Oh, a little hop and step.
Yeah, she's, uh, she's comfortable.
This may just be the safest chicken in Florida.
But while she's okay, I'm about to devour these fried mushrooms.
Uh-oh, here we go!
Mmm.
You hear that crunch? Wow!
Bangala!
Hey, look it, see? He's dancing!
Get down, man! Get out of here!
Don't make me go there!
(All laughing)
Mena: After a little bit of salsa,
it's time to get cooking!
Rafy: So, this is a pilo.
So it's like a mortar and pestle, right?
Both: Yes.
This is a staple in Puerto Rican kitchens.
We're gonna take this garlic,
and smash it till it's pasty.
(Loud pattering)
Once we've got a nice base like this, a pasty base for it,
then we're gonna put about one to one and a half plantains.
We're doing it the Puerto Rican way,
which usually has chicharrón inside,
but because we don't eat meat,
this is gonna be our chicharrón substitute.
Mena: Oh. So what is this? So we got olive oil in here,
and a bunch of different things in here I see.
Jiyomi: Yes, it's infused with a lot of herbs.
What's this?
Jiyomi: This is our little special sauce that makes it...
Rafy: So you're gonna kinda press into the corners
to smash it.
Now, once we get to this point where it's all broken up,
I like to always turn it to make sure that it's not like,
all the garlic is not stuck on one side.
He's using his hips to get in there!
Now, once it's all smashed, you wanna press it down.
You get all your sides in there,
and then you grab the mortar on the bottom,
you're gonna flip it, and--
(Loud thud)
Bangala! That's how you do it, baby!
That got my senses going!
It's everything! I'm riled up now!
(Laughing)
So I'm going to make this next one.
(Tapping)
Rafael: That's right. Nice.
Mena: All right.
Rafael: Good job, brother. Good job!
(Chuckling)
There we go.
All right, here we go. Yes.
Some way from me.
(Laughing)
I was looking at you,
and you were really kind of just using your hips
to make this.
Rock the boat! Rock the boat!
Mena: Exactly.
Rafael: There you go. There we go.
Mena: And now the fun part.
Bangara!
Now the reveal.
All: Da-da!
Mena: It's all right.
Rafael: That's a pretty good looking mofongo!
We like to press them down like this
so they don't fall all over your plate.
Mena: Oh, my gosh.
And then comes the special sauce.
Here we go!
Mena: Ooh, yes!
After we saw sauce the mofongo,
Jiomy adds the traditional sides:
arroz con gandules and stewed jackfruit.
Then we're ready to eat.
This is I think what makes Miami so incredible.
You've got all these Latin cultures
that are moving, immigrating to Miami.
And it's not just Puerto Ricans, right?
Hmm.
The Cubans, in my opinion, they built--
they helped build the city...
Mena: Right.
...do you know what I mean, to where it is today.
But they have opened the doors to everyone.
Mena: Look at this, beautiful.
Mm.
Mm! Wow.
It's so good and that mofongo, plantain,
just a explosion of flavours in your mouth,
and you're getting so many different tastes in there,
so many different textures.
And the best part about it is that it truly feels
like a home-cooked meal.
How did you go about veganizing all these meals?
I just had to figure out how to switch, you know,
from chicken to mushrooms,
how to switch certain things, but still keep it
with the same textures, the same flavours.
So it was a lot of playing around.
As soon as I went plant-based,
that first year I lost 35 pounds.
The fatty liver was no longer there.
The high blood pressure was no longer there.
The high cholesterol was no longer there.
I feel younger, less sleep, more energy.
Plant based is where it's at!
So why go back?
Yeah. You could sing it, you could scream it,
you could shout it.
What we saying? What we saying?
What is it? What is it, babe? Say it, babe.
Bangara!
Yeah!
Cheers to you guys. Amazing.
Like, now I understand what Puerto Rican food
is supposed to taste like,
and that's huge because I've never been to Puerto Rico.
It's on my list though after meeting you guys.
Yes, yes!
Rafael: You have to do it, brother!
Mena: Truth. After having this meal,
Puerto Rico is on the bucket list.
♪
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Mena: South of Miami,
nestled between the Atlantic and the Everglades
is the last bastion of small farm
South Florida agriculture, the Homestead region.
The area's famed for its tropical fruit:
mangoes, avocados and bananas.
But one farm, Miami Fruit, has gone next level,
growing ultra-rare exotic fruits
and shipping to online customers across North America.
