Thanksgiving is my favorite meal," says singer Gloria Estefan, who grew to love the holiday after leaving Cuba with her family at age 2. She and husband-manager, Emilio, raised their kids Nayib, 28, and Emily, 13, on the American classics as well as Cuban favorites like roast pork and black beans. "Mixing nationalities is a tradition we cherish," says Gloria, in the dining room of the couple's Vero Beach, Fla., hotel.
Their new cookbook, Estefan Kitchen (New American Library, $27.95), is a tribute to generations of great cooks in both families. Gloria's great-grandfather, she says, was the personal chef for two Cuban presidents, and her grandmother Consuelo made everything from scratch, including a fricase de pollo (chicken fricassee), about which she says, "If I had a last meal on Earth, that would be it." Emilio's side boasts Spanish and Lebanese grandmothers, who both passed on their culinary secrets to him.
So who's the boss in the kitchen? "Gloria," says Emilio instantly. "Why do you think we have been married for 30 years?" But there are times when other family members have had the last word. One Thanksgiving Gloria made a roast that Lucy, their Dalmation, devoured when no one was looking. "It's a good thing I am Cuban," says Gloria, "and always make a lot of extra food!"
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