Gilberto Smith Duquesne

Popularly known as The Lobster King or Lobster King, he was one of the most prestigious and awarded Cuban chefs. His nickname was due to the fact that he was an expert in the preparation of fish and seafood dishes, especially lobster.

Among his memberships and titles are, Lifetime President of the Federation of Culinary Associations of the Republic of Cuba, President of the Culinary Federation of Latin America and the Caribbean, Active Member of the Culinary Academy of France, Honorary Member of the Association of Chefs of Japan, Honorary Member of the World Association of Chefs (WACS), Doctor Honoris Causa of the Superior School of Hotel and Gastronomy of Pozdan, Poland.

For his contributions to culinary culture and as a chef, he was distinguished as an Illustrious Son of the City of Santiago de Cuba and holds the National Order Nicolás Guillen, from UNEAC and the Order for National Culture.

He was born in the town of Itabo, Martí Municipality in Matanzas. From the age of 14 he began his first steps in the culinary arts, having as his teacher the chef, the Catalan Juan Cañiella from the Carmelo restaurant on Calzada Street in Havana.

Chef Smith Duquesne was an expert in the preparation of fish and seafood dishes. He was also skilled in roasts and pastries. He knew perfectly the secrets of Spanish, French, Italian, Jewish, Chinese and Slavic cuisines.

Among his contributions to International Cuisine, some of his more than 200 creations can be cited such as; Lobster à la Café, Tropicana Shrimp, Special Lobster Cream Smith, Turtle Consommé, Prawns with Lemon, Mulatta Sauce Cocktail, Royal Bites Eggs, Okra à la Habanera, Pata-Panza and Tripa de Campeón, Chef's Omelet Interventora, Fruit Omelets with Rum, Supreme Chicken à la Smith, Duck Enlightenment Century, Turkey Stuffed with my America, Coppelia Lobster, Hemingway Lobster, Lobster à la Macondo, Cecilia Lobster, Hare from my Ranch, Roast Beef from my Patron, Guacanayabo Ham, Red Snapper with Rum, Squid Steak, Lobster from my America, Butterfly Lobster, Orange Lobster, Salto Mayor Lobster, Geraldine Chaplin Lobster, Special Occasion Lobster, Cardinal Smith Lobster, Kayac Lobster, Varadero Lobster, Goulash à la Habanera, Guantanamera Lobster, Lobster with Rum, Brigitte Lobster, Blazing Papaya, Kaleidoscope, and also worked in the creation of aphrodisiac foods.

On October 18, 1984, a select representation of Cuban chefs, among whom was Gilberto, received the Gold Medal for Decisive Effort in the culinary Olympics held in Frankfurt am Main, West Germany.

The internationalization and prestige that his work assumed would allow him to dedicate his Coppelia Lobster to Alicia Alonso, while to the author of The Old Man and the Sea he would propose an exquisite Hemingway Lobster, taking into account the maritime interests of the writer.

He also dedicated creations to other international personalities such as: Geraldine Chaplin (Geraldine Chaplin Lobster), Brigitte Bardot (Brigitte Lobster), as well as different places such as: Havana, Varadero, America, Guantánamo, Tropicana or the fictional town Macondo, described in the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez.

He taught master classes, numerous courses and lectures in various countries, author of articles and books of international cuisine recipes, among which are: I am the Chef, Lobster King, Lobster Rejos, From Itabo to Florence, Historical Vision of Cuban Cuisine, Encounters in the Cuisine of America, Aphrodisiac Foods, among others.

He was an active participant and organizer of culinary art events both in his country and internationally, with the main objective of strengthening fraternal relations among cooks from around the world, always working to dignify this profession. Advisor for International Fairs and Exhibitions. Initiator of the "Dinner Cigar" banquets held every year in Cuba organized by Habanos S.A. and which led to the Habano Festival, one of the world's major events in the Premium tobacco world.

He was a promoter and international advisor of exportable funds for Caribex S.A. in Europe, professor at culinary schools in Japan, Canada and Spain.

Cuban Cuisine Day was established in honor of the victory of a team of cooks led by Smith, who won the Gold Medal for Decisive Effort in the Culinary Olympiad held in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

He is considered the gastronomic ambassador of Cuba and of WACS for Latin America. He cooked for various personalities, among whom are: President Fidel Castro, King Juan Carlos I, Felipe González, Manuel Fraga, Georges Pompidou, Jacques Chirac, François Mitterrand, Pierre Trudeau, Yorgos Papandréu, Salvador Allende, Josephine Baker, Nat King Cole, Maurice Chevalier, Gilbert Becaud, Gabriel García Márquez, Alejo Carpentier, Ernest Hemingway, Brigitte Bardot, Édith Piaf, Julio Iglesias, Joan Manuel Serrat, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Carlos Saura, Geraldine Chaplin, Paco Rabanne, Claudia Cardinale, Romy Schneider, Alicia Alonso, Alain Delon, among others.

In his honor, since 2007 there has been a classroom for professional advancement at the Federation headquarters bearing his name, for cooks with more than 10 years of experience.

