f e at u r e sto ry
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discover cuba
The sugar cane is a major crop on both the island of Cuba
and in South Florida. Guarapo, a drink made from sugar cane
juice, is as common in Cuba as Coca Cola is in the States.
There’s a very popular and genuine drink among Cuban
mixologists, Mojito. One of its essential ingredients is sugar
This refreshing cocktail has gained popularity in the last
decade around the world, and it is an original Cuban recipe
that uses spearmint or yerba buena, a mint variety very
popular on the island. The cocktail is relatively low in alcohol
and the combination of sweetness, citrus, and mint flavors
smooths the potent kick of the rum even more. Although
for many prominent mixologists, the exact origin of Mojito is
a subject of debate, Havana is the birthplace of the Mojito.
There are several versions of the cocktail, but the most
famous rum-based highball is a worldwide element for
which Cubans are famously known.
In the late 1950s, when Cuba underwent a catastrophic
change under Fidel Castro’s revolution, many Cubans fled
the island seeking political refuge. Most headed for Florida
and New York, but also to other countries like Spain.
In the 1960s Cubans found a new “temporary” home in
Florida and even Miami was dubbed Little Havana. The city
became a haven for a large Cuban community that fled the
island, traversing the Florida Straight in pursue of a better
life. Among those immigrants was Felipe Valls Sr., a
businessman from Santiago de Cuba.
Valls’ desire was to give his family and the rest of the
Cuban community in Miami a piece of home, a complete
Cuban experience—a Cuban hub. In 1971, Vall’s dream came
true as he opened Versailles Restaurant.
Cuban actor, director, and producer Andy Garcia eloquently
wrote in his foreword for The Versailles Restaurant
Cookbook, “All exile communities will find places of solace
wherever they end up. Places that provide this most
necessary emotional and spiritual space. Where one can
gather with fellow exiles and share a profound love and
nostalgia for the country they have left. For those of us in the
Cuban exile community in Miami, Versailles is such a place.”
“My grandfather created something that people missed at
home,” said Luly Valls, part owner of Versailles, and also of La
Carreta, another great Cuban restaurant in Miami. Since the
beginning, Versailles has been an iconic Cuban landmark in
in the Cuban community, with multiple locations, even one
at Miami International Airport.
Featured on the Food Network, the Travel Channel, CNN,
and named by TIME magazine as one of the top ten places
to visit in Miami, El Versailles as well as many other cafeterias
in Miami, serve Cuban sandwiches, a dish that in the early
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