Yury Remedio, Lafayette's newest restaurateur, is excited to bring something new to the Acadiana area: whole roasted pigs.
"They'll have the apple in their mouths," said Remedio, who is busy demolishing the former site of Home Cut Donuts & Kolaches at 5611 Johnston St. to make room for his restaurant, Cuban Tradition, that he hopes to open at the end of the year.
Remedio and his wife, Denise, bought the building in late June and recently got a demolition permit from Lafayette Consolidated Government to begin work on the building, records show.
His concept will be a two-story building with a glass-enclosed dining space on the second floor and an open kitchen concept at the entrance. The kitchen will be a showcase for Remedio's "Cajun microwaves" — glass rotisserie ovens for roasting pigs.
"Customers can see the entire pig roasting and how we cook the Cuban food," he said. "It will be all completely authentic and traditional."
Since Remedio is starting from scratch on the site, he said he is also planning to add a drive-thru. He went for demolition, instead of remodeling the former Taco Bell restaurant, because of wall damage and safety issues with the building.
Cuban Tradition will be a family affair, run by Remedio and his wife, brother, sister-in-law, mom and cousins.
Remedio, who worked in the oil field before leaving to open the restaurant, is familiar with what it feels like to embark on the unknown. He came to the United States in 1994 after spending 16 days at sea navigating the Straits of Florida on a homemade raft before landing in Key West, Florida.
"I came with four friends on four 55-gallon oil drums," he said. "We pulled them together, made a platform and tied all four drums together."
Remedio came to Lafayette a year later and "never left," he said.
Barring any construction delays, Remedio is planning to open the restaurant on New Years Eve on Dec. 31 and would be the second Cuban restaurant in Lafayette along with Cafe Habana City, operated by Rafael Garcia and his family since 2002.