Cuba | Southern Señora

Cuban Sandwich from Kool Korners Sandwich shop in Vestavia.

It was 11:15 a.m. and I was sitting at my desk thinking about lunch. Actually…I was sitting at my desk thinking about Cuban Sandwiches since it was the day after Kool Korners reopened in Vestavia!!!

I’ve been waiting for many months for this to happen – 9 to be exact! This cute little sandwich shop used to be in the Vestavia Hills City Center but closed in June 2015 after 6 years because the owners Bill and Ildefonso Ramirez, could not agree on a new lease with the shopping center’s owners. They assured all their regular customers that they were looking for a new location in Vestavia and would be back soon. Well, the wait is over! On March 21st, Kool Korners reopened in Vestavia. This time in the Vestridge Commons retail center on US 31.

The senior Ramirez is 93 years old and immigrated from Cuba in the early 1970s with his wife, Lucia, and young son Bill. They fled the Castro regime in Cuba where Sr. Ramirez was a very successful chemist. He and his family first landed in Spain for several years and then arrived in Miami. Eventually they moved to Atlanta so their son could attend college on a scholarship. In Atlanta, Sr. and Sra. Ramirez opened a grocery store where they began selling Cuban sandwiches. Unfortunately, the store burned down but soon after Sr. Ramirez opened Kool Korners in Midtown Atlanta. He ran his business there for 25 years and received many accolades and quite a fan base for his food. When the building that housed Kool Korners was sold in 2008, Sr. Ramirez moved to Alabama to be closer to his son, Bill. On a side note, I remember Bill Ramirez back in the day when our sons played soccer together in the Hoover Soccer Club. Bill was always the voice on our answering machine when the Club would have messages for the players and parents! Small world, huh?!

Kool Korners opened in Alabama in 2009 and Cuban sandwiches were introduced to a whole new fan base in Alabama! I remember taking my mother there for lunch once and Sr. Ramirez came by to check on us and we started speaking in Spanish – of course, this was after my mother said – “my daughter speaks Spanish!” He is such a sweet man and so interested in his customers and their enjoyment of his food! You could tell he loves his work!

We got a front door parking spot at Kool Korners on the 2nd day of the shop reopening in Vestavia!

So, on Tuesday, March 22nd, I sent a text to my hubby saying, “Feel like getting a Cuban sandwich?” He said “Sure! Where?” We headed over to Vestavia and luckily found a parking space right in front! The place was packed already and as we looked around, there were no seats available. We got in line to order and hoped for the best! Eddie and I both ordered the Cuban sandwich combo which includes a drink and chips of your choice. I really, REALLY wanted a Guava and Cream Cheese Pastelito, but they were out of them…and this was at11:45 a.m.!!! I’ll have to save that for another time. I just love guava! I could probably write an entire post about guava. (jot that down, Teresa….) Let me just say for the record too…those Cuban sandwiches did NOT disappoint!!!

I’m surprised I even got a picture of the sandwich after taking a bite…it was hard not to inhale this deliciousness!

Some people may wonder what all the fuss is about with Cuban sandwiches. After all, it’s just pork, ham, swiss cheese, mayo, mustard and dill picked on bread, right? Well…..not quite. It’s Cuban style roasted pork and the Cuban bread that make these sandwiches so tasty. Cuban bread is similar to French bread but during baking includes a small amount of lard or vegetable shortening. There are also any number of ways you can season the pork roast and I found and bookmarked numerous excellent recipes all over the Food Network on how to do this. Once all the ingredients are assembled and layered on the bread, you press the sandwich down for about 5 minutes on each side with a bacon press or even a heavy cast-iron pan. If you have a sandwich press, that works too! The finishing touch is to slice it diagonally.

