Millions of people in Cuba know Néstor Salazar Silva as the host of cultural, news, and variety programs on Radio Angulo. But few, before the publication of his book, were publicly aware of his talent as a cook. Which is why many now call him the radio host with a passion for cooking.
This story began in 1972 when he started as a presenter in the city of Nuevitas. A native of Holguin, he went to work in the province of Camagüey. Where Radio Nuevitas needed radio hosts. He took an exam and passed.
In 1980, he returned to the city of Holguin and began working at Radio Angulo. Also where he has been employed for 46 years. He alternates between writing and directing programs. And continues to do voice-over work on shows such as the cultural program Café Milenio, the variety show La Fórmula, and the flagship news program De Primera Mano.
He won the City Music Prize in 2007 for his work “Lo que vamos a hacer con el amor” (What We’re Going to Do with Love). Cuban soloists and orchestras perform his compositions. He has received several awards at provincial and national Cuban Radio Festivals. For his musical, variety, informative, and cultural programs.
Given the great success of his book “Recetas al alcance de todos” (Recipes Within Everyone’s Reach) in its digital edition. We invite him to a conversation at our website, where he occasionally visits.
How did you get started in the world of cooking?
-First, out of necessity, because I was left alone, and since I had to cook for myself, I enjoyed it…
Why, being such a famous radio host, do you enjoy talking about cooking so much?
-After my profession, it’s what I enjoy doing most, because let’s remember that cooking is also an art…
You recently wrote a book about cooking. Tell me about it…
-Dr. Rafael Torres, a nutrition specialist, and I started writing the book. He was the one who inspired me to write the first lines…
I remember that the media in Cuba reported on the presentation of “Recipes for Everyone” because of its great popularity with readers. Tell me about it.
-It was presented during one of the editions of the Havana International Book Fair. It was very well received because all the copies sold out in a short time. It was then sold in the cities of Sancti Spiritus, Camagüey, and Holguin…
It was published by Editorial Oriente with a print run of 10,000 copies, which sold out during the time of the book fair…
Why did you decide to write a book like this?
Because I think that cooking, as an art, is inexhaustible. With each generation, new things are discovered about food. How to cook it, new nutritional properties are found, and cooking has to keep pace with those discoveries…
We have to adapt our cooking to these findings in medicine. The way our grandmothers cooked is not the same as how we cook today…
What recipes do you offer that are accessible to everyone?
The book has everything… 170 recipes were published, including sauces, vegetables, chicken, fish, pork, lamb, and desserts. Among these, Nestí chicken stands out, which includes chocolate, rum, and peanuts among its ingredients…
Are you a full-fledged chef or simply passionate about cooking?
-I don’t consider myself a chef. I’m simply passionate about cooking, and as an artist, I have the right to develop my skills in this “branch of art” as well.
Who has enjoyed your haute cuisine?
-Physics professor Joaquín González, radio and television host Isabel García Granado, the late Father Marrero, the renowned chef Paco Rabello, writer Alejandro Querejeta, Uruguayan storyteller Fernando Beramendi. The distinguished poet Alfredo Saínz Blanco, among others, because this list would be endless.
What recipe do you prefer to prepare for your friends and special guests?
-Fish recipes…
Why fish?
Because it’s the healthiest and most versatile food to prepare…
Now that you’ve had so much success in the Cuban publishing world, aren’t you thinking of writing a sequel to “Recipes for Everyone”?
I’m not thinking about a sequel, but I do have another cookbook in the works, specializing in rice and fish dishes. Including many freshwater species that are just as delicious as those from the sea.
Currently, Néstor Salazar has received important awards and published numerous books on the subject. Among them are *Recipes Within Everyone’s Reach* (Editorial Oriente, 2009), co-authored with Rafael Torres. *Rice and Fish in My Kitchen* (Editorial Oriente, 2012). And *Health and Beauty Enter Through the Kitchen* (Editorial Oriente, 2016).
In 2014, he published *Food That Heals and Protects: Recipes for the Brain, Hair, Bones, and Colon* with Liber Publishers. And in 2016, *Beans and Other Excellent Vegetables for Health* with José Martí Publishers. *Between Pots and Stoves: The Aroma of Cuban Cuisine* and *Easy Recipes from Here and There* are among his other highly regarded works.
Today, despite being a major figure in Cuban culture, Néstor, as those of us who know him well call him, remains the radio host who loves to cook delicious Cuban and international recipes.
- Néstor Salazar, the Radio Host with a Passion for Cooking - 21 de July de 2026
- José Martí: “Music is a man escaped from himself” - 16 de July de 2026
- The Word, an Exercise in Conscience - 13 de July de 2026