Passion and Plant-Based Pastelitos

Cooking, it has been said, is love made visible. And few know the truth of this better than Steven Rodriguez and Lismeilyn “Liz” Machado, the husband-and-wife team whose improbable, near-miraculous, much-celebrated plant-based Kendall restaurant, Vegan Cuban Cuisine, would not exist without it. 

Machado and Rodriguez were both born in Cuba and, though they immigrated to the United States young, living in Miami’s vibrant, bustling Cuban community with large Cuban families allowed them to keep a strong connection to the culture and traditions of the small island nation from which they came. Cuisine is inextricably woven into this fabric, as any stroll down Calle Ocho in Little Havana will attest. Which was fine by Machado and Rodriguez…until they adopted a whole food plant-based diet in 2017. 

“We still went out to Cuban restaurants with family and friends, of course,” Machado tells AQUA Miami. “But those aren’t the most plant-based-friendly menus, so we resigned ourselves to mostly ordering just rice and sweet plantains.” 

This is where the love comes in: At a family baby shower, Rodriguez’ mother surprised the couple with a plant-based version of arroz imperial—Cuban imperial rice. “She substituted tofu for chicken and a potato-based cheese for the dairy kind,” Machado says. But this was no mere half-hearted accommodation. “It was really good,” Machado recalls. “Like, really good. Everyone at the party was very surprised by how tasty it was, and I had this realization that Cuban food—like any cuisine—is not good because of the animal product. It’s good because of how you cook it; it’s good because of what we call sazón, or seasoning in English. That is the base, not the animal.”

A New Beginning       

In Machado and Rodriguez’ eyes, plant-based Cuban food definitely seemed like an idea whose time had come. It was a concept that deserved a wider set of diners than one baby shower. Still, the couple were hardly restaurateurs out of central casting: She is an architect; he works in marketing. But they did always dream of owning a business aligned with their values. Could this be it? 

Machado and Rodriguez began developing recipes at home, experimenting, refining, leaning on “very loving, but very honest” extended family members for feedback. “Until they say, ‘This is as good or better than the original’ or ‘I can’t even tell this is vegetarian,’” Machado says, “then we’re not done.”

(That’s the process and standard to this day, incidentally.) Once ready, they began testing the waters at farmers’ markets and through small catering orders. “We focused mostly on finger foods at first,” Machado says. “You know, things people could bring to parties or family gatherings for plant-based or health-conscious eaters.” This included soon-to-be-famous ham and chickpea croquetas, or the meat or guava and cheese pastelitos. Vegan Cuban Cuisine was born. 

The response was overwhelmingly positive. When COVID threatened to stop them in their tracks, however, Machado and Rodriguez pivoted and focused on their online delivery presence, which grew exponentially during a time when so many other businesses struggled. The couple found a space close to where they lived, and in late 2020, opened a takeout spot with a little pickup window—no dine-in, just a few tables outside. Any fears over whether their clientele would follow them from the digital to brick-and-mortar world were instantly set aside on the first day of the “soft” opening: “We couldn’t believe how many people came out to support us,” Machado says. “We even had to close the second day because we hadn’t been prepared for the demand.” In the Spring of 2025, the restaurant expanded to include a chic, welcoming dine-in space. 

Taking Off

“We have had to learn everything pretty fast,” Machado says. “Neither Stephen nor I have any restaurant experience, so we taught ourselves through books, online courses, conversations with other business owners—anywhere and everywhere we could think of. I believe that has worked to our advantage, though. Our mindset from the beginning has been to keep learning, keep innovating, keep testing the limits. And that’s easier to do, I think, when you already came to the business from a different direction than most others. We’ve had our ups and downs like everyone, of course, but we’ve always been able to adapt and innovate…because we’ve been adapting and innovating since day one.” 

The current diverse, bountiful menu reflects that: from the delectable Mojo crispy chick’n wrap, plant-based Cubano sandwich, mini churro donuts, and croqueta preparada to the scrambled egg sandwich, tropical power bowl, Frita sliders, Abuelita’s flan, and beyond. (They also have fantastic children’s burrito and bowl offerings.) 

Another reason for the restaurant’s success could be Vegan Cuban Cuisine’s focus on expansive inclusivity rather than niche exclusivity. This is a high-end restaurant that seeks to not only offer a much-needed plant-based option for devotees of Cuban food and culture, but also an organic, healthy alternative for omnivores. “I have family members with high cholesterol whose doctors have told them they can’t have the traditional Cuban burger because it’s a lot of fat and chorizo and a lot of other things they shouldn’t be eating,” Machado says. “So, we offer them one that is delicious and made with good, clean ingredients and has the same flavors—just without the stuff that’s putting their health at risk.” 

Are a lot of these omnivores skeptical at first? Well…of course. But the team at Vegan Cuban Cuisine relishes the challenge. “Sometimes people will come in with a family member who sees ‘plant-based chicken’ or ‘organic plant-based ham’ and is like, ‘I am not signing up for that!’” Machado says. “But once they see the dish and smell the aromas, you can see them get curious. Usually, they’ll end up ordering something or trying a bite from their loved one’s plate, and I’d say more than 90% of the time they’ll be happy with it. Which is very satisfying…It’s what keeps us motivated to continue creating new recipes and moving forward.” 

Would you expect a unique, innovative restaurant built on a foundation of love and compassion to be cooking up anything less? 

For more information, visit vegancubancuisine.com.