Rodney Rivera, executive chef at Historic Hotel Bethlehem, is sharing a recipe for a meal he once looked forward to every Sunday growing up, one that his grandmother would make for him: pork chops with Spanish chorizo yellow rice, red bean stew and tostones. Simply the smell and the sound of the pork chops on the grill bring him back to her kitchen in Puerto Rico. The rice recipe also includes his family's sofrito purée of peppers, garlic, onions and cilantro. By the young age of 13, Chef Rivera had lost both of his parents, and his grandmother raised him. “Every day there was a pot of rice with beans on the stove. At 95 years old, my grandmother is still cooking that way,” he says laughing.
Rivera moved to the Lehigh Valley with his brother when he was 19. His first job was actually at Hotel Bethlehem as a dishwasher. “I loved the energy of the kitchen,” he says. “I wanted to learn everything.” This led Chef Rivera to work at The Farm House and Shula's Steak House before returning to Hotel Bethlehem. He worked with Chef Michael Adams for 18 years and considers him his mentor.
In 2020, tragedy struck again when Rivera lost his younger brother. The resilience of Chef Rivera has forged him into the grateful, kind and inspiring man he is today. “I always tell my team what a privilege it is that we have a chance to cook for our diners. It is something that I never lose sight of,” he says. “I feel so thankful to be able to share my food with people.” This idea and knowledge of how precious life is makes Chef Rivera a remarkable leader. “One of my favorite things about cooking is my team I get to work with. It takes a great group of people to make a busy kitchen function and with this wonderful team we have so much fun together.”
The profound losses in Chef Rivera's life have only pushed him further and have given him a deep perspective on life. The simplicity of a family recipe, like the one he is sharing, is filled with nostalgia and love.
437 Main St., Bethlehem | 855.264.2598 | hotelbethlehem.com
Ingredients & Instructions
Pork Chops
4 ½-inch pork chops
1 Tbsp. fresh oregano
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup lime juice
Salt and pepper
Mix all ingredients, cover pork chops and let marinate 12 hours.
Pat chops dry, season with salt and pepper and grill until cooked.
Rice
1 quart water
2 cups white rice
½ cup tomato purée
1 Tbsp. sofrito purée (made of peppers, garlic, onions and cilantro—Rivera says every family has their own recipe)
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients and bring to boil. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Red Bean Stew
1 quart can red beans
4 cups water
1 Tbsp. sofrito purée
1 can tomato sauce
1 bay leaf
Combine all ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes, until reduced by one third.
Tostones
Peel and cut three-inch slices of green plantain.
Fry at 350 degrees for two minutes. Then, using the bottom of a large pot, smash the slices to ¼-inch thick and fry again for two minutes until crisp.
Plating
Put the rice on the plate surrounded by the beans. Add the pork chop with tostones and sliced avocado.
Published as “Beyond the Menu” in the September 2023 edition of Lehigh Valley Style magazine.
