Little Havana at the Market
Mike and his partner, Hillary, at the market selling Pastelitos.
Before the market begins each week you’ll find vendors bustling around finalizing setup or wandering around bleary eyed from an already long week, but Cafe Tres owner, Michael Magluta Solis, is often found with cafecitas in hand greeting other vendors, starting the day with excitement and a healthy dose of Cuban extroversion.
While so many of our vendors at City Park Farmers Market bring a rich, vibrant history with them as they embark upon small businesses of their own, Cafe Tres was one that I wanted to write about early after witnessing community forming around their tent each week. What we thought might have just been happenstance was actually a thoughtful creation. Coming from a big Cuban family in Miami with deep roots in baking and communal living, Mike is set on bringing the electrifying charm and flavors of his Cuban culture to the middle of the Saturday market right here in Denver, Colorado, with his traditional filled puff pastries called pastelitos. And yes, they’re insanely delicious.
Mike’s Great Uncle, Tio Alfredo’s, first bakery after arriving to Miami from Cuba. (Tio Alfredo on the far right).
Mikes Grandfather on the left and his Uncle on the right at the bakery in the 90’s.
Mike was born and raised in Miami where his grandparents dug deep roots. Both of his family lines immigrated from Cuba - his maternal grandfather played for the Cuban national baseball team and later went on to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers, while his paternal side went straight to Miami and started baking right away.
Tio Alfredo had been a baker back in Cuba, but when he needed a way to support the growing family presence in Miami, Mike’s great uncle looked to his sweet trade to start paying the bills. It didn’t take long for the entire family to become involved in baking the cherished Cuban pastries that brought familiar smells and flavors of their homeland to their new city. What was first called “Three Little Bakers” and later “Three Little Cakes,” was one of the very first Cuban bakeries in Miami at the time. The purpose of Three Little Bakers was to provide financial means for the family, but the heart behind this bakery was to remain open-handed, giving work and grounding to as many Cubans as possible who came to Miami without a soft place to land.
Today in Miami, Cuban bakeries line main streets - they are the busy, multi-generational watering holes in the morning. Neighbors and visitors huddle around the Vendanetas (the counter top windows) passing around their cafecitas (sweet Cuban espresso) and talking politics, local gossip, sports, etc. The bakeries provide a space for cultural gatherings and unique flavors - perfectly embodying what home looks and feels like for Mike.
Mike was one of the first from his large and connected Cuban family to decide to venture outside of Miami to pursue his love for the mountains and a new part of the country. He worked for six years in graphic design for an ad firm before starting a freelance gig, giving him the flexibility to start side-hustling his startup bakery concept.
With stunning beaches, nonstop nightlife, and a diverse culinary scene, Miami and Denver couldn’t be more culturally or geographically different. After living in Denver for a full year and finding only one true Cuban bakery, the longing for his cultural comforts tugged on Mike. He couldn’t let the idea of opening a Cuban bakery go - despite opinions from his friends and family who grew up with him that bakeries are “just too much work.” After nearly 5 years of percolating on the concept, he took the leap to quit his full time job to start working on Cafe Tres.
Pastelitos are puff pastries like you’ve never had before. The traditional flakey baked goods are either savory or sweet, filled with Cuban favorites like guava and cheese, beef, and many types of fruit flavors (with the fruit shipped straight from Mom’s fruit trees in Miami). What makes these pastelitos so insatiable? Cafe Tres is dedicated to honoring traditional techniques and ingredients by not cutting corners - and in some cases tweaking filling recipes slightly to make them just a little tastier (the carne is wildly delicious - one of Mike’s less traditional filling recipes).
Situated perfectly in front of the fountain, CPFM now has their own Little Cuba complete with a bright blue market tent acting as a ventanita, a fold-out table filled with pastelitos and cafecitas, and a mini pocket of chit chatting, story telling, question asking, and sharing. Mike, a City Park resident himself, can be found behind the beautiful display honoring his family history and culture - fully immersed in the community alongside other passionate small businesses - cultivating a mini pocket of what these Cuban pastries are all about.