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TA L E OF T H E PL AT E: PE R N I L W IT H A R ROZ CON GA N DU L ES
Chef Jonathan Shuler THE DILWORTH TASTING ROOM EXECUTIVE CHEF'S VARIATION OF THE TRADITIONAL PUERTO RICAN DISH IS AN HOMAGE TO FAMILY AND THE COMFORTS OF HOME.
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by Michael J. Solender • photographs by Justin Driscoll
here’s no faster trip down childhood’s memory lane for Dilworth Tasting Room Executive Chef Jon Shuler than the homey and wildly popular Puerto Rican plate of slow roasted pork shoulder with rice and pigeon peas. Nearly every family on the Caribbean island has its own unique take on pernil with arroz con gandules, though it’s Shuler’s mother and grandmother’s highly seasoned, smoky version of the special comfort food he lovingly recalls growing up in the Bronx. Shuler’s iteration of the classic dish lies at the intersection of adobo-rubbed, garlicky, tender pork with crisp, crackling skin and the bright, sofrito-seasoned rice studded with starchy pigeon peas. “In a word,” says Shuler, describing his love for the dish, “It tastes like home — it’s soul food for me.” Born in New York, Shuler moved to Raleigh at age 8 and
relocated to Charlotte about three years ago. Both his parents and grandparents hail from Puerto Rico, and they brought the island’s culinary traditions to their respective kitchens in the Bronx — familial social and cultural hubs Shuler recalls with special warmth. “Home-cooked dinner was always waiting for my sister and me at my grandmother’s when we returned from school,” Shuler says. “It was important to her that we came straight home, and we were rewarded with every meal. It was definitely love on a plate.” Pernil with arroz con gandules, while simple and economical, is traditionally a special-occasion dish often served at large family gatherings or holidays, according to Shuler. “Rice and pigeon peas (similar to black-eyed peas) are served at almost every Puerto Rican meal and considered a staple,” he says. “Preparing and cooking roasted pork shoulder, particularly the size to feed a large gathering, southparkmagazine.com | 33
