Dominican chefs set a Guinness Record in New York with the thousand-pound "Mangú", considered the largest in the world.
The renowned chef Amilkar Gonell in association with his counterpart María Marte, holder of two Michelin stars, and the talented Pamela Gonell, along with a great team from the gastronomic industry, made history with great support from the Dominican community in the United States who attended The Hudson restaurant on Dyckman Boulevard.
By Jose Zabala
Inwood –New York- Dominican gastronomy begins to live a historic moment by holding the Guinness record with one of all Dominicans' favorite dishes, "Mangú." The international chefs used 4,500 plantains and 260 pounds of onions to achieve the gastronomic feat, which was adorned with "Salami, egg, and cheese," creating the famous typical Dominican dish known as "los tres golpes" (the three hits).
It should be noted that the previous record was held by Restaurant 809, Cirilo Moronta, and cultural activist Isaías Amaro with more than 645 pounds, which was made in 2017 in New York City. It is remembered that mangú is the most representative dish of the Dominican Republic and was served during this unprecedented gastronomic celebration to break the previous record.
"We have to eat all of this Mangú. Thanks to everyone who worked on this project. Thanks to the Guinness judge. Dominican gastronomy is starting to show the world what we are going to do with Flavor Fusion Fest in the future, we are going to modernize the point of view that foreigners have of our food." We mention that all those present ate the delicious dish from Quisqueya La Bella and it was sent to different entities.
With plantains from the municipality of Tamayo, "The Plantain Capital," represented by its mayor, Lic. Luis Milciades Montes de Oca, and the onions used were brought from La Vega municipality, Constanza. The mangú was presented in a gigantic mold with the silhouette of the Dominican Republic, made of stainless steel, designed by architect José Báez Liberata, of BJCM Engineers Architects Builders.
The mold had an area of 12.85 square meters (m2) with dimensions of 3.95 high, 6.95 linear m2, and a capacity to hold 1,000 pounds of food, with a double bottom designed to withstand high temperatures and was divided into five parts for easy assembly and transport.
This event was organized by Flavor Fusión Fest and a great production team led by Rene Brea. With music by Anthony Rey, artists, and Dominicans who attended the event enjoyed one of the most cultural events held abroad.
"We are very excited to be able to present this festival to the public, we have worked hard on all the details for more than a year and a half, during the COVID 19 pandemic. We have taken all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of everyone involved. This event was one of the largest celebrations of Latin American gastronomy as never seen before in New York City," adds Chef Gonell when inviting to this special event.
The culinary specialist highlighted that: "we are giving this traditional dish of Dominican gastronomy a touch of haute cuisine and we will add a pinch of North American flavors, with the aim of embracing two cultures in a culinary brotherhood. We dedicate this event to the Dominican Republic. He recalled that mangú is the most representative dish of the Dominican Republic and was served during this unprecedented gastronomic celebration."
The Flavor Fusion Fest was held at The Hudson restaurant, which has a magnificent view of the Washington Bridge and the Hudson River, and was sponsored by several companies, including Cibao Meat Products.
During the event, great personalities and companies that supported the great event were recognized.
