Through what the Celia Cruz-scored rabbit hole had I fallen?!
Everyone was speaking Spanish, the smell of a freshly brewed coffee colada permeated the air, and the glass cases before me were packed with pastelitos de guayaba.
When asked why I value travel, I typically cite the benefits of interacting with new cultures. But what I found most heartwarming in Louisville, Kentucky, was connecting with my own Cuban heritage, in the most unexpected of places.
Walking into Sweet Havana, I was instantly transported to the Miami of my youth. Learning from owner Carmen Margarita Coro how in five years she built a family business that is now a thriving bakery, restaurant, multi-room event space and a meeting hub for Louisville’s Cubans, affirmed the moxy running through our Latin communities. Hearing stories of the neighborhood’s colorful characters—like Officer Vlad who created a Spanish TikTok to provide insight into Kentucky laws after new arrivals would line up during his lunch break to ask questions—reminded me of scenes from my childhood, helping relatives who spoke no English navigate a new world.
My immigrant story is not that unique. I arrived in Miami from Cuba with my family at age seven. But as an adult who has felt disconnected from his Cuban culture since leaving Miami at 18, my visit to Sweet Havana created a surprising bond to Kentucky’s largest city.
*Read my full article on how Louisville is home to one of the fastest-growing Cuban populations in the United States, published in National Geographic.
