Esthers Restaurant

Esther's was established at 4540 NW 7 Avenue by Esther and Clemente Palmarola in 1961. It was originally started as a daily dinner service that delivered to private homes. In 1965, Pablo A. Suarez, his wife Flora, and their three young children, Tony, Pablo E., and Diana, arrived from Cuba as refugees. Pablo Sr.'s first job was at "Esther's Cantina... ", as it was known back then, as a kitchen helper. Pablo Sr. had operated a seaside restaurant in a small fishing village in Western Cuba. A few months after he began working at Esther's, he borrowed some money from relatives and bought his own "cantina" in Miami. By 1971, Esther and Clemente were ready to retire and called Pablo who bought the successful business. Pablo Sr. cooked while Flora took care of their growing list of customers and handled the office work. The children helped whenever they were off from school. The business continued to flourish because of their hard work and determination. Ten years of working six to seven days a week, from 4 a.m. to 6 or 7 p.m. were paying off. After graduating from Jr. college, both Tony and Pablo E. came to work with their parents. By now, Pablo Sr. was already selling food to walk-up customers that would come in asking for whatever "smelled so good. The little cash from these sales was put into a cigar box. Tony and Pablo E. realized that there was a need in the neighborhood for fresh, good food, and slowly began to improve the property to accommodate the walk-up traffic.Read More