I wanted a chance to see Sr. Ramirez when Eddie and I went by that day but the place was so packed that I decided to wait until another time. Right as we were leaving, I spotted him coming out of the back kitchen area and greeting a few people waiting for “to-go” orders. I hope I get the chance to speak to him next time I’m in Kool Korners. I’ve been looking over their menu and I’m hungry again! The photo of the empanadas on their website already has my stomach growling! YUM!

The counter and menu at Kool Korners. I was hoping to get a glimpse of Sr. Ramirez when I ordered. The place was so crowded that I figured he was a little busy back in the kitchen!

Lots of interesting art on the walls at Kool Korners. Eddie and I sat under this painting of an old Chevrolet in Havana as we enjoyed our lunch.

I had to post a photo of my handsome lunch date as he patiently awaited our delicious sandwiches!

This was the crowd during the last two acts of the night…incredible! Despite the cold!

This was Fiesta’s “lucky” 13th year. Every year as we (the organizers) approach the event, we always keep our fingers crossed about the weather and every year with the exception of one, the weather was beautiful, sunny and warm. This year, the outlook started out that way…we kept looking at the forecast and it showed mild temperatures but sunny. Perfect, you could say! Then closer to the event, it showed cloudy and a chance of showers. Then it started raining…

Two Fiesta patrons in rain gear on their way to the Coca Cola Music Stage.

When you have an outdoor festival, you have to expect the weather will catch up with you at some point. So for Fiesta’s 13th year, it did. We thought the rain would stop by noon – that’s when Fiesta “officially” opens, so we were hopeful. Then the forecast changed to 1 p.m. – and if you were there, you know that didn’t happen. I think we were just on the wrong side of the road when it came to the rain. Thankfully, it wasn’t a downpour. And thankfully, people came out and simply put on hats, rain ponchos or just didn’t care about getting wet. Incredibly, as the day went on, and the drizzle came and went, people kept coming and enjoying the villages and especially the music. All in all, I would have to say this was one of our best years!

Veronica Richey with BB&T Bank threw on a rain poncho and got to work at her booth at Fiesta wearing a Costa Rica hat!

This year’s Fiesta showed us that people love this event and want to be here no matter what. It also proved to be one of the most diverse crowds I believe we have ever had. This absolutely thrilled us. This event matters to the Hispanic community and also to the community at large and this was proven with the numbers we saw all day long. About 10,000 people made it to Fiesta this year!

Personally, I had the best time once I stopped worrying about my soggy hair. Thank goodness for hair pins! As I walked through the park and strolled down the Cultural Village with my camera, I grew a little concerned for the Cultural Village. Each year these wonderful members of our Hispanic community bring their own personal artifacts and treasures to share with the Fiesta patrons. The tents helped keep things dry and the rain didn’t seem to affect those who were there. They just adjusted and pulled the crowds in to share their country stories.

Los Millos booth at the Food Village – this was early in the day as the food vendors began preparing food for the day. This is where I got the delicious empanadas from Jairo and Lucero Vargas!

So, right after my friends and Latino News owners, Jairo and Lucero Vargas treated me to empanadas at the Colombian food vendor – Los Millos, I walked through the village and visited my friend Miguel Vilchez who pulled the Peru booth together. He gave me a red Peruvian hat to wear to take care of my hair later that day – even though he said my hair looked fine – he’s such a gentleman! Across from Peru was the Mexico booth. Maria and Luis had pulled together two booths of beautiful Mexican art and pottery. It was so colorful! They gave me a Jarrito jug as a gift which is simply beautiful and then poured me a tequila shot and we took selfies. Next I went to take photos of the Cuba booth where they gave me some Cuban coffee…OMGEEEE! That was so wonderful and after the tequila, it REALLY warmed me up. When I tell you how awesome the Cultural Village is, you need to believe me! Because of the weather, we all huddled closer together under each tent as we made our way through the village and vendors stationed throughout. It was such a great feeling of friendship and belonging. It’s the type of feeling I want everyone to experience at Fiesta.

And here I was worried about the rain…