Latest news with #CheckpointCharlie
Time Out
23-05-2025
- Time Out
Edgar Pronio, the heart and mind behind Checkpoint Charlie's kitchen
Checkpoint Charlie is a restaurant that crosses borders. Its kitchen brings together flavors from different parts of the world with a distinct, sharp, cosmopolitan, and contemporary identity. Located on a key corner of Palermo (inside OLA Palermo, a growing hub that combines gastronomy, art, and design), it functions as a meeting point where classic and modern, European and Latin, street and sophisticated merge in dishes full of character. Behind this concept is Edgar Pronio, a chef who understands blends: of cultures, techniques, and journeys. Born in Venezuela, trained through hard work in his country, and professionally established in Buenos Aires, Edgar's story has been slowly cooking. From catering to hotels, from sous chef to creative leader, he earned every step of his career with talent, dedication, and humility. Today, he is the chef of Checkpoint Charlie and one of the main reasons this restaurant speaks not only of food but also of stories, travels, and encounters. How did you start in the culinary world? I graduated at 23 and started working in a small catering company in Venezuela. I began as a kitchen assistant, doing basic tasks, and soon became a cook and then kitchen head. Everything happened pretty quickly. There came a moment when I had to decide whether to stay in the country or emigrate, and I chose to come to Argentina. Here I started working at Buenos Aires Verde, then at a focacceria near the Obelisco, where I got deeply involved in sourdough bakery and pastry. As often happens when you migrate, I had several jobs at once: besides those places, I did catering on my days off. Later, I worked at a food spot near Abasto, and over time, I jumped into the hotel world, working in several in the city. At the same time, I was part of the Morelia team in Caballito, starting as a pastry cook and finishing as head chef for over two years. Then, I joined Gardiner as sous chef and later as chef de cuisine. After that, I got the opportunity to be executive chef at Cauce in Puerto Madero, where I developed two original menus and supported the project for a year. Then, I was called to Checkpoint Charlie. What excited you the most when you were invited to be the chef at Checkpoint Charlie? What attracted me most was the concept: a restaurant that aims to be a meeting point of cultures. Also, the chance to learn and work alongside Takehiro Ohno, who is a total reference. He has enormous knowledge, and it was a great experience to absorb everything he shared. I was also excited by the challenge of leading a kitchen with Checkpoint's scale, both in volume and concept. How would you define your cuisine? My cooking is influenced by Italian cuisine, thanks to my family, especially my grandfather. I'm also very inspired by French gastronomy, and of course, I keep Venezuelan flavors close to my heart—they are part of my culture. I like modern, avant-garde styles. I'm always researching, looking for new ideas, checking what other chefs do. I keep training constantly and try to improve all the time. What can you tell us about Checkpoint Charlie's menu? The original menu was developed by Chef Takehiro Ohno. When I joined, we started testing dishes, adding ideas, removing some things, and including others. It was a very dynamic process focused on the Argentine audience: we looked for dishes that connect emotionally, that awaken memories, flavors, and sensations. Checkpoint Charlie is a place of cultural crossing; the menu is based on emblematic dishes from across Europe that coexist under a common concept. The idea is that every bite can transport you to another country. The menu is based on emblematic dishes from across Europe that coexist under a common concept Is the menu seasonal? It's not a 100% seasonal menu. Some dishes are always on it because many customers return specifically for them. But we do rotate some options according to seasonality, both for product quality and to keep the menu fresh. It's a creative exercise that helps us keep developing the concept without losing identity. What are your favorite dishes on the menu? I really like the croquettes and the fish and chips. They are two traditional dishes that we execute with great fidelity and good ingredients. The croquettes are very well done, like the Spanish ones, and the fish and chips are truly English. Among mains, I highlight the trout. We use Patagonian trout, which is an excellent product, and serve it with 'papas lionesas' mille-feuille style and béarnaise sauce, very French in style. That fusion works amazingly well and perfectly represents this idea of cultural union. For desserts, I have several favorites: the Basque cake, the chocolate moelleux, and the strudel. The dessert menu is highly praised and is very thoughtfully crafted. What would you like someone trying the restaurant's cuisine for the first time to experience? I'd like them to have a complete experience. To feel they came to a well-cared-for place, where the food is good, the service attentive but relaxed, not intrusive. The dedication is noticeable, but without rigidity. Checkpoint can host many people but is designed to create intimacy. The environment adds to that: the screens projecting period European films, the design of the dining room, the details. We want anyone who comes to feel comfortable, surprised, and eager to return. Checkpoint can host many people but is designed to create intimacy What are you working on now, and what projects do you have for the future? I teach in the Gastronomic Management program at Gato Dumas. I'm also part of a federation where I give short courses, and in September, I'll conduct a masterclass. I continue training: I'm doing a master's in Gastronomic Management and Innovation and advise other restaurants. In the future, I'd like to be part of Checkpoint Charlie's expansion if more locations open. And eventually, I want to have my own restaurant. I'm very interested in fine dining, detailed service, and spaces where every element matters.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lone Cuban-born rep 'amped up' to see nation liberated after emotional return 64 years in the making
EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Carlos Gimenez returned to his homeland of Cuba over the weekend for the first time in 64 years, saying he is now "more determined than ever" to see the island liberated from dictatorship. Gimenez, R-Fla., the only Cuban-born member of Congress, joined a congressional delegation (CODEL) to the U.S.-managed Guantánamo Bay military base there, and noted the rest of the nation is still run by the iron-fisted communist government that took over when President Fulgencio Batista was overthrown by Fidel Castro in 1959. The Gimenez family – Carlos Sr., Mitzi, Carlos and Mitzi Ann – left the country when the future Miami fire chief, Miami-Dade County mayor and congressman was just 6 years old. "Now that I visited the only free part of Cuba, I want to make sure that the rest of the island is also free from this communist tyranny," Gimenez said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital. Exclusive: Venezuelan Oppo Leader Joins Cuba-born Rep To Laud Trump After Biden's Maduro Oil Deal Canceled "I was already amped up. Now I'm really amped up. ... I've always wanted it (to see Cuba liberated), but now I kind of made a pledge that I'm not going to go back until the entire island is free." Read On The Fox News App The congressman said his memories of Cuba remain in "20-second" video snippets in his memory and that his feelings about Cuba started welling up when he first caught the outline of the island from the plane taking the lawmakers to Guantánamo Bay. "It dawned on me it was the first time I'd seen it in nearly 65 years – how beautiful it is – it's just a place that is so special; and to have, really, a group of thugs and dictators and oppressors ruin it – I was somewhat emotional, but then that turned to anger." Gimenez said he could envision his grandparents living in Oriente Province – which borders Guantánamo Province. Cuba's Meddling In Us Elections A 'Badge Of Honor' To Some Targeted Critics The lawmaker was born in Havana but said he lived half of each year on a ranch in Manzanillo, Oriente – only a few dozen miles west of Guantánamo Bay, and on the opposite end of the island from the capital city. "There are certain memories that just pop back in my head and have for a long, long time. And so all those came back again – I was grateful to go back. And it was emotional. But it also, I guess, incentivized me more." However, visiting his hometown remained out of the question on the CODEL – as Gimenez described the potentially deadly security barrier between Guantánamo Bay and the rest of Cuba. While East Berlin had Checkpoint Charlie, and North and South Korea have the DMZ restricting movement, the border between Guantánamo Bay and mainland Cuba is fortified with hundreds of thousands of landmines planted by the regime. Representatives of the Cuban government tend to meet on a monthly basis with their U.S. counterparts at a bunker near Guantánamo Bay, but only for base management purposes rather than diplomacy, according to Gimenez. The lawmaker learned that in the past few months, there have been no such meetings. Top Republican Calls Usss Director's 'Sloped Roof' Defense 'Final Straw': I'm 70 And 'Could Run Around It All Day' The CODEL, led by Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama, chair of the House Armed Services Committee, followed an executive order from President Donald Trump directing illegal immigrant criminals to be detained at Gitmo under ICE supervision. Rogers said in a statement the CODEL met with U.S. service members assigned to the base as well as the law enforcement officials in charge of "facilitating the removal of some of the worst criminals." "Border security is national security, and I'm proud of the role the Department of Defense has played in protecting our nation and ending the invasion at our southern border," Rogers said. Just over a dozen of the 780 total non-illegal-immigrant detainees since 2002 remain at Gitmo. In 1966, Cuban workers at the base were given a choice, Gimenez said: either go back to Cuba-proper, or remain working on-base for life. About 40 of those workers are still alive in Gitmo, unable to return to their homes in the rest of Cuba. Many are in their 80s, and there is an assisted living facility for those of advanced age that remain on base, he said. Gimenez has long advocated for a peaceful yet decisive end to the seven-decade dictatorship now led by Miguel Díaz-Canel, the handpicked successor of the late Raúl Castro, who had previously taken over from his brother. A democratic Cuba could be the best friend to the U.S. in the Caribbean region, Gimenez said. Having Cuba under its current constitution sitting only 90 miles off the famous Southernmost Buoy in Key West is also of national security concern, many in Florida believe. With Trump at the helm and a renewed, revamped foreign policy and national security focus, Gimenez said in the interview that "all of the pieces are in place" to move more swiftly toward ushering-in a democratic Cuba once more. "It's a question of will. I certainly have the will -- this is the time. Now is the time," he said Monday. "I just want to make sure that whatever I can do to make it happen."Original article source: Lone Cuban-born rep 'amped up' to see nation liberated after emotional return 64 years in the making