It's farmed and operated by Rane Roatta,
a passionate vegan who grows and distributes
mouth-watering produce from his eight acre plot of land.
And I've got a feeling my taste buds
are going to have a day.
Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you!
Thank you for coming.
I got lost in the avocado trees when I was walking over in here.
Yeah, those are the old avocado trees
that were originally planted here,
and the rest of the farm, you see,
we've planted all new rare stuff.
We grow uncommon species of fruit
that you can't really find in the rest of the country.
And these fruits are grown all over the world
in different places,
but here in the US, and in Canada, where we ship to,
there's not much available,
and we're basically the only people
that can grow here in South Florida.
Mena: I know you guys got very popular on social media,
but how did you come up with this idea?
I was working at a farm just to learn.
And the local farmers in the area
asked me to sell their fruit at local farmers markets.
So, I built a little bike trailer
and was biking it from the farm to the markets.
The Internet saw, you know,
posting pictures and videos of the fruit
and people sharing the fruit
and people just asking me
to send them the fruit across the country.
How many varieties of fruit
would you say you grow?
Rane: There's probably a couple hundred
varieties of new species,
but in the area as a whole,
thousands of varieties of tropical fruits.
I'd like to try some
of this exotic fruit that you have on the farm.
Absolutely. Have you ever tried peanut butter fruit?
Peanut butter fruit?
Yeah, let's go check it out.
Oh man, yes.
So, this is peanut butter fruit.
It's native to Central and South America.
Mena: That's amazing.
And it's actually called peanut butter fruit?
Rane: It's called peanut butter fruit,
as you'll find out,
because it tastes like peanut butter.
And it's so perishable
that you can't bring it in from another country.
It goes ripe the day it's picked, basically.
So we pick it and ship it,
and the customer gets it the next day.
So, when they're ripe and ready to eat,
they go from this orange colour to a dark red.
See if you can find a red one somewhere.
Wow, okay.
(Rustling)
What about this guy?
It's perfect.
Oh, it's like a dark red and it's soft.
Get out of here.
It's cool, right?
Get out of here!
It does taste like peanut butter. Yeah.
I bet you most people on Earth have not tried this.
Rane: True. If you think this is cool,
we have a fruit that tastes like sweet potato pie.
That's amazing. Alright, let's do it.
This is great.
This place is bananas.
Miami Fruit grows over 120 rare varieties
of the lustrous yellow fruit,
amidst the more unusual crops
like the mamey tree.
See this brown football-looking fruit here?
Mena: They kind of look like
a coconut and an avocado had a baby.
Right. This fruit is also from Latin America.
Oh wow, look at this.
And so this one is nice and soft as well.
Yes, so it has to be soft to eat
and we got lucky this time.
Wow. Wow.
Rane: That's the seed.
It smells almost like papaya.
Rane: Yeah, it tastes better than papaya, in my opinion.
Mena: I'll be the judge of that.
So, you peel the skin off.
Okay.
Mm.
You're right, it is better than papaya.
Wow. Yeah.
This has the texture of a cooked sweet potato.
Yeah.
It's that kind of soft, earthy,
grainy texture to it.
Rane: It also has a bunch of, as you can see,
carotenes, so beta carotenes
and different antioxidants that give it this colour.
So, very nutritious.
Can be used for colouring purposes,
but I just like eating it out of hand.
This is delicious. Tastes like pie.
My gosh, wow.
Mm.
Mm! Phenomenal.
Mamey. Mamey.
Mamey, mamey, that is good.
Feel like the film crew probably wants to try some.
Mena: Yeah, please. Let's do that.
Zach, get in here.
Absolutely.
Mena: Here you go.
Just don't eat the skin.
Alright.
Yep.
Oh my god.
It's good, right? That is amazing.
I feel like the God of fruit right now,
just handing out exotic, beautiful fruit.
And so it was born!
Ashley, try this beautiful mamey.
Take it from my hands.
You shall be blessed with the fruit of mamey.
That's insane.
Mena: It's amazing, right?
That's incredible.
Hear ye, hear ye.
Next, Rane leads us to their distribution department,
a shipping container they've converted
to house their unconventional produce
before sending it out for delivery.
But this is where we pack all the boxes
and send them out to our customers.
We're gonna try that out with you
and you can take a box home.
Mena: That's amazing. So these are persimmons, right?
Rane: These are a tropical persimmon.
So this persimmon you have to wait until it gets soft.
Okay.
Yeah, this is a really rare persimmon.
