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| The Beautiful Ana Quincoces |
This past season of The Real Housewives of Miami on Bravo TV brought us many twists and turns, laughter and tears, as well as the addition of some new cast members...one of which was Ana Quincoces. Ana Quincoces is a lawyer, chef, author , mother, and all around fabulous woman! I was immediately smitten by Ana's feisty yet down to earth attitude. I tweeted Ana back in October after I saw some photos of some delicious caramel apples that she was making and the rest , as they say, is history. In the following interview Ana opens up about The Real Housewives of Miami, her history , and her life...
BC: Tell me about where you grew up...
AQ: I was born and raised in
Miami, Fl.
BC: What was your childhood like?
AQ: My parents emigrated from Cuba in 1960 and settled in Miami where I
was born several years later. My childhood was pretty typical of a first
generation Cuban American. My parents worked very hard and took many odd jobs to
make ends meet. My childhood was not Norman Rockwell by any means but it was
idyllic by Cuban immigrant standards.
BC: When you were growing up what did you aspire to be?
AQ: Well I can tell you from the time I was 9 years old I knew
that I would be a lawyer! I was obsessed with the show Hill Street Blues and
thought that someday I would be just like the DA played by Veronica Hamel!
BC: Maybe you can play her part if they ever make it into a movie ( both laugh)
BC: I know that you had a very successful career happening prior to RHOM which includes being a lawyer, chef, as well as best selling author of the cookbooks Cuban Chicks Can Cook and Sabor! A Passion for Cuban Cuisine... for the readers who will be just " meeting you " for the first time on my site
please tell us how you came to be on RHOM on Bravo TV
AQ: Well lets see...I have had a successful
career as a lawyer for two decades before RHOM. The books happened quite by
accident. They were borne of my passion for cooking and as a way to leave a
lasting legacy for my girls. As a result of the success of the books, I began
doing regular cooking segments on television. That led to a guest appearance on
Season 1 of RHOM which coupled with my existing friendships with the other cast
members led to my being cast.
BC: The experience of being on reality television has to differ vastly from what you are used to doing as editing
comes into play and reality is no longer reality when the show airs...in your
opinion did we get a real feel for who you are? if not what would you like
people to know about you that we didn't get to see on The Real Housewives of Miami?
AQ: I was
surprised to see how organic the process of filming a reality TV show is. I
believe that for the most part what the viewers saw is who I truly am- although
the view was perhaps more of a glimpse. There were a lot of ladies on the show
which made each of our story lines a little narrow. There is a lot more about me
that the viewers have not yet seen. That's the beauty of being multi-faceted ( both laugh)
BC: Your passion for cooking has garnered you much attention and
success...you were even named
" Miami's Hottest Chef " ...when did you develop
this passion for cooking and what is your absolute favorite thing that you like
to make?
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| Ana doing one of the things she does best...cooking! |
AQ: My passion for cooking started at a very young age. My mother is
an excellent cook and I witnessed how her passion for cooking brought our family
and friends together. I loved how my childhood home was always the venue for all
the family gatherings and how the controlled chaos in the kitchen, the sound of
clattering plates, and smell of home cooking contributed to the ambiance. I
wanted to have that feeling in my own home. I can't identify one specific dish
as my favorite to cook but anything that takes a little time is something I
enjoy tremendously particularly because cooking relaxes me so.
BC: It is so refreshing how open you are ...so , if I may...regarding
your personal life ...you came on to RHOM at a time that most people would not
have ( with publicly going through divorce) what was that experience like to watch
back as it is hard enough to go through in real life?
AQ: It was a heart
wrenching experience as you can imagine. Filming it didn't make it more so
because more often than not I was unaware that the camera was even there.
Reliving it months later was particularly painful.
BC: Personally I feel like the silver lining was that it allowed the viewers to see that although sometimes things do not work out as planned in a relationship both parties can still be
amicable for the greater good of all involved... after all we choose our partners
and loved them at one point in time ..still it's always sad when that doesn't work out.
AQ: Very true... I have
received hundreds of emails from newly divorced men and women seeking advice and
commending us for doing divorce right. I'm not sure divorce is ever right but
the fact that we did it in the most humane way possible and committed to making
sure our daughters were not the rope in a tug of war between us is something we
are all very proud of.
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| Ana's beautiful daughters |
BC: As you should be! You also had your beautiful daughters as part of
the show do you regret that in any way?
AQ: I have no regrets about that. My
daughters are the most extraordinary young women I know. They are smart and
industrious. Great daughters, granddaughters, siblings, friends, and students.
They are strong and compassionate and I am certain the universe is a better
place because they are in it.
BC: That is very sweet and I love it when families get along and are close!
AQ: Yes I am blessed!
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| Proud Momma! |
BC: After The Real Housewives of Miami Reunion show aired the feeling in social media about you was that you came out " guns blazing " ...did you suffer a
backlash from viewers as a result?
