Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Rabel.
Ana Rabel cooks to nourish and heal. Her kitchen creates meals that honor the palate, the body, and some might even say the soul. As a Cuban immigrant with the heartfelt belief that eating wholesome food prepared with love is the basis for good health, she developed a unique and eclectic cooking style that tastes great and feels good to the body long after the last bite.
Before delving into the restaurant world, Ana, a self-taught nutrition connoisseur, used her talents at home. While raising her three daughters, her kitchen became a hot spot for friends and family to just “drop in” around lunchtime hoping to snag one of her famous soups or salads. She then opened Yerba Buena Cafe, a cozy bistro which focused on hearty, clean food and was enriched by her love of art and music.
After selling her business, she accepted the manager position at The Zodiac restaurant inside the Neiman Marcus Bal Harbour shops and later moved to Mariposa, at Neiman Marcus The Village of Merrick Park, where she introduced a musical installation called Mariposa at Night so music lovers could enjoy acoustic performances and fine dining.
After those years in the corporate world and having the opportunity to work alongside very talented chefs, Ana and her eldest daughter Laura joined forces to open Green Gables Café, later to be joined by her second daughter Cristina, creator of the famous Black Bean Veggie Burger. Her youngest daughter Anavictoria works there in the summers while attending college. Ana and her dedicated team continue to raise the bar for the health food staple.
This year she will be celebrating 10 years since opening Green Gables Cafe, a bustling cafe in the heart of downtown Coral Gables, offering the best of organic foods: vibrant salads, fruit and vegetable juices, colorful seasonal entrees and delicious coffee drinks. Green Gables Cafe was at the vanguard of this movement and continues to stand out as a business committed to environmentally sustainable practices.
A thriving community of loyal customers and friends enjoy a unique rapport with Ana and her staff, where many who are devoted to the organic health food movement continuously come to enjoy lunch and share knowledge.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
We opened our doors in 2007 and the market crashed right after! it was never an easy ride, people were losing their jobs, their savings…. We had to offer a good product at a good price. our biggest challenge is keeping our prices affordable to the majority while using organic, high-quality ingredients.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with green gables cafe – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
While this is a “for profit” organization, profit is not our main goal. we aim to be kind to the environment and to support our community’s health goals. We are proud to serve wholesome meals at reasonable prices and most importantly, we have managed to do so consistently for over 10 years now.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Our goal is to grow stronger as a company by offering our great team more benefits, such as health insurance.
We are also considering opening a Green Gables Store where our customers can pick up food that is ready to go, recipes and freshly baked gluten-free products.
Contact Info:
- Address: 327 Alhambra Cir
- Website: greengablescafe.com
- Phone: 305-445-7015
- Email: ANA@GREENGABLESCAFE.COM
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greengablescafe/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreenGablesCafe/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/GreenGablesCafe
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/green-gables-caf%C3%A9-coral-gables
Image Credit:
Vivian Marquez
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
