MIDTOWN — The room was abuzz with the grooves of Cuban dancers and the beat of the conga drums — and the food had a flavor of Harlem.
On Thursday, Macy’s in Herald Square hosted one of many events planned for the the first annual Harlem/Havana Music & Cultural Festival, which kicked off Monday and brings together the fashion, art, music and food of the two iconic places.
Tren’ness Woods-Black, of Sylvia’s Soul Food Restaurant on Lenox Avenue, and Cuban chef David Diaz also hosted a cooking demonstration for dozens of people at the Macy’s event, representing the cross-cultural collaboration.
On the menu: ceviche, a Cuban sandwich, and tostones with camarones (fried plantains with shrimp) with a black-eyed pea salsa. Folded in were soul food spices and sauces from Sylvia’s.
The festival will continue until Aug. 21 with a handful of events.
The exchange was the idea of U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, who represents Harlem and parts of uptown and the Bronx.
Rangel attended Thursday, praising the culmination of his brainchild.
“I’ve been trying to tear down the artificial barriers between my country and Cuba,” he said.
The U.S. restored its relationship with the country in 2014 after a decades-long embargo.
A group of American artists with Harlem connections, including legendary singer Smokey Robinson, are slated to travel to Havana for a similar cultural exchange of in February 2017, according to Billboard.
