Top chef Marcus Samuelsson and uptown eateries team up for Harlem-Havana Music & Cultural Festival

Culinary and musical variety enhance the broad appeal of Harlem Week’s annual festivities.

But this year, zesty Cuban flavor will be unmistakable when the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, famed celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson and uptown eateries team up for the culinary portion of the inaugural Harlem-Havana Music & Cultural Festival.

Select Harlem restaurants will showcase dishes or have bands perform during Harlem Week as part of the cultural initiative.

The restaurants are Mountain Bird and Amor Cubano in East Harlem; Samuelsson’s Red Rooster, Ginny’s Supper Club, Streetbird and Sylvia’s in central Harlem; and the 40-plus-year-old Cuban-inspired Floridita Restaurant and Oso in West Harlem, and La Fonda Del Sol restaurant in Midtown Manhattan.

I am a huge fan of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce and a huge fan of Harlem — the neighborhood I live and work in,” said Samuelsson, who has been front and center coordinating the Havana-Harlem festival and its culinary component.

Top chef Marcus Samuelsson and uptown eateries team up for Harlem-Havana Music & Cultural Festival

“Getting to be a part of this great initiative started by the chamber, which builds bridges with Cuba and Havana, is super-exciting,” he said, adding that he’ll be a member of a contingent heading from Harlem to Havana next year as part of the cultural exchange venture.

As connoisseurs eagerly anticipate the diverse culinary delights of the Harlem-Havana Music & Cultural Festival during Harlem Week, each restaurant’s staff will decide what Cuban-inspired dish and cocktail to offer, Samuelsson said.

“The goal of Havana-Harlem is to create a shared cultural experience. When guests dine at restaurants and get a taste of Cuban food and drink, the shared experience will hopefully lead to a greater curiosity for the Cuban culture.”

And understandably, participating restaurateurs are thrilled.

“We have a regular band at our restaurant, and we were asked to have our band play during the festivities,” said Laura Munera, manager at Amor Cubano on Third Ave.

Nodar Mosiashvili and Matthew Trebek — co-owners of Oso, a Mexican restaurant on Amsterdam Ave. — said Cuban-inspired drinks, such as a guava Margarita and the Slaquita, which has grapefruit juice, will be available during Harlem Week in addition to the regular Mexican street food menu.

Meanwhile, Ramon Diaz — owner of Harlem’s Floridita, established in 1969 — is deciding what he’ll showcase from the 12th Ave. eatery’s impressive traditional Cuban-influenced menu.

Keiko Tajima, co-owner of French-influenced restaurant Mountain Bird on E. 100th St., is thrilled to be involved in the Havana-Harlem festival.

“I feel very special because we are proud to be in business in Harlem,” she said. “The people in Harlem are very supportive.” Tajima said she is still working on the dishes she will feature during Harlem Week. She said some of her big sellers are “wings, lobster bisque and macaroni and cheese.” Laughing, she said proudly: “We serve good stuff!”

Sylvia’s, the iconic soul food eatery that has attracted heads of state, dignitaries and everyday people, has also signed up for in the Harlem-Havana initiative.

Samuelsson said the festival will cast a long-denied spotlight on the vibrant Cuban culture.

“On a larger scale, it will be amazing to see Cuban culture coming to diverse restaurants in Harlem. It will really allow new audiences to experience and taste the food and spirit of Cuba,” he said. “Of course, I’m also excited about going to Cuba in February.” That’s when the Harlem-Havana Music & Cultural Festival will bring the culture and food of Harlem to Havana.

“I’ve been to Cuba before, and there are so many similarities in terms of the culture and music and food and great people in both places,” Samuelsson said. “It felt like a great opportunity to bring the new audiences to the cultures of Cuba.”

Visit the restaurants participating in the Harlem-Havana Music & Cultural Festival during Harlem Week:

Mountain Bird: 251 E. 110th St. Visit www.tastingsnyc.com/social. Call (212) 744-4422.

Amor Cubano: 2018 Third Ave. Visit www.amorcubanonyc.com. Call (212) 996-1220. Email: info@amorcubanonyc.com.

Sylvia’s: 328 Lenox Ave. Visit www.sylviassoulfood.com. Call (212) 996-0660. Email: info@sylviasrestaurant.com.

Harlem’s Floridita: 2276 12th Ave. Visit www.harlemsfloridita.com. Call (212)662-0090. Email: info@harlemsfloridita.com.

Oso: 1618 Amsterdam Ave. Visit www.osoharlem.com. Call (646) 858-3139. Email: hola@osoharlem.com.

Red Rooster: 310 Malcolm X Blvd. Visit www.redroosterharlem.com. Call (212) 792-9001. Email: info@redroosterharlem.com.

Streetbird: 2149 Frederick Douglass Blvd. Visit www.streetbirdnyc.com. Call (212) 206-2557. Email: info@streetbirdnyc.com.

Ginny’s Supper Club: 310 Malcolm X Blvd. Visit www.ginnyssupperclub.com. Call (212) 421-3821. Email: info@ginnyssupperclub.com.

La Fonda Del Sol restaurant: 200 Park Avenue (Metlife Building).Visit www.lafondadelsolnyc.com. Call (212) 867-6767.