Do you know what this one is?
Mena: That's cacao.
Rane: This variety particularly
is one of the sweetest and tangiest varieties.
So beautiful.
This is where chocolate comes from,
but I've never tried it straight from the fruit.
Rane: We just crack this open.
(Crack)
Oh wow!
That's incredible!
Wow, incredible, you just eat it just like this.
Just like that.
And so I like to suck on the pulp.
And then if you want the bitter dark chocolate,
like 100% cacao, then you can bite on the bean.
Better than chocolate, right?
It's incredible!
Wait, I can actually eat the whole thing.
Mm-hm, mm-hm.
I knew you'd like this one, yeah.
Wow, the flesh on the outside...
was super tangy and sweet, sour.
Mm-hmm, like a candy.
Yeah, like a candy, it doesn't taste like chocolate.
But then as soon as I started biting in,
I was like oh my gosh, that's chocolate!
That's amazing! Dark chocolate.
Mena: That's incredible! Really cool.
Mena: Their fruit boxes include a variety of different
tropical fruits like pineapples, prickly pears,
yellow dragon fruit, hidden rose apples
and watermelon guava to name a few.
You gotta throw one and go hover for the Egyptian,
know what I mean? That's right.
One of the fan favourites is a caviar lime,
also known as finger lime.
Oh, that's amazing.
Why do they call it caviar lime?
Because inside,
instead of being like a normal lime,
you've got this beautiful, delicious vegan caviar.
Wow!
A vegan caviar.
Yeah, I mean it kinda looks like that.
But this is a varietal of lime.
Right.
So, just...
Get in.
Mm!
Wow, so it tastes a lot like a lime,
but it's like little lime caviars
that just burst in your mouth.
It's actually really refreshing.
So I like to put this in juice as like little pearls.
Or just put it in my pocket when I go on a bike ride
because it's electrolytes and...
You're much healthier than I am.
I was gonna say a cocktail, like a nice gin cocktail.
That too.
But you put them in your pocket for electrolytes,
that's incredible.
Mena: Mm.
I've gotta take some peanut butter fruit to go.
This is the best fruit basket I've had in my life!
Look at this! Look at this!
Thanks, Rane.
It's amazing what happens when you do something tirelessly,
and just, you know, think outside the box.
♪
(Upbeat instrumental music)
Mena: We hit the beach, picked exotic fruit,
so the next thing to do in Miami, get out on the water.
And it's time to hit the high seas.
I'm stoked to spend an afternoon cruising and
enjoying a meal with my good friend Radhi Devlukia.
Radhi's a plant-based cookbook author and nutritionist as
well as a student Ayurveda.
So this is your first time in Miami?
My first time in Miami, second day and I'm on a boat.
It's amazing.
Well, we gotta do it this way.
This is the full Miami experience.
I know, it feels like it!
I have a little bit of a surprise for you.
Oh my gosh, I love surprises.
Ooh!
We went to this exotic fruit farm,
and I brought back some fruit for you to try.
Radhi: Oh my gosh, wait I have to tell you a story.
Yes!
Because my dad actually used to have an import--
exotic fruit company into the UK.
And so my memories of childhood are, like,
my favourite presents would be when he would come back
from his meetings and he would bring back
a whole box of fruit from everywhere.
This is, honestly, the best gift.
Honestly, I'm so excited. I've never seen this, though.
These look like baby kind of avocados.
Yeah, so this is a finger lime.
Oh my gosh, this is cool.
So you snap them in half and then...
Radhi: That's so cool!
Oh wow!
That's pretty good.
I love sour fruit.
Thank you!
I never tried this before.
Mena: And then these ones...
Just bite into it and tell me what you think it tastes like.
I was not expecting that.
It tastes like the smell of when peanuts are roasting.
Does it not taste like peanut butter to you?
Yes! Like... Yes!
Crazy, right?
Wait, what's this called?
They call it a peanut butter fruit.
Oh!
Wow, I've never had this before.
(Upbeat instrumental music)
And you've got your book out, which is amazing, Joyful.
Yeah, I do finally.
Mena: Congratulations!
Radhi: Thank you, it's been a long time coming.
I was working on it for two and a half years, so it feels
so nice that it's out in the world now.
And Joyful, like your cooking mantra,
is really about using whole foods,
whole ingredients, Ayurvedic, right?
It is.
Which I think Ayurveda is becoming like a real--
It's becoming so big in the West,
and it makes me so happy.
It is the oldest holistic health science to exist.
It's over 3,000 years old.
But it's still relevant now.
It's literally just about understanding your body,
understanding the nature around you and the food
you're eating to create your optimal health.
You grew up vegetarian, right?
I turned plant-based like 10 years ago, and then
I turned vegan.
But vegan for me was when I stopped using anything
with animal products in it.
So my bags, my shoes, my clothing.
No fur, no leather.
Okay, so vegan translates to more than just food
for you.
Yeah.
I could never really relate to any of the terms,
and that's why I was like Evolving Vegan.
Yeah, exactly.
I feel like the world is evolving
towards that direction.
Plant-based food is becoming so much more accessible.
While Radhi and I take in
the spectacular Miami skyline,
chef Jae Camino mixes up
some of his stunning raw creations,
starting us off with a refreshing strawberry
and pea flower mocktail.
Wow, look at this!
This looks amazing!
Cheers!
Oh, I love fresh fruit in mocktails.
(Upbeat instrumental music)
Mena: Next, chef is serving us a beet toast,
topped with herb nut cheese, avocado mousse,
maple pecans and radishes.
Oh!
This is beautiful!
Mena: Gorgeous!
♪
Oh, I really like this.
There's such an art to creating a dish
which has the balance of all flavours.
Honestly, like I don't-- this is amazing!
I don't miss the bread.
I was just gonna say that.
I appreciate that it still feels very carby.
Yes, it's satisfying like bread.
Chef's next concoction is a delectable combination
of kelp noodles topped with hemp sauce,
marinated tomatoes and pistachio pesto.
Ooh, this-- Mena: This looks amazing.
And I love a good kelp noodle.
Me too.
Naturally gluten-free, low-calorie, look at that.
Mm.
Yum.
The marinated tomatoes, game changer. So good.
It's so creamy, mm.
It's everything you really want from like, a pasta dish.
'Cause you want that carbiness--
Uh-huh.
That creaminess, it just like, hits all the senses.
Radhi: It does.
And then the acid from the tomato is so good.
Yeah, wow.
Mena: And finally, this elegantly composed work of art
wouldn't look out of place at the Met Gala.
Alright.
Radhi: Oh my gosh!
Look at that.
This is beautiful.
Mena: Gorgeous!
Man: This is mango passionfruit panna cotta.
You also have a crust there that's oat, almond,
and mixed berry coulis.
Mm!
Get the compote with that, it's so good.
I like the crunch at the bottom.
Mm, a lot of coconut flavour in that.
Yeah.
And nuttiness as well.
Mm.
Right? Mm.
And the amazing thing about being here in Miami
is a lot of Latin culture here.
Food is the best way to experience culture.
All my recipes are a fusion of all the places I've been to,
but even more so where I've come from.
Like, all my recipes are, underlying the thread
are spices and flavour from India.
I think I'm going to explore that so much more now.
'Cause I think we're so multicultural everywhere you go.
And I think people are really looking
for those different flavours now.
They're looking for the spices they haven't tried before.
Everyone loves trying new things.
I think that's kind of what makes the world amazing now.
Is can we combine, you know,
Latin food from Miami and Indian food?
I'm going to put that on you, that's what you got to do.
You got to see Latin flavours with Indian flavours.
Oh, I think we could definitely do that.
I think there's so much overlap there.
Alright, well cheers.
Aw, cheers! Cheers.
(Glasses clink)
Mena: Thanks, Radhi, for a truly joyful afternoon.
♪
(Upbeat music)
Mena: In the bougie South Miami borough
of Coral Gables stands L'Artisane,
the first vegan French bakery in the continental
United States.
It was founded by Carolina Molea,
a classically trained chef
who loves fusing Parisian culinary techniques
with her Venezuelan roots
to create decadent desserts.
Look at all this. This is incredible!
Thank you.
This is all plant-based?
Everything you see here is plant-based.
Mena: You are a Le Cordon Bleu trained chef.
Yes, I went to Le Cordon Bleu,
and when they found out that I was vegan,
they were, what are you doing here?
(Laughter)
I had amazing people working with me
that they would try anything that I was making,
'cause I was not trying it.
And they would say, okay,
your little needed something here, needs something there.
So you were a vegan spy? Yes.
You were there spying to get the secrets,
and veganize them.
Yeah.
Mena: These are almost too beautiful to eat.
But I always say, I'm going to eat them anyway.
Yes, please.
Mena: Because that's why you made them, right?
Carolina: Of course.
