Tarrytown's Cuban Flavor
By Sylvia Fine
March 20, 1977

The men mill about the local gathering place, a small restaurant where they smoke and sip strong coffee while discussing in Spanish the burning issues of the day. Down the road, blue water shimmers under the bright sun.

It could be a small village along the Cuban coast. But the water in this case is the Hudson River and the road goes by the gringo name of Main Street—Main Street in Tarrytown.

Here in the midst of Washington Irving country, a Cuban barrio flourishes in symbiotic community with a long established, largely Italian population.

Some 3,000 strong, the Cuban population occupies an area extending about four‐fifths of a mile, reaching into the neighboring village of North Tarrytown.

For these immigrants, many of whom came here in the mid‐1960's, work is important. But because of language harriers, talent is often subordinated to available jobs.

Many of the Cubans work at the General Motors assembly plant in North Tarrytown and at Union Carbide's Tarrytown branch. Others have opened shops and restaurants in the two towns.

And as in any ethnic community, food is the great common denominator.

Chorizos, plantains, beans and rice are the order of the day, and shoppers find themselves supplied with “everything we could want for the table that we had in Cuba,” according to one woman on her way to market.

In Tarrytown, the local gathering place is Orestes Suarez's Lucky Seventh Cafeteria at 31 Main Street.

“This is the way of life in the old country,” Mr. Suarez explains. “When work is done it is the custom to gather around and talk.” And, he might have added, to eat.

His homestyle specialties include plantain soup, a rich, thick blend that can he had for 75 cents; or a heaping platter of yellow rice, black beans and ropa vieja (shredded beef) that is a $2.25 bargain. An expresso machine dispenses Cafe Pico, a Latin‐style brew.

Next door, also at 31 Main Street, the Lucky Seventh Grocery (owned by
Mr. Suarez's uncle) displays all manner of Cuban delicacies: galletas (crackers), fresh white cheese, green and yellow plantains, flan mixes, guava paste and crispy plantain chips. It is the oldest of several groceries in the Cuban community, having been opened in 1963.

Around the corner, at 5 North Broadway, Olga Gonzales Kaufmann operates the Silver Wheel, which specializes in jewelry, tea‐service sets and watches—all made exclusively of silver.

A marketing graduate of Iona College, she admits to being an exception in marrying a non‐Cuban. “The Spanish people stick together and try to maintain their customs. They're very protective,” she said.

Other Cuban‐owned businesses in Tarrytown include Mesa Fabrics, at 35 Main Street, a new, pin‐neat supplier of materials and advice. And a new Cuban restaurant is due to open at 27 Main Street.

In North Tarrytown, a popular source of groceries and take‐out food is Renaldo Barrios's Nite and Day Delicatessen, at 90 Beekman Avenue. There's no sign outside, just two shop windows filled with goods; but the enticing smells from the tiny kitchen signal the home of a unique hamburger called the Cuban Frita and traditional empanadas.

“Those McDonald people have been here,” jokes the cook. Mario Bernal, “but I will not reveal my secret seasoning.” He did confess to using cumin, garlic, green peppers and raisins in the empanada ground‐beef mixtures. This picadillo Is then encased in a crepe made of flour, lard and eggs, and deep fried to airy crispness. At 30 cents. it is a popular snack, often downed with a can of Kola Champagne India, a local soft drink.

Mr. Bernal is also the master of the classic Cuban sandwich ($1.35 for the large size; 80 cents for the small). This is a wedge of ham, roast pork and Swiss cheese dressed with a mixture of butter, mayonnaise and mustard. It. is then heated until the bread is crunchy.

In addition, Nite and Day carries little pastries such as piononos, a confection of cake and cinnamon‐sprinkled fluted custard. They stock a potato‐like root vegetable called malanga (“It's good for ulcers and babies,” Mr. Bernal says). calabasa (pumpkins). casaba bread (made from the yucca plant), yerba mate (a South American herbal tea) and Cuban meringue candies.

The rear freezer yields such staples as frozen papaya chunks and Cuban hot tamales. Fresh Cuban‐style bread, baked at the Romana Bakery, at 111 Cedar Street in North Tarrytown, is also at hand. These wide, moist loaves contain malt, flour, lard and salt.

The North Tarrytown community also includes a scattering of Dominicans, Venezuelans and Puerto Ricans.

Manuel Logo, a cook at the Dominican‐owned El Jaravi Restaurant, at 109 Beekman Avenue, helps turn out such specialties as octopus salad ($4.50), arroz con polio ($2.75), arroz con camarones (shrimp, $3.50) and arroz frito estilo chino ($2.50), literally--fried rice--Chinese style.

According to Mr. Bernal, there is a difference between Cuban and Dominican cooking. “Dominicans don't use cumin,” he explains, “but they use cilantro [coriander].”

The entire Hispanic community is supplied at Jose and Marta Toyos's grocery, at 173 Beekman Avenue, just past the Dominican‐owned Sleepy Hollow Seafood Center.

The well‐ordered shop includes rows of imported Spanish toiletries, olive oil and tinned seafood. There is an enticing spice section that includes saffron, star anise, adobe seasoning and mojo criollo (Spanish barbecue sauce). In addition, they carry tiny tins of Bijol, a mixture Cubans use for coloring rice and chicken dishes, Puerto Ricans use annatto seeds for the same purpose, and the shop carries that as well as malagueta (allspice), which is used largely by Dominicans.

Sacks of rice and soup tins of caldo gallego, Galician pottage and fabada (white bean soup), as well as an unusual selection of Goya brand canned soft drinks such as coco rico (coconut soda), jupina (pineapple) and materva are also available. Hatuey, a popular malt drink, and sidra (hard cider) round out the list.

The last stop on Beekman, near the river and just at the entrance to the General Motors plant, is a small, yellow building with a red neon sign simply stating “Lunch.” Here, Elpidio Venereo serves up beans, rice and his specials of the day to the sound of a Latin music station.

Among his offerings are roast pork, chicken scented with garlic oregano and cumin, and picadillo. Saturdays, his famous chicken soup comes with a lobster garnish. The small counter and three tables hold bottled hot sauce, soy sauce, and oil and vinegar (for the thin‐sliced tomato salad) along with the ever‐present ketchup.

Other shops in North Tarrytown include Elba and Gustavo Gatell's, at 109 Beekman Avenue,where an eclectic display of fashionable clothes shares space with electric rice cookers and gift items from Portugal, Italy and Hong Kong. They also stock children's clothes from Spain and Colombia.

In addition, there is the Cuban A&J Delicatessen at 168 Cortlandt Street, an adjacent thoroughfare. The Arriba Bar and Disco, a Venezuelan enterprise, is in a remodeled old home at 11 Beekman Avenue.

For real Cuban flavor, try to wangle an invitation to the Cuban Club at Beekman Avenue and Washington Street (above the First National Bank). Organized and supported by the Cuban settlement, it serves as a social and cultural outlet for young and old.

“Everybody goes there,” says Mrs. Kaufmann. “There are game tables and parties all the time. It keeps the people together."