Among his best-known works is Lobster King: Creations of Master Gilberto Smith, published in 2000 by Casa de las Américas and reissued in co-sponsorship with Ediciones Aurelia.

He died on April 9, 2010, at the age of 90, at his residence in Havana, Cuba.

As a tribute to his work, a statue was unveiled on October 18 (Cuban Cuisine Day) of that same year, at the headquarters of the Culinary Federation in the Cuban capital. The author of the work is the Holguín sculptor Silvio Leonardo Pérez.

Memberships
Lifetime President of the Federation of Culinary Associations of the Republic of Cuba.
President of the Culinary Federation of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Active Member of the Culinary Academy of France, he held the Gold Medal of that institution.
Honorary Member of the Association of Chefs of Japan, in 1982, Emperor Hirohito conferred his Special Gold Medal on him. (one of the most select decorations, which until then had not been given to any foreigner).
Honorary Member of the World Association of Chefs (WACS).
Doctor Honoris Causa of the Superior School of Hotel and Gastronomy of Pozdan, Poland.
Member of Honor of the Culinary Association of Switzerland.
Member of the Culinary Academy of Israel.
Member of the Federation of Cuisine of South Africa.
Member of the Italian Federation of Cuisine.
Member of the German Federation of Chefs.
Lifetime Honorary Member of the Federation of Chefs of North America.
Member of the White Hats of Spain.
Member of the exclusive club La Casserole de Paris.
Honorary Member of the Federation of Chefs of Croatia.
Honorary Member and Medal of AREGALA (Association of Restaurateurs Enologists and Gastronomic Writers of Latin America and Spain).
Honorary Member of the Brotherhood of Chefs, Quito-Ecuador.
Honorary Professor of the Institute of Hotel Administration and Tourism of Peru.
Honorary Member of the Integral Gastronomic School of Córdoba, Argentina.
Honor Diploma of the Association of Chefs of Bolivia.
Honorary Member of the Gastronomic School of Venezuela.
Honorary Member of the Association of Chefs of Costa Rica.

Awards and Recognition
Distinguished as an Illustrious Son of the City of Santiago de Cuba.
National Order Nicolás Guillen, from UNEAC.
Order for National Culture, Cuba.
Cordon Bleu Medal.
Medal of Honor, endorsed by Emperor Hirohito, Japan.
Silver Tray, Austro-Hungarian Congress, IKAHOGA.
Gold Medal of the Culinary Academy of France, at the Austro-Hungarian Congress of WACS.
Gold Prize at the Frankfurt am Main Olympiad, Germany
Chef's Friend Order, Italy.
Gold Medal IKA 84 Olympics.
Gold Medal Canadian Culinary Federation.

Gilberto Smith
Special Gold Medal Vancouver Festival.
Gold Medal of the German Federation.
AREGALA Silver Plate.
Golden Medal IV Costa Rica Gastronomic Festival.
Prize for Latin American and Caribbean Identity and Integration through Gastronomy (Gastronomic Circle Lima, Peru).
Chef of the Millennium (Mega Gastronomic Event Peru 2001).
Le Cordon Bleu Medal (Academy of Culinary Arts of Paris in Peru).
International Chef Medal (Advanced Cuisine School of the Institute of the Andes, Peru).
International Prize and Medal Catalina de Medici, Italy.

There are men who leave an indelible mark in their wake and although they may pass, their work and their ethics in life endure. Such was Chef Gilberto Smith Duquesne, The Lobster King, whose recipe book for this Creole crustacean is today a highly appreciated classic of international culinary literature.

That work and the compendium of original recipes and innovations he created would be enough to assure him a privileged place in the collective memory of millions and especially among his people.

Those who knew him always remember him impeccably dressed, with his spotless uniform, topped with his starched white chef's hat and with a permanent smile.

Named Chef of the Millennium at an international event in Peru, and first Cuban Honorary Member of the International Federation of Culinary Associations (WACS), this simple and brilliant man did not keep secrets, as is so often the case in his profession, he lavished his wisdom and said that in Cuba there should be thousands of cooking schools.

A Cuban proud of his land and his Revolution, he was an emblematic promoter of the Island's exportable products and not only lobster. Rum, tobacco, sugar, nickel and Cuban culture were among his priorities.

There is no doubt about his Cuban identity, and when that aspect was diminished, he reacted like a lion, as when at an international meeting in Costa Rica, where the representative of the Yankee empire was showing off offering scholarships, with the exclusion of Cubans, Smith reacted by saying that Cuba did not need them and that it had sufficient conditions to provide them to those who needed them.

Of his sense of justice and respect for others, testimony is given by Chef Joaquín Montalvo Silveira, to whom his relatives and friends nicknamed Masita, with more than half a century of experience in emblematic Cuban restaurants, who coincided with Smith at several events and together shared the art in front of the stoves.

Never did the Lobster King mistreat anyone, not even the humblest assistant in his kitchen. Concerned with the training and advancement of young people, a born innovator for whom new technologies on his premises were a challenge to apply them with creativity and excellence, Smith was a proponent of the dignification of his guild and to preserve at all costs the unity of his colleagues and the accumulated wisdom of popular and traditional Cuban cuisine.