CUBA CUBA SANDWICHERIA BOULDER HISTORY

I was born in rural Matanzas, Cuba one month after Castro's revolution. I moved to the states with my family in 1965, quite literally with only the clothes we had on, fleeing harsh living conditions under Castro's regime. We lived in Connecticut until 1973, and then moved to Miami to be near expatriated extended family.

In June of 2000, I moved to Boulder with my former partner Amy DeWitt and opened The Cream Puffery, a quirky eatery and pastry shop that featured Latin fusion delicacies. After several months in business, customer demand for authentic Cuban dishes prompted a menu expansion to include the classic Cuban sandwiches, Ropa Vieja, Picadillo, Puerco Asado as well as some obscure dishes plucked from Sanchez' youthful memories. The Cream Puffery won numerous awards and was a favorite dining and hang spot for loyal customers from Boulder to Denver.

During the first year of operation, Miami Cuban, Kristy Socarras Bigelow visited the Cream Puffery and became fast friends with my partner and I. Socarras was in the process of opening a full service Cuban restaurant in Denver, Cuba Cuba Cafe & Bar. It opened to enormous acclaim, winning numerous awards. Our association and affection grew as we each became fans of the others' eateries.

I joined the Cuba Cuba team as a restaurant manager in 2008, after closing the Cream Puffery. I thankfully was in my element as an integral part of a culinary team dedicated to merging long established Cuban delicacies with fresh, developing food trends.

After ten successful years, Socarras made plans to bring Cuba Cuba to Boulder in a different package, and Cuba Cuba Sandwicheria was born. I am so proud to be a part of this project, which also sparked the emergence of the sandwich shop in Glendale the summer of 2013. I truly believe that they will successfully manifest both the Cuba Cuba Cafe & Bar and my first project, the Cream Puffery's reputation for delivering satisfying and entertaining culinary experiences for all its guests.