Cuba Cuba co-founder returns with soulful take on Cuban specialties

Enrique Socarras has led the kitchens in restaurants as varied as Sushi Den in Denver and Centro Mexican Cuisine in Boulder but he s perhaps best known for Cuba Cuba which he and his sister opened in after moving from Miami where they were raised The Croqueta Preparada sandwich at Jama Miami It consists of ham Swiss cheese pickles and mustard like a Cubano but tucked into a buttered Cuban roll with ham croquettes Provided by Jama Miami Cuban Food Drink It was there in two converted -year houses in Denver s Golden Triangle neighborhood that he taught adventurous diners about dishes like ropa vieja beef that is slow-cooked and shredded Cuban-style black beans and rice and fried plantains known as tostones Socarras left Cuba Cuba nearly a decade ago but on Aug he will open Jama Miami Cuban Food Drink in Freedom Street Social an Arvada food hall at Candelas Pkwy returning to his Cuban heritage and the cooking that he learned from his parents and grandparents While Socarras gained acclaim over the past years he declared his goal for the new venture isn t to garner praise or stars We are not trying to Michelin it out here We re just trying to cook good food for the soul Cuba Cuba co-founder Enrique Socarras is starting his own concept Jama Miami Cuban Food Drink Provided by Jama Miami Cuban Food Drink That includes dishes like empanadas Cubano sandwiches sweet plantains and croquetas de jamon traditional croquettes made with ham bechamel and lime But Socarras will also add chosen of his creativity to the menus especially when it comes to sandwiches For instance one version of his Cubano will feature crispy pork belly that he noted eats way better than traditional pork butt he stated Other sandwiches he is toying with are the Croqueta Preparada a Cubano with chosen of the ham croquettes inside a Pan Con Bistec which is seared Palomilla steak with griddled onion tomato shoestring potato and salsa Criolla on a Cuban Roll and Frita Cubana a Miami-style smashburger with Spanish chorizo a beef patty salsa Criolla onions and potatoes Socarras has been beta testing all of his ideas from a ghost kitchen at S Cherokee St where half his customers are using delivery apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash and the other half are locals from nearby neighborhoods who pick up to-go orders from the ChefReady facility When Jama opens in Freedom Street Social which will also have a bar he ll put the ghost kitchen on hiatus but plans to bring it back to help with takeout and delivery Related Articles After abruptly closing restaurants Del Taco reopening sites across Colorado Fine-dining pop-up finds a permanent home on South Pearl Street Rooftop pool bar coming to RiNo s Penrose apartment complex James Beard-nominated Yacht Club owners opening restaurant in Five Points East Colfax restaurants say they are barely hanging on because of BRT line construction The word jama is slang for food Socarras mentioned and it helps to highlight the importance of his background and his cooking In addition to sandwiches and other permanent menu items he plans to have different specials each day This thing is going to evolve and we want to try to tailor it the best we can to our audience while keeping it as a creative outlet at the same time As for the food itself Socarras declared Cuban food is family-friendly and approachable Cultural food can be intimidating depending on your comfort zone This is about trying something new Subscribe to our new food newsletter Stuffed to get Denver food and drink news sent straight to your inbox