SAN ANTONIO — You don't have to leave South Texas to try authentic Cuban food.
"The reason why I named it Mi Corazon is because with every bite of food, you're taking a bite out of my heart, out of mi corazon," said owner Carlos Espino.
With Chef Espino's 20 years of experience, he knows how to give San Antonio the best possible Cuban sandwich, throwing in his signature spices and home-made sauces.
"It's a slow roasted 15-hour pork, homemade mustard, pickles, Swiss cheese, ham...and then the sandwich just gets nice and pressed," said Espino.
We also had Pan con Bistec loaded with homemade chimee-churee and garlic aioli with a center cut sirloin marinated for 24 hours.
And pastelito loaded with mango puree and Cuban rum, which takes a full day to make.
And although this local business started two years ago, it had to close temporarily for reasons that no one saw coming.
"I had my food truck, but then a drunk driver T-boned me. So, I ended up having to close my food truck for a whole year," said Espino. "I took what the doctors told me taking a year to walk. I did it in six months to come back and do what I love – serve you great food."
And when San Antonio heard about the crash, they stepped up.
"Making me a little emotional here, but yeah, it feels nice. It feels nice to feel that love," said Espino. "I've had other local businesses as well donate time, or make me a new sign, and to help me come back up on my feet."
Despite the 15 screws in his hip, hearing aids he has to wear and his suffering from short-term memory loss, he still works every day to make his small business happen.
"Going through all that struggle, I still manage to give my love and all my heart for what I do," said Espino. "We couldn't find a better place to call home than San Antonio."
You can find Chef Espino on 5615 Lone Star Parkway in Alamo Ranch. Check out his social media for more details.