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| RHOM Ana Quincoces, Marysol Patton, and Alexia Echevarria |
AQ: That is a very tricky question to answer. Suffice it to say
that I did not actually come out "guns blazing". I will always defend myself
when the situation requires it. And the situation (because of editing and the
limits placed upon the editors) did not air exactly as it occurred but it most
definitely required it. The reunion was more than 10 hours long and there is A
LOT that the viewers did not see. Fortunately, the backlash was limited to one
or two women (from Texas) who repeatedly accused me of being an ageist. I
usually don't dignify silly accusations with a response and because the sources
were so specific and suspect, it seemed pointless. I will say this, fighting is
never fair. The spoils usually go to the honest and quick witted. I did not have
to resort to a tired old Gordon Gecko line ("if you keep spreading lies about
me, I will start telling the truth about you") to garner oohs and ahhs. It was
clear that Lea was shaken to the core. And it had little to do with any digs
about her age. It was deeper than that and much more serious. The age comments
were spread out over the 10 hour period and the motivation for them had almost
nothing to do with the fact that she is the oldest housewife in the franchise.
It had to do with the fact that her flimsy house of cards was built upon this
cosmetic line that she credits for her line free sexagenarian skin. She did not
admit to the face lifts or even botox or fillers and even refused to divulge her
real age when Andy asked during the reunion (that part did not air either). The
"digs" were meant to hit her where it hurts and to divulge yet another aspect of
Lea that lacks veracity. I believe I had enough "credit in the bank" with the
viewers from the 15 episodes before the reunion. For the most part, the
consensus was that whatever I did was justified because gratuitous attacks are
inconsistent with the person the viewers had come to know throughout the
season.
BC: What can you tell us about ( you prob
get this all the time) about what was in the folder concerning
Lea Black? I was disappointed that editing
chopped that up.
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| The RHOM Reunion Alexia, Ana, Marysol , and Adrianna |
AQ: The network and producers had their reasons for not
airing the contents of my folder. I cannot comment on whether extraordinary
measures were taken by Lea and her husband to keep viewers from seeing them. I
have been contacted by national media to "hand over" this now infamous file. I
have chosen not to do so for now. The contents of my file are all records that
can be easily attained by anyone who knows where to look as they are all public
documents. I would never jeopardize some one's career or ask that they share
privileged information about another person or entity.
BC: Will you return
to Real Housewives of Miami to film another season?
AQ: I hate to give you the canned response but as far
as I know, no decision on season 3 has been made. Given the projects I am
working on, the timing of all things would have to coincide in a manner that
would make filming another season beneficial for both me and the franchise.
BC: What projects can you discuss with my readers that are in the works?
AQ: I
am working on the final edits of The Versailles Restaurant Cookbook. It is the
most iconic Cuban restaurant in the world and I am very proud to be part of that
project. Book number 4 is also in development and I will begin recipe testing
for it soon.
BC: Ooh sign me up! ( both laugh)
AQ: My Million Dollar Marinade should be hitting the shelves in the
next couple of weeks followed by my spice line.
BC: You are one busy gal!
AQ: Yes and I am grateful for all the opportunities... I also have an espresso maker in
development which should be ready by April 1st and will be the perfect
complement to Mama Elsa's Havana Elsa coffee.
BC: I love Mam Elsa and her coffee!
AQ: Yes she is wonderful!
BC: I heard that you may be opening a restaurant...
AQ: We shall see! I am talking to several
investors about opening a restaurant in the Design District /Wynwood area or in
the alternative a pop up restaurant with another celebrity chef. Meanwhile...
I will also be
participating in several SOBE Food and Wine Festival events at the end of
February.
Sobefest.com
BC: You are going to need a vacation after all that! ( both laugh) If you had a dream vacation or a good few days off where would you be and what would you be doing?
AQ:I
have been fortunate enough to travel extensively and visit some pretty amazing
places. Kenya was a surreal experience and I can hardly wait to return. But
perhaps the place I would most like to spend a short vacation is Big Sur. I was
there on a very special trip last year and just thinking about it brings a smile
to my face.
BC: Final thought...In my opinion you are a great role model for
women...smart, sexy, strong , and successful...what message would you like women
who look up to you ( and there are many) to receive?
AQ: Thank you Billy! I
feel blessed that so many women see me as a role model. Perhaps it is because I
am not perfect nor do I pretend to be. I have always been willing to share my
struggles as well as my triumphs with them. I would love to tell them that it is
never too late to try something new, to pursue a dream, to reinvent yourself.
That confidence is a work in progress and that it is only through both success
and failure that it is built and strengthened. I would tell them that enjoying
the journey (while cliche) is so very important and that the unknown while scary
can also be very exciting.
BC: I agree! Thank you so much for allowing me to get to know you better!
AQ: Thank you for sharing my story with your readers!
BC: The pleasure was all mine!
As you can see Ana is very straightforward and candid on who she is and what she feels! I hope you all enjoyed getting to know her as much as I did. Ana is successful because she is a hardworking woman who lives her life to the fullest and makes her passions and dreams work for her! She is serving up " Spicy Cuban" realness making us want to come back for more and more ... and that's the way I see it !
Xx Billy Charles
Follow Ana Quincoces on Twitter @AnaQooks and visit her web site to find the latest news about her and her life :
http://www.anaquincoces.com/?limitstart=4
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