(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – A Chicago entrepreneur with Cuban roots credits his grandmother and his foodie wife for helping create the Irving Park restaurant that draws professional athletes.
Billy Alvarez, owner of Mima’s Taste of Cuba, 2925 W. Irving Park Road, is a Chicago native but his family heritage can be traced to Puerto Rico and Cuba. His grandmother introduced him to the latter country’s cuisine.
“Long story short: Cubans are big on food, big in the kitchen,” Alvarez told the Noon Business Hour on Friday. “My mom worked full-time, my father worked full-time, so I was kind of raised by my grandma. My grandma, for whatever reason, would always find herself in the kitchen.
“It was just two people in the house. She’d cook a five-course meal, as if we were feeding the whole neighborhood.”
He said he also was influenced by his wife, Jamie, whom he describes as a foodie, albeit years later. The couple visited his Cuban relatives in Miami and learned decades-old recipes, he said.
In 2010, they opened their first restaurant in north suburban Lincolnwood, thinking there weren’t a lot of Cuban restaurants in the area.
“I cannot stress this enough: The first couple of years were very, very rough,” Alvarez said.
They moved their operation to Irving Park in 2019, just before the pandemic. After muscling through that period, they have gained traction, Alvarez says. In fact, some Cubs players have been known to stop by after day games at Wrigley Field.
“They’ll come hang out, eat. For them it feels like a home away from home,” said Alvarez, a longtime Cubs fan. “I’m very grateful. They’ve helped me out tremendously.”
Related
Listen to our new podcast Courier Pigeon
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram