A love letter to the Cuban street burger – THE RANT
New Frita Stop food truck offers spirit of Miami culture, Southern hospitality and one mean burger
By Billy Liggett | billy@rantnc.com
Let’s start with the burger. The frita. Alex Blanco’s “love letter” to the frita cubana, Cuba’s twist on the classic American hamburger.
The patty is a blend of fresh beef and ground chorizo. Cooked “smashburger” style with loads of “bold seasoning,” the meat is then topped with crispy papitas — thin hand-shredded potatoes — and “pure Miami sabor.” Sandwiched between two buns with some ketchup, onion and cheese, the burger has been a hit with customers since Blanco’s Frita Stop food truck first opened on Valentine’s Day this year.
Not that he’s surprised. Despite cooking hundreds of them each weekend at various stops in Sanford and around the Triangle region, Blanco can’t get enough of them either.
“That’s the beauty of it, right?” he says with a smile. “Every time I open this truck, I crave my own burgers.”
Alex and his wife Natalie Blanco have spent nearly every weekend since February taking Frita Stop to local festivals and public hot spots getting the word out about their limited — but strong — menu that features different styles of frita (the 50/50 includes bacon, aioli and pickles; and the Korean style option includes barbecue sauce, cilantro and kimchi), beef tallow or garlic fries and “Chichi’s Famous Cream Cheese Flan.” During the week, Natalie is a teacher, and Alex runs food service at Campbell University.
Their food truck is a labor of love, and Alex Blanco is excited to share the food he grew up loving in Miami with his North Carolina friends and neighbors.
“The frita was invented in Cuba by street cart vendors called friteros,” he says. “The word came from the way they fried them on a flat grill. Every vendor had their own blend of the sauce itself, which added to that flavor profile. Then the shoestring potatoes kind of make the sandwich.”
Fritas are much harder to find in Cuba these days, Blanco says — they were a hit in Havana in the 1930s through the 1950s, but disappeared in the 60s following the 1959 revolution. Severe shortages of basic necessities like fuel, ground beef and potatoes have made it nearly impossible for vendors to produce them.
The burgers are huge in Miami, home to approximately 1.2 million Cuban Americans. Blanco’s decision to start a food truck is his way of honoring his heritage.
“The idea started during a karaoke night at Wild Dogs Brewery [in downtown Sanford,” he says. “After a few beers, I talked to friends about it and asked my wife what she thought of the concept. The rest is history.”
The idea wasn’t completely without merit. Blanco’s mother, who is Honduran, worked in kitchens for most of her life (she met his father when he’d go on lunch breaks at her restaurant). Blanco’s first jobs as a teen was serving at restaurants. He and Natalie left Miami and 2017 for North Carolina, and in his nearly full decade in the Tar Heel State, he has noticed a lack of variety here when it comes to Latin food — “We’re the first Cuban place I’ve seen in this city,” he says.
Like any new business, launching the food truck hasn’t been easy. Securing the truck itself and getting the proper inspections and certifications was a chore, but the Blancos are beginning to reap the fruits of their labor.
“We’ve had people tell us it’s the best burger they’ve tried, and we’ve had others say they’ve never tried anything like it. So I love hearing that,” Blanco says. “Slowly, but surely, I think it’s coming together. And we’re just figuring it out as we go.”
Meanwhile, the Blancos are keeping their new business loose and fun. A gold flip flop dangles from the awning at the order window — a chancleta famous in Cuba for its “disciplinary power” for grandmothers to keep rowdy kids in line. And a QR code on one of the napkin dispensers sends guests to YouTube rather than a menu (we won’t reveal the surprise).
While the burgers are the reason to stop at Frita Stop, Blanco hopes the welcoming atmosphere leads to repeat customers. He writes on their website: Hospitality is at the heart of everything we do. We believe the people who serve others deserve to be celebrated, and we aim to give back to hospitality workers through acts of generosity, community initiatives and opportunities for our customers to join us in showing appreciation.”