Award-winning Cuban food truck opens first restaurant on FGCU campus: What we know
Freshmen weren’t the only new faces at Florida Gulf Coast University when the fall semester started Monday, Aug. 14.
It was also a life-changing first day for Onil Martinez.
The owner of Cuban Connection launched his first brick-and-mortar restaurant inside the Cohen Student Union after three years of running his food truck.
“We are so excited to be here,” said Martinez, who first began doing events on the campus 1? years ago. “We feel so welcome. The faculty, the students — so many people helped get us here.”
It’s been a long road getting there. Martinez began learning to cook at a young age by helping and watching his mother.
“My mother was an excellent cook and she included me in the cooking,” he said. “She didn’t measure anything. She knew the right amounts, just like I do. I went on to chef school. It refined my skills, but I learned most from my mom.”
It’s her recipes and his grandmother’s that Martinez uses today.
That and a special ingredient.
“I cook with love,” he said. “It’s homemade and homey. FGCU students tell me it feels like their grandma or mom cooked for them. It makes me so happy.”
Award-winning Cuban sandwiches on the menu
Maybe it’s that love that helped Martinez become a 2023 Ford Cuban Sandwich Festival of SW Florida award winner.
He puts his heart into all he does. Take that award-winning Cuban sandwich, done “the authentic way with no mayo, just mustard,” for example.
Martinez’s slow roasted pork cooks for nine hours and he drives 300 miles roundtrip on Saturdays to buy his bread from La Segunda Bakery in Ybor City.
“It’s the best of the best,” he said of the loaves with signature palm fronds lovingly placed on top of each one.
The Cuban is on the menu in his new place, along with a few other sandwiches; a variety of chicken, pork and beef bowls with rice and beans; apps, including empanadas, croquettes, plantains and tostones; and desserts such as Tres leches and a guava empanada. Specials will also be offered along with a coffee bar.
“It’s all homemade,” Martinez said. “We cook it all right here. Down the road, we will have a lot more recipes.”
Martinez opened his Cuban Connection food truck during the pandemic in July 2020.
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He started in a vacant lot across from Home Depot on Skyline Boulevard in Cape Coral.
“Early on there just weren’t many opportunities,” Martinez said. “Everything was shut down. But people were very receptive. There wasn’t too much Cuban food around back then. It was a big learning curve for us.”
And he learned quickly. After the pandemic came Hurricane Ian.
“We cooked and gave away a lot of food to the community,” Martinez said. “And the community responded. We serve food, they gave donations and it all went right back to the community.”
Even with his spot at FGCU, he’ll still keep his food truck going for now.
“We have commitments we will still do,” said Martinez, including Saturday night at Dixie Roadhouse in Cape Coral and several community and school events in the area.
Cuban Connection is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays at FGCU (which takes credit cards or Apple Pay only — no cash). Hours are subject to change. A grand opening, complete with a ribbon cutting, will be held Sept. 16.
Follow it on Facebook for the food truck schedule.
“Come see us,” Martinez said. “We can’t wait to cook for everyone.”
Cuban Connection, 11090 FGCU Blvd. N., Fort Myers — in the Cohen Student Union at Florida Gulf Coast University; find the food truck at local events; cubanconnectionfl.com; follow on Facebook and Instagram for more
Robyn George is a food and dining writer for The Fort Myers News-Press. Send news to [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Cuban Connection food truck opens first brick-and-mortar restaurant
