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Meet Chef Jorge Alvarez of The Stuffed Cuban in Coral Gables

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Chef Jorge Alvarez.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Chef Jorge. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Wiser people than me have said to find something you love to do and it will no longer feel like work….

I’ve always been blessed with a talent to cook delicious food. From 10 years of volunteering in retreat kitchens at my parish community, to the St. Theresa School fair – where we served 3,000 in one weekend. And of course, countless of events for friends and families. And always being mentored by professional chefs along the way.

At one point, about one year a half ago, the company I was with for 7 years, closed down without warning. At 55 years of age, and after 30 years in the corporate world, I found myself in uncharted waters.

So…. I launched a Go Fund Me fundraising campaign for friends and families. What a humbling and inspiring process. 75 people donated and made my dream a reality! Old friends, new friends, anonymous friends……We raised $17,000! Enough to purchase a used 1978 Chevy Step Van. Ever watch the movie ‘Chef”? Yes, it was in that condition!

I also used the money we raised to add a beautiful and colorful wrap on the truck and for numerous repairs. August 2017 marks the one year anniversary of our launch.

In April of this year we were contacted by the producers of Chef Gordon Ramsey’s new show “The F Word”.

He chose us because of the back story and for our unique menu item the Stuffed Toston. We stuff it with Cuban favorites such as mojito pulled pork, shrimp fricase, fried garbanzos and much more.

We are in line for similar episodes for Univision and Telemundo.

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?
My first event was a huge gathering where I was told over 1,000 guests would attend! What I wasn’t told was that there would be another 15 trucks in attendance. I way over purchased all items from food to soda to paper goods. I quickly learned to ask lots of questions for future events!

I tried twice to have a permanent location for the truck. It’s real tough in Miami Dade county to do that legally. There are hundreds of trucks that park in places where they are not allowed by code and can be asked to move at any time. That happened in my first permanent location where the permits I thought the owner had were not the correct ones. In my second try I joined with a partner that I did not know but I thought it was a great location.

Partnerships are difficult to begin with but one with someone you never worked with makes it that much more difficult, We had divergent strategies on menu so that didn’t last long either.

Regardless of these missteps, along the way I attended many more events and the catering part of the business took off; something I had not planned. The success of my truck menu caused customers to hire me for large private parties and even weddings!

And along the way we grew our social media presence to over 2000 followers on Instagram and Facebook. We have approximately 30 visits a day to our website that we can quantify and 100% 5 star reviews on Yelp.com.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the The Stuffed Cuban! story. Tell us more about the business.
Our market studies showed that successful food trucks have a signature item they are known for. There are thousands of Cuban restaurants in Miami Dade; where there are also almost 2 million Cubans. But for some reason there are very few Cuban food trucks.

Maybe some thought it was anti intuitive with so many Cuban food choices. But we stuck to that theme and our truck is in the top 1-5 Goggle searches when a Cuban food truck is searched for.

So we thought of a food item that is considered a delicacy as an appetizer at Cuban restaurants and offered at very few of them. That was the toston cup, fried, then stuffed with one or two Cuban staples. We expanded the choices to approximately 7 stuffed items and are adding many more. Hence the name The Stuffed Cuban! When people meet me, they think it is because of my non-svelte figure but they are wrong!

I am proud that my wife and 2 daughters help whenever they can when I have a food truck event or catering, I’m also proud of the fact my community was so supportive of my efforts.

We are a faith filled family and we didn’t know where the Lord was taking us but knew He had a plan. That plan is still unfolding but we now see a light at the end of the tunnel and it is not an incoming train!

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t believe in either! As I mentioned before, my family and I are blessed with the grace of faith. We are very active in our church community at the Church of the Little Flower in Coral Gables. We have been active there in various ministries for over 20 years. When we look back at our life, she and I have been married 31 years, we clearly see the hand of God throughout our walk. Yes, we have made mistakes but we attribute them to human error. We get up, dust ourselves off and try again.

This attitude clearly comes from our parents, both of them being Cuban exiles and very faithful themselves. Both hers and mine came to this country in the early 1960s without a penny to their name. I was one year old and my wife was one month old! They struggled without complaining and we never knew what we didn’t have. Both parents became financially successful and raised in my case 3 brothers, me being the oldest and in her case, one brother and two sisters, she being the youngest.

My father was an attorney in Cuba and washed dishes in Miami in an upscale restaurant for 2 years before he learned the language and earned the American dream. My mother earned a masters and doctorate degrees while raising 3 boys and working full-time. My mother in law worked in a factory for 30 years to help in raising her family. So our work ethic and commitment to God and family are very strong thanks to them!

Pricing:

  • 3 stuffed tostones (various options) such as : Shrimp Fricase, Picadillo Criollo, Lechon Asado, Arroz con Pollo, Vaca Frita and Garbanzos Fritos with yuca fries and home made cilantro sauce and a drink for $10
  • Classic Pan con Lechon (pulled mojito pork on Cban bread) with same sides as above for $10
  • Our catering menu includes rice dishes we cook on the premises from, $9 per person for Arroz con Pollo to $25 per person for the seafood paella and depending on number of guests

Contact Info:

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.

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