Alexys Hernández on his Cuban pastry and bagel sandwich pop up in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Growing up in Texas, Alexys Hernández’s restaurant environment was made up largely of chains and Mexican joints. The mom-and-pop-heavy landscape of Cambridge and Somerville, Massachusetts (or Camberville, as they say in those parts) was something new. What wasn’t was a dearth of great Cuban food, which is what Alexys was raised on at home in a Cuban-American family.

In this conversation with chef Michael Beltrán, Alexys talks about Ensueño Cubano, the Cuban pastry and sandwich pop up he launched at Bagelsaurus, where he’s been working for several years. From learning to make his own Cuban bread to keeping up with the demand for pastelitos made with the puff pastry he makes from scratch, Alexys has cleared hurdles, learned lessons, and picked up experience that will inform the next steps in his Cuban food venture’s growth.

Alexys and Mike also discuss how they’ve used the attention they get for Cuban food to shine a light on human rights abuses in Cuba, especially since the July 11, 2021 protests on the island.

In the Patreon-exclusive extended cut’s lightning round, Mike asks Alexys about his bagel preferences, whether he makes Cuban coffee at home, and more.

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