Jorge Chalgub and his daughter, Dayana Mireles, co-own Taste of Havana, which is located at 815 Broad Ripple Avenue. Combining their Cuban culinary skills, they opened their restaurant last fall and have quickly attracted a loyal clientele.

"My father and his family left Cuba in 1960. He worked in the restaurant business for over 20 years, then took a break for a few years and then decided to return to the restaurant industry. In Miami, he started out as a dishwasher and worked his way up to regional Research & Development Manager of Bennigans Restaurants. He designed a famous restaurant in Miami called Monty Trainers and brought a popular restaurant, La Carreta, to the Miami International Airport where he worked before moving to Indianapolis," Ms. Mireles explained.

"When I was a student at Florida International University, I started working at Bennigans Restaurant. They offered me a position in their management training program. I was division manager of a management company, Sirgany International. We used to manage the food and beverage area of the Miami International Airport. Miami is where the Cuban culture has been preserved. You see more of the Cuban culture there because it has been lost in Cuba itself," Chalgub noted.

"I was going to Indianapolis University-Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI) and since my father left the trucking business, we thought about opening a restaurant. We couldn't find a good Cuban sandwich in town, so we opened Taste of Havana," she said.

"So far, we're really happy with the results. We really did not have an initial idea of what we wanted to do, but when we saw the location in Broad Ripple, we had a concept of what we wanted to do. We try to make our sandwiches as authentic and as high quality as we can. We have been welcomed very much in the neighborhood. We have found out that there are a lot of people here from the South Florida area," Chalgub added.

"Our most popular and most traditional item is the Cuban sandwich that comes in three sizes. The Cuban is made of roast pork, sweet ham, Swiss cheese, mustard and pickles. We roast our own pork and it is marinated heavily. Marinating the ingredients gives it that authentic taste. We have the roasters on all day long and we try to make it as authentic as we can, starting with the bread. The bread is one of the most important parts. Cuban bread is made from a two day process. After each ingredient you put into the mix, you let it rise with the yeast. It's such a soft bread and the lard gives it a flaky crust. Even though our cuisine is mostly non-vegetarian, we created a sandwich with roasted veggies," Ms. Mireles mentioned.

"Our vegetarian sandwich has zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, onions, peppers, tomatoes, basil, oregano, garlic and extra virgin olive oil. We notice that a lot of vegetarians like spicy foods, so we have a homemade chipotle sauce that a lot of people like. We make our black bean soup from scratch," he described.

Some of their other sandwiches include Elena Ruth (turkey, cream cheese, strawberry or raspberry preserves), Pan con Bistec (thin cut steak with grilled onions, potato sticks, lettuce, tomato and mayo), Sandwich con Chorizo (Spanish Chorizo - not Mexican, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard) and Havana Yacht Club (ham, turkey, Spanish Chorizo, bacon, Swiss cheese, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayo).

Taste of Havana's desserts and other delicacies include Pork Wings (a quarter-pound pork shank dipped in their homemade mojito), Pastelitos (a baked pastry with Guava, Guava & Cream Cheese, Cream Cheese or Strawberry & Cream Cheese filling) and Flan (a creamy caramel egg custard), Maduros (baked sweet plantain) and Black Bean Soup, available in a cup or bowl.

Their root beer, called Ironbeer, is Cuba's national beverage that dates back to 1917. It was first delivered to a cafeteria in Havana on a summer afternoon that year by a mule-drawn wooden wagon and contains a hint of island spices.

Reviews by local media place Taste of Havana high on their menu. They were voted one of the top ten Indianapolis restaurants in 2013 by The Indianapolis Star and listed in the top 100 new bistros by Urban Spoon. In addition, they appear in the top four new eateries in Indianapolis by Yelp. This has generated a loyal customer following for those seeking distinctive ethnic food. "I've tried Cuban sandwiches from many places, but you can't find a better Cuban sandwich than here," said Alexander Limontes, a Miami native and personal injury attorney with Mitchell Hurst Dick & McNeils, LLC.

In addition to Cuban music heard in the restaurant, there are various photographs appearing around an illustrated map of Cuba. This literally gives patrons a Taste of Havana, whose hours are 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, Noon to 10 p.m. Sunday and closed on Monday. They can also cater your next event or business meeting when you place your order at 559-4369. Their menu is available at: www.tasteofhavanaindy.com and at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Taste-of-Havana/497054783703891

Taste of Havana could inspire a culinary democracy in Jorge Chalgub's native Cuba, but one doesn't have to travel there to enjoy their sandwiches, soups, beverages and desserts. He and his daughter, Dayana, await your visit at Indy's "Little Havana" on Broad Ripple Avenue.