A Shared Dream
Soul de Cuba Cafe was founded by brothers, Jesus and Robert Puerto, and Yoon Kim. Years ago, Jesus had a dream of owning a restaurant, which he'd shared with Robert. He enrolled in a two-year restaurant management course in 1991; but during his last semester, he was diagnosed with spinal meningitis and given a matter of hours to live. Miraculously, Jesus not only survived, but with no complications! To express his gratitude, Jesus deferred his dream and dedicated the next portion of his life to serving humanity.
Meanwhile, Jesus' brother, Robert, pursued a career in the foodservice industry, working for critically acclaimed establishments, one being Pearl and Nemos in South Beach, Miami. His credentials include serving as captain of Romano's Macaroni Grill's corporate training team and holding the executive chef position at the Macaroni Grill in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
In the summer of 2004, Jesus happened to meet and become friends with restaurateur, Yoon Kim. A Hotel and Restaurant Management graduate of the highly accredited Johnson and Wales University, Yoon had grown up in his family's restaurant business. Yoon confided to Jesus his interest in working outside of the family business. Days later, Robert called to ask Jesus if he was ready to take up his dream of ten years prior and start a restaurant. The convergence of these happenings underscored their feelings that it was time to pursue the dream at last!
The three collaborated on the Soul de Cuba concept, and the New Haven, Connecticut, location opened its doors in January 2005. Another Soul de Cuba Cafe followed, opening in July 2006 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Each location quickly established a loyal following, and today, we're expanding our exciting restaurant concept via franchising. As an owner-operator of a Soul de Cuba franchise, you'll rely on our established business system.
