From the Niagara Falls Review:
Leonardo Najle has worked in kitchens in the United States, Brazil and his native Argentina.
But on his first trip to Canada, the 35-year-old executive chef at the Iguazu Grand Hotel Resort and Casino is choosing to call Niagara Falls home — at least during his two-week stay.
Najle is one of about 25 Argentineans taking part in a visit to Niagara Falls to promote their own parks region — complete with Iguazu Falls, which border both Argentina and and Brazil.
He and Niagara Parks Commission Executive Corporate Chef Paul Pennock have worked together to create a menu of Argentine delights, including empanadas with chimichurri sauce, grilled lamb with Malbec wine sauce and panqueque con dolce de leche.
The empanadas, Pennock said, have been especially popular at both Elements on the Falls and at Edgewaters, the two Parks Commission restaurants taking part in the Celebrate Cultures event.
“We thought we made enough for a week,†Pennock said, “but we’re making more every day.â€