Today we’d like to introduce you to Iraida Bender.
Hi Iraida, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born and raised in Cuba. Moved to the US when I was 19 years old and lived in Miami and Ft Lauderdale for 7 years before we moved to Lenoir NC. My husband (David) and I have two kids, David (22) and Carolynn (19). Lenoir is home for the last 17 years for us, and we love our community. Having a restaurant that I could be a part of our community and bring my culture was important to me. I am proud of sharing our cuisine with all our friends now. Very proud of our start in 2019; even though a small space it allowed us to grow to where we are today. Hope our space allows us to continue to bring some Caribbean flair to our hometown.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Smooth is not a word I would use probably here, but all the up and downs have brought rewards just as much as they brought struggles. Learning a new language, integrating to a new culture, getting a bachelor’s degree at the same time as working full time, and taking care of my family is a lot to do at once. And when you think the time is right, you go on to invest and open a restaurant. But then six months later, covid hits the world; it was certainly not part of my business plan. Or anyone else’s for that matter. But if you learn to adjust and regroup then it can become a success so is what needed to be done to make it work. Very proud of what we accomplished…
As you know, we’re big fans of Bender Restaurant Mngmt LLC DBA Taste of Havana. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
I own a Cuban restaurant that is owned and operated under my LLC. I started my business May 2019, but restaurant officially opened the doors in August 2019. I am the chef at a Cuban restaurant. I have learned to manage/juggle the restaurant as much as the culinary aspect of owning a restaurant. Short staff is the new pandemic, and we are hurting to get help, but one day at a time is all we can focus on. I make delicious traditional Cuban dishes. Like our Cuban sandwich, Ropa Viejas, Masas de Puerco to mention a few.
We can only hope that your readers will check us out and allow us to bring a new food choice they would want to try and fall in love because when you do perhaps, we can be added to their weekly dine-in or ordering out preference.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
My hope and dream are to have many other locations we could expand to in the future. But is hard to do without support. Small locally own places like mine often stay small (which is fine by me) but will be amazing to open other locations one day.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tasteofhavanalenoirnc.com
- Instagram: tasteofhavanalenoir
- Facebook: tasteofhavanalenoirnc
Todd Bolick
July 26, 2023 at 4:00 pm
This place is great! Love the food, atmosphere, really nice place. I drive almost an hour just to eat there!
Todd