The Bakery In Little Havana

When you are in an unfamiliar place filled with unknown pastries and people speaking another language, it is good to hang back a little and observe your surroundings.  We pulled a tab to hold our place in the line of waiting customers and took a look at the beautifully displayed variety of Cuban pasteries.  They all looked so good.  Some had filling that wasn't obvious.  None of these were marked with a price and the names of each were in Cuban.  I tend to want to know what the locals enjoy, so I stood and watched these beautiful people as we waited for our number to come up.  Wondering who knew English, I scanned the faces of those around me.  Beside me was a kind and gentle face and I approached her and asked if she spoke English.  She looked at me and her face lit up with a soft smile and eyes twinkled and told me she knew a little.  So I told her I had just moved to Miami three weeks ago from Indiana.  I wondered which of the pastries were good.  She walked over to the case and pointing at a few, described some to me.  I then asked her which ones were her favorite.  We got to chatting a little more.  She moved here twenty-one years ago with her husband from Cuba.  I told her how much we already love it here.  

So much goes on in a short amount of time when you 1st meet someone.  You are observing their face, non-verbal communication, degree of comfortableness in talking with a stranger, how far a person is willing to offer information about their personal life etc.  These kinds of things tell you a lot about a person.  Also while doing that, continuing to observe the orders placed and watching as the food is served at the counter.  What are people enjoying, which pastry and beveridge is enjoyed together.  How do the employee's interact with their customers and keep track of orders and receive payment.  So much is processed by all the senses simultaneously.

Each customer here was waited on with plenty of personal attention and beveridges made on the spot.  The Cuban coffee was the hot spot area.  So many people ordering the fresh hot delicacy along with their pastries.  I noticed some customers had ordered the traditional Cuban Expresso in the smaller styrofoam cups layered with a rich white crema over the top.  I also noticed some customers ordered coffee and it was served in a larger cup.

Gladys, the dear older woman I had been chatting with was still beside me and I asked her husband about the larger cups of coffee.  He said it was Cuban coffee made with milk.  I asked if you can get it flavored and he nodded affirmatively.  He mentioned that it was so much better than what is served in the hospital.  His passing comment made wonder if he was a doctor.  This was the same Cuban Expresso but it was made with hot milk and called, as I learned later, "Cafe Leche Caf".

Nicholas was so much like his wife.  Friendly, seemed to enjoy my questions, and even my observing his selection as I scanned the items on his tray.  He had ordered two rounded servings of chicken salad arranged on lettuce and served individually on little plates, two pastries that were different than any I'd seen before and two little Cuban Expresso's.  It was a wonderful full tray of delectable choices and his bill only came to a little over $12.  He went and sat down with his wife at the little round cafe table against the wall.

I ordered a pastry with a coconut filling and another one with a guava filling.  This process of having to point at a pastry and ask about it's content was a little awkward but keeping in mind to give myself a little grace, it being our 1st time and all.  We'll be in there like a boss before long, speaking Cuban and asking for pastries by name.  At least I hope so! Cubans love their pastries and coffee!  And you have to love a culture like this!  I think I want to be adopted.

Terry ordered a piece of key-lime pie and fresh to order, squeezed orange juice.  We watched our server gather the oranges and slip them into the machine and out came that sumptuous drink.  And I didn't know what to call the coffee I was ordering.  I called it a latte but my server mentioned they do not serve American coffee and I told her it was no problem.  She understood I wanted the cafe with leche.  And next time I will be able to order more confidently.

One cannot put a price tag on this kind of experience.  Our bill came to a little over $9.00.  But how does one process the precious love shown us by Gladys and Nicholas?  As we were waiting for our order, Nicholas came back over to us with a little slip of paper.  It was their names and phone number with an offer to call them anytime.  Hard to process such a display of love in a busy Cuban cafe and bakery.  But after we picked up our goodies to take with us, I was able to run back to their little table to say goodbye to Gladys.  We shared the customary kiss on the cheek and a hug together and it was genuine on her part and mine.

This kind of experience of buying pastries with Cuban cafe would have been much better if we could have stayed and enjoyed it slowly over conversation and eye to eye, but we had to get back across town to pick up our children from youth group. And we ended up being late.

When you come to visit us here in Miami, I will take you to Versailles Bakery and you can enjoy a delicious Cuban pastry and try a Cuban Cafe Leche in the heart of Little Havana.  I'll make sure we have time to enjoy this experience together properly.

I'll also make sure we go earlier in the day.  My alert mind did not want to fall asleep last night.  I'm not sure if it was the coffee or the fact I have been staying up until 2 or 3:00am almost every night or a combination of both.  The night hours are so peaceful.