2015 Cuban Sandwich Festival Winners
Tia’s Restaurant
Winner of Best Cuban
Sandwich in the World!
Latin Times Magazine: Tell us about
how and why Tia's got started?
Tia’s Restaurant: Tia's basically was my
gift to my mother on her 61st birthday,
Susana Gonzalez, she always dreamed
of having a restaurant since she was a
little girl it was one of the dreams left
that I felt could be brought to fruition.
Latin Times Magazine:
Tell
us
about
your
Tia's
Team
Tia’s Restaurant: The team consists
of me Gabriel Gonzalez which is one
of Tia's (Susana) four kids, Leida who
has worked her way up from waitress
to assistant cook and prep cook, then
there is Regan, our waitress and then
we have Tia herself, which is mami to
all of us here in one way or another lol.
Latin Times Magazine: Tell us about
why your Cuban Sandwich won the
Best Cuban Sandwich in the world...
what goes into a great Cuban Sandwich?
Tia’s Restaurant: OUR SANDWICH
IS BEST IN THE WORLD BECAUSE
JUDGES AT THE COMPETETION
PICKED US AS THE World’s best!
What goes in to making a great Cuban
first and for most you gotta be honest
with yourself, slapping cold cuts and
mustard on Cuban bread and saying
your the best is not the way. Study and
learn of the tradition, understand that
in culinary there are several ways to do
things right. I truly believe this next
statement to the core, pulled or sliced
roast pork is fine as long as you made
it, with that i mean you seasoned that
pork and roasted it, if you use cold
cut roast pork to me your a sucker a
fraud and lost. Also the proper bread
for us La Segunda bakery in Ybor
makes the perfect unmatchable bread
for our use. Use a good quality ham
same goes for the genoa salami we like
a imported aged in wine variant, the
rest is mustard pickle and high quality
Swiss cheese. Attention to detail and
press it at a temp that will heat not just
the bread but the meats and cheese.
Latin Times Magazine: What can we
expect from Tia's at next years’ Cuban
Sandwich Festival?
Tia’s Restaurant: The same world
topping sandwich that won this year
but with better craftsman ship as
should be every year going forward,
my late father David Gonzalez, always
instilled in us that Mastery can only be
achieved thru constant progress that
must start at the respected basics of the
said craft only then may we experiment
in the search to evolve for only one
purpose a greater final product that
still honors yet surpasses the capabilities of its original. so in short we will
only strive to make a better product
never a cheaper rendition.
It’s the Tia's way across the board!
22
The Floridian
Winner of Best Historic
Tampa Cuban Sandwich!
Latin Times Magazine: Tell us about
how the Floridian got started?
The Floridian: We opened the
Floridian in March 2009. I opened
The Floridian 5 years after selling
Sam Seltzer’s Steakhouse after my 5
year ‘non-compete’ expired, feeling
that Tampa would warmly receive our
concept and appreciate our Cuban
and other sandwiches & homemade
sides. We felt there was a niche in the
Westshore area for great sandwiches
and homemade sides. Another thing
that distinguishes us from most Cuban
sandwich shops is that we serve a
fabulous breakfast.
Latin Times Magazine: Tell us about
your Team
The Floridian: In addition to myself,
our General Manager is Teri Oleson,
who spent several years with me at
both Harold Seltzer’s Steakhouse as
Director of Operations and at Sam
Seltzer’s Steakhouse. Julia Willis and
Kelly Cox are among our longest
standing employees and along with
the rest of our team, are committed to
personable and friendly service and
have established a wonderful rapport
with our terrific customers.
Latin Times Magazine: Tell us about
why your Cuban Sandwich won the
Best Tampa Historic Cuban Sandwich...what goes into a great Cuban
Sandwich?
The Floridian: ‘Best’ is always a matter
of opinion, and we were humbled,
delighted & thrilled to have been
judged ‘Best Historic Tampa Cuban
Sandwich’ by the esteemed list of celebrity judges at the most recent National
Cuban Sandwich Festival in March.
But our slogan since we began is ‘The
Finest Cuban Sandwich on the Planet’,
because we insist on using the finest
ingredients available for our sandwiches and other menu items, starting with
what we feel is the best Cuban bread in
the Tampa Bay area, delivered fresh out
of the oven to us early in the morning
every day by La Segunda Central
Bakery in Ybor City. We feel that our
emphasis on the finest ingredients was
the main reason we won the top prize
at the recent National Festival.
Latin Times Magazine: What can we
expect from the Floridian at next years’
Cuban Sandwich Festival?
The Floridian: More of the same. Our
mission is to use the finest ingredients
to create the finest product and to do
so for every customer, every visit, every
day. Consistency and attention to detail
has always been my main focus and we
hope that our product will once again
find favor with the judges next year, as
well as with every customer daily.
Latin Times Magazine
Stone Soup Co.
Winner of Most