How Chef Maria Grubb Bounced Back After Hurricane Maria

"Opened five years ago by Maria Grubb and her brother as an upscale restaurant in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gallo Negro was meant to showcase the modern cuisine Grubb learned working in New York. Before Hurricane Maria it was known for goat, rabbit, and fish dishes and drew young Puerto Ricans and tourists; after the storm the restaurant was a disaster — farms were destroyed, staff left the island, mold and grease covered everything, and Grubb had to repaint and redo roofs — yet she managed to reopen using a small generator to power a few light bulbs and a weak fan while she cooked without a hood or AC, sweating in the kitchen. With local suppliers decimated she shifted to comfort food sourced from Costco — offering Bolognese, “Greek nachos” made with pita topped with Feta, olives, and red onions, chicken Parmesan, and a Brussels‑sprouts Caesar — and, despite being closed for repairs for two weeks, she has been promoting Gallo Negro in New York by teaching classes on sofrito and empanadas, hosting Puerto Rico–inspired dinners at the Brooklyn Kitchen, packing produce from the Union Square Greenmarket for a Long Island pop-up, and serving dishes like a chilled cantaloupe and salmon‑roe soup that left guests eager to return to Puerto Rico." - Elazar Sontag, Elazar Sontag