I don't think I've had a vegan monkey bread.
I've got to try it.
So the whole idea is to pull apart like a monkeys do.
Mena: Look at that. It just tears apart.
Wow.
Mm, mm!
Amazing!
Thank you.
It's almost like a croissant and a cinnamon bun
made love in the night.
(Giggles)
What are these little bites here?
These are our petit fours.
We have from strawberry matcha, our blueberry tart,
this is passionfruit, lemon meringue tart,
our little brownie, and our best seller is the tiramisu.
I've got to try the tiramisu.
My gosh, it's a little coffee cup!
What did I do to deserve this? This is amazing.
(Crunches) Mm, mm.
Mm-hmm. That tastes exactly like a tiramisu,
but what I love is the hard chocolate that you crack into.
Because it gives it that beautiful texture
that you don't usually get from a tiramisu.
That is lovely!
But why I'm really here...
...these right here.
The macaron.
I want to learn how you make these.
I because they're so hard to find plant-based.
Let's do it, I'll show you. Let's go to the kitchen.
(Hands smack) Yes, let's go!
Carolina fills me in that we're making one of her top sellers,
the strawberry rose macaron.
Macarons are very, very delicate.
They are, as we could say, very needy.
They need love and attention.
Yeah, they sound like me, very needy.
(Carolina laughs)
The first step to making macarons is sifting almond flour
and confectioners' sugar to perfect, ultra fine
space dust consistency.
This is our vegan egg white with the food colouring.
And we are going to add it here to give that colour.
And so the vegan egg white,
what do you usually make that out of?
Carolina: It's actually potato protein.
It's incredible, all the things that you can do,
because it whips beautifully.
Mena: Wow!
This is called frangipane traditionally, so...
Mm-hmm. Frangipane?
Oh wow, it's all in there now.
Oh my goodness.
Carolina: It's all in here.
Mena: We set aside the dough to rest, and start the
Italian meringue.
A mix of more potato protein and water.
Isn't this incredible?
Yeah, amazing.
Mena: And sugar.
It's full white now, fully, wow!
So, while this is whipping, it's very important
that we start our simple syrup.
So we're looking for 118. So...
Mena: Amazing!
Carolina: ...we are there.
(Mixer whirring)
Mena: Next, we add that exquisitely fluffy meringue
to the frangipane.
Carolina: This takes a little bit of time.
It's okay, I'm here to help.
(Laughs)
What we're looking here is kind of like, a lava texture.
Okay.
Once we reach that, then it's important to stop.
Alright, here we go.
So I think I saw your technique there.
Mena: Am I doing it right?
That's perfect.
You're incorporating that meringue into your frangipane.
Mena: Okay.
Beautiful. You're hired.
Thank you. Can I eat macrons all day?
Yes, all day.
Amazing, I'll start tomorrow.
Now it's time to start piping.
One, two, three, twist and lift.
So, one, two, three.
There you go. One, two, three.
Oh man.
Carolina: You have to squeeze with this hand.
Mena: One, two, three. Twist and lift.
That was not good, that one.
One, two, three, twist and lift.
You need to squeeze a little bit more.
Okay. So, one, two, three...
Exactly.
...twist and lift.
I'm getting better, but it's, uh--
Carolina: You are getting better.
--it is not getting.
One, two, three, twist and lift.
Carolina: Perfect.
You're very kind. It's far away from perfect.
It is very far from perfect.
But how do you compare
with a trained Le Cordon Bleu Chef like Carolina?
We'll scrub my go at it, and leave the rest to the pro.
Do you feel like there's a good community here
as a Venezuelan living in Miami?
Absolutely. 10 years ago there was nothing,
but right now there are so many amazing places.
Latin place and vegan Latin places.
You have people doing incredible things.
The community's growing and we are more and more involved
into this movement, which is great.
Wow.
The cookies are baked and ready to be filled
with a strawberry-rose ganache.
This looks easier than the first part.
Carolina: Yeah. I just make the sandwich.
Put it on top, okay. That seems easier.
Okay, here we go.
♪
I did the squiggle technique there.
Carolina: Ah, beautiful.
Mena: It's an ancient French technique
you don't know about.
I'm very excited because, like we said,
this is rose strawberry.
That's correct.
And I wore my rose shirt today,
so this could not be more perfect.
Mm.
Got the beautiful hard shell and then that texture,
almost of a, I don't want to say a marshmallow,
but that macaron texture
that we all like, that's always kind of
gooey and then it starts to melt in your mouth.
