Cuban-American chef John Maribona attributes his early love for food to four women in his family, his grandmother Ninfa Martin Maribona, mother Ivonne, aunt Chunchi and godmother Zurina Rioseco. It was their Cuban cooking that attracted John to the kitchen as a youngster. “My grandmother always encouraged me to learn to cook for myself in preparation for my voyage out into the world.  She would stress the importance of nourishment, balanced meals and good cooking for good health.”  

John’s professional career began at godmother Zurina’s Cuban restaurant in 1983. Since then, he has held chef, pastry chef and barman positions in some of the area’s top restaurants, bars, bakeries and hotels, bringing over 37 years of experience to Pambiche.

In addition to his chef career, John has had a long musical career as a singer and songwriter and owns Pure Cuban Sugar, an independent Cuban music label and recording studio, home of Caña Son, Machete Men and The Yumatics.