Chef Paul Menta has kitesurfed from Key West to Cuba and pursued his sport in places as extreme as a lake beside three Guatemalan volcanoes at an elevation of 10,000 feet. Widely regarded as a kiteboarding pioneer, he adventured around the world and then settled in Key West, where he pursued a career as a chef and restaurateur. In 2013, Menta opened the Key West First Legal Rum Distillery, turning his talents as a chef to the creation of fine locally-produced rums. Located in a former Coca-Cola bottling plant, the distillery is decorated with memorabilia from the Keys’ rum-soaked past. Also the author of “NativeFuel,” a Keys cookbook/food history book, Menta enthralls distillery visitors with quirky tales and rum-tasting sessions.