That's, yeah. That creamy...
Yeah, it's creamy, it's delicious.
Mm.
This is what makes food an art form.
I truly believe that. So, thank you very much.
No, thank you.
Thank you for having me. It was amazing, thank you.
♪
(Salsa music)
Mena: No visit to Miami is complete
without a stop at Little Havana.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation
declared the neighbourhood a national treasure in 2017.
I'm heading just south of the area
to the only plant-based Cuban resto in the city...
Vegan Cuban Cuisine.
Hello, how are you doing?
Nice to meet you.
Mena, nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you.
Mena: Liz Machado and Steven Rodriguez
are the husband and wife duo who started it.
We're beginning the meal with their legendary croquetas,
filled with smoked soy-based ham
and rich cashew cream.
This is amazing. Oh man.
(Dynamic music)
♪
Mm, beautiful.
I'm definitely getting that ham flavour in there as well.
How do you get that in there?
It has a little bit of smoky flavour,
which is like liquid smoke.
And it gives it a great taste.
Wow, very good. Great start.
We use at every party.
If you go to a Cuban party and you don't bring croquetas,
they will not let you in.
Yeah, you're not welcome if you don't bring croquetas.
Tell me how you got here to Miami.
I left Cuba when I was nine
and I moved to Chile for a couple years.
Wow.
Steven: And then I emigrated
from Chile to Miami.
I came when I was 13 with my family from Cuba.
At then we met in middle school and since then
we've been together, creating beautiful dishes.
You met in middle school.
Yes, that's right.
That's amazing.
So, you've known each other since you were...
13.
Thirteen, 14, yup.
13 years old. Amazing.
We became vegan back in 2018.
We were going to a family gathering and my mom veganised
the Imperial rice, which we call it the arroz imperial.
And that's what gave us the idea that, well, we don't have any
vegan Cuban restaurant in Miami,
why not bring this option to the community.
And that's how we got the idea of Vegan Cuban Cuisine.
Mena: Next up, I'm tasting
the famous fritas: a plant-based Cuban burger
with a super-cool twist.
Instead of a bun, the patty's sandwiched
between fried green plantains.
♪
(Crunching)
Mm. Wow!
It's really like a burger,
it's also like a crunchy taco in a way.
Yes.
You know? So, you've got the patty
in there like a typical burger.
And, of course, the deep-fried plantain is so crunchy
and it's the perfect bun.
And you've got almost-- what are these?
Are these like fried onions? What are they?
Steven: Julienne fries, very thin fries.
These are the thinnest fries I've ever seen in my life.
I can't come to Miami without trying the Cubano sandwich.
Can we make it?
Both: Yes.
Alright!
What is the history of the Cubano?
So, there's a misconception that the Cubano is made in Cuba,
but it actually was made
here in Florida by Cubans who came here.
So, our version of the Cubano is a little bit different.
The first thing we're going to use
is our in-house made Cuban bread.
First we're going to start with vegan Swiss cheese
made out of potato starch.
And then we go to a vegan ham, which is made with tofu.
And then were going to move to the jackfruit.
This one we cook it with our own mojo that we make in house.
So, it's marinated, you know, overnight and slow cook it.
Mena: Yeah, and it does look like
shredded pork.
Once it's properly stacked, Liz toasts and presses
the Cubano to buttery perfection.
Ho-oh!
Liz: You have to make sure
that the Cubano is always well pressed.
I can't wait.
I know it's going to be crunchy.
Then we're going to add some mustard, just a little bit,
not too much.
A little bit of Mayo.
Mena: Yes.
Alright, and the pickles go in there.
Liz: And then we'll close it
back again.
Mena: Wow, look at that.
Liz: Now we're ready.
♪
Here we go.
♪
(Liz chuckles)
What do you think?
That is delicious, mm!
The crunch on the bread. This bread is phenomenal.
You get all the delicious flavour in there.
I don't think I got a pickle,
so I'm going to go back in for that.
(Crunching)
Mm. Mm! Amazing!
It's my first Cubano and it won't be my last
now that I've tried it.
Viva Cubano!
Viva! (Chuckles)
Mena: Miami's got spice,
but it's also got a beautiful warmth to it.
There's something to this city permeated
with Latin American culture that's so inviting.
A wonderful place to connect with friends, new and old,
to share the homegrown authentic dishes that
keep these chefs so passionate and inspired.
Viva Miami baby!
♪
(Whirring)
(Musical flourish)