CRESTVIEW — With his newest mobile Cuban food location’s opening, “Havana Harry” Siegel brings to north Crestview the savory flavors that airmen, soldiers and civilian employees already enjoy at his Eglin Air Force Base locations.
In addition, he hopes, they’ll discover different Hispanic foods’ cultural nuances.
“People sometimes think ‘Mexican’ when they hear ‘Hispanic’ food,” Siegel said.
On a recent sunny afternoon, he and customer Dr. Tiffany Kruger discussed the differences between Colombian, Puerto Rican, Peruvian and Cuban cuisine as she waited for her order.
While Havana Harry’s East Gate Cafe specializes in Cuban food —“We have all the Miami recipes,” Siegel said — his menu will touch on several Latin American culinary cultures through regular specials.
HISPANIC DISHES
“We do a lot of Hispanic dishes,” he said. “We’ll have a lot of Puerto Rican food because there’s a lot of Puerto Rican people with the 7th Special Forces.”
With traditional foods like his famous empanadas — cheese or meat-filled pies — come traditional drinks, including pineapple and coconut soda and a soft drink called Ironbeer.
“Those are real traditional drinks,” Siegel said. “The Ironbeer and the Cuban sandwich: that’s what everybody in Miami gets.”
Siegel’s Cuban sandwiches are authentic, with ham, pork and Swiss cheese piled on Cuban bread and dressed with mustard and pickles.
“Our bread is shipped in from South Florida,” he said. “I try to keep it as original as possible because people want the real thing.”
Sides include traditional black beans and rice, tostones, yuca fries and plantains. The dessert menu includes guava, guava-and-cheese, and coconut pastries; rice pudding; flan; and “tres leche” cake.
MILITARY FAMILY
Siegel’s food trailers and catering business grew so large he had to close his restaurant in Valparaiso. The trailers let him bring his popular cuisine right to Eglin, including a periodic service he plans to offer for reservists at Duke Field.
“I do a lot of support for the military,” Siegel said, noting active duty military members receive a 15 percent discount. “My new family is the military.”
Soldiers from the 7th Special Forces cantonment south of Crestview have discovered his North Ferdon Boulevard location among food trailers south of Johnny O’Quigley’s Ale House, he said.
“Guys come up here all the way from base for a piece of tres-leche cake,” Siegel said.
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IF YOU GO
Havana Harry’s East Gate Cafe serves authentic Cuban and Hispanic food. Lunch is served 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays. Lunch and dinner are served 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays at 971 Industrial Drive, in the food trailer cluster with Matthew’s BBQ. Active duty military members get a 15 percent discount. Call 902-1166 for more information.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Havana Harry's opens Crestview location