Pictured: The fan-favorite Cuban sandwich from Sasha's Cuban Cafe. Photo courtesy of Sasha Lindenmuth.

Cuban-American Sasha Lindenmuth, the owner of Sasha’s Cuban Cafe mobile food truck, grew up in Miami, a national hotspot for Cuban food. As a child and adolescent, she taught herself to cook, a process which involved experimenting with various recipes and observing how her Cuban grandparents prepared beloved dishes. Among the first meals she made was a piece of steak. “I put so much salt and pepper on the steak that my grandma choked on a bite of it and called my mom to tell her how I’d overseasoned it,” she says, “but I wanted to eat the steak because I made it myself.”

Years of kitchen experimentation turned cooking and baking into a passion for Lindenmuth, who ran a small meal preparation company in Miami. She later moved to Venice and specialized in baking desserts, consistently sellling out of cakes and other goodies. Driven by a fondness for her Cuban heritage, she decided to expand her offerings to more savory fare. In September of 2021, she named the new business Desserted by Sasha Cuban Cafe and began selling Cuban sandwiches, empanadas and more. “I was surprised by how fast everything sold out,” says Lindenmuth, who saved enough to purchase a food trailer which she takes to locations in the Sarasota-Venice area.

At the end of 2022, she changed the business’s name to Sasha’s Cuban Cafe, shifting the focus toward authentic Cuban food instead of desserts. “I don’t use frozen or canned products,” says Lindenmuth, “because people want real and fresh ingredients even if they take longer to cook.” Fan favorites are the Cuban sandwich, pernil (roasted pork), empanadas and the Cuba Libre Bowl, a layered steak bowl with sweet plantains, rice, beans and fried cheese. One dessert that remains is the delicious tres leches cake, which is also popular. An eager ambassador of Cuban cuisine, Lindenmuth recommends that first-timers try the Cuban sandwich or pernil. “Every customer who’s never had Cuban food before has loved both,” she adds.

While based out of Venice, Lindenmuth aims to grow her business on a larger scale, visiting farmers’ markets, opening a brick-and-mortar location and becoming a household name in Cuban food as well as a community leader. Following Hurricane Ian, she cooked meals for people displaced by the storm and plans to deliver care packages to people still searching for normalcy in the affected areas. “Throughout my life, I always made sure that anyone who was my friend was fed,” she says, “and I’m so proud that my dream has come true.”

Sasha’s Cuban Cafe, 941-777-0829. Follow on Facebook and Instagram for trailer pop up location updates.

Pictured: The fan-favorite Cuban sandwich from Sasha's Cuban Cafe. Photo courtesy of Sasha Lindenmuth.