Fernando Frías was a successful cafe and restaurant owner in Havana. But when Fidel Castro came to power, the government nationalized Fernando’s businesses and imprisoned him when he tried to leave the country. Eventually he got out, settling near Miami like so many other Cuban expats. Even though Fernando never went back to Cuba, he was always searching for pieces of his homeland in the Cuban-American community in Miami. This week Dan talks with Fernando’s son, Carlos Frías, who’s now an investigative editor at USA TODAY. Carlos was close with his father until Fernando was tragically murdered in 2020. In his grief, Carlos sought a new connection with his father by writing about Miami’s first ventanita.

This episode originally aired on June 27, 2022, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Kimmie Gregory, and Jared O’Connell. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell.

Interstitial music in this episode by Black Label Music:

• "Dance Hall" by Hans Erickson
• "Enigmatic Rhodes" by Stephen Sullivan
• "Minimaliminal" by Jack Ventimiglia
• "Twenty 99" by Erick Anderson
• "Limon Coke" by Ken Brahmstedt
• "Midnight Grind" by Cullen Fitzpatrick
• "Can't Bring Me Down" by Jack Ventimiglia

Photo courtesy of Carlos Frías.

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