I have not eaten in five days in preparation for this.
(laughter)
I grew up here in L.A. and I'm Cuban
and this has been part of my life since I was a little baby.
- [Serena] So, Chris is not the only person
who's obsessed with Porto's.
It's a huge Cuban bakery chain that people pack regularly
for things like cheese rolls and potato balls.
More than 1500 people lined up for the opening
of this new location.
I've only been one time,
so I am psyched to go with someone
who really knows the deal.
This one's new.
It's humongous.
- [Chris] When I drove by, I thought it was a Costco.
It's so big. (Serena laughing)
Well, there are three other locations, right?
Yeah, there's Burbank and Glendale and Downey.
And you've been to all of them?
I've been to all of them.
You gotta get the Papas Rellenas,
the stuffed potato ball.
Get the guava and cheese pastry,
gotta get a sandwich.
Mm-hmm, that sounds so good. You gotta get everything.
Let's go. Let's do it.
We came here 1971.
My mother was forced to do work over there
because the communist government,
when they came in and got her out of her work,
she went home with three kids.
My dad went to a labor camp,
away from the home.
So, she had to reinvent herself.
She was running a business.
So, she knew a little bit about business.
She was very good in the kitchen.
She went back to her grandmother's recipes
and her mother's recipes.
Started cooking cakes, making pastries,
the potato balls, the chicken empanadas,
and she started selling them to neighbors.
But ...
- [Serena] In Cuba?
In Cuba, but illegally.
That was private enterprise.
So, that was illegal so she had to be very careful.
If they would have caught her,
she would have been in jail for 25 years.
So, it was no laughing matter what she was doing in Cuba.
Like Breaking Bad but for cakes.
(Serena laughing)
Well, you're a legend.
He was saying as a Cuban American growing up, right?
I was like, if there was like a Mount Rushmore
of Cuban Americans, like Desi Arnez, Andy Garcia,
Gloria Estefan, Betty Porto;
like the Porto Family,
your mom Rosa, and everyone,
because it's like so legendary.
(upbeat pop music)
You cannot leave Porto's and not try the potato ball.
- [Serena] Mmm ...
These are my mom's recipes so potato balls means Portos.
Cheers Cheers
(laughing) Potato ball.
It's like a Shepherd's pie,
but delicious.
(laughter)
There's something about mashed potatoes fried
with meat in the middle.
(with stuffed mouth) Yeah, it's awesome.
(upbeat instrumental music)
So here you go.
This is what you were wishing for.
Yes it was.
Tres Leches,
or three milk cake.
And then this is a newer version,
which is,
to make it lighter,
we took the tres leches cake
and put it in between whipped cream and fresh berries.
So please enjoy.
Ooh that is juicy.
Very, very moist.
- [Chris] It's so good.
Delicious.
It is really, really, really, great.
- [Serena] So this is one of the big things
they're known for, right?
- [Chris] Yeah.
It's like a puffed pastry with guava paste and cream cheese.
(upbeat instrumental music)
It's so good.
Cubans grow beards
so that we can catch the food that comes out of our mouths
and just re-eat it for later.
(Serena laughing)
You were saying that the story of Porto's
is a very Cuban-American story.
That Betty's a legend.
What about their tale did you relate to?
It just says so much about resourcefulness
and enterprise
and just the Cuban-American hustle in general, I fee like.
She came to America
and built this 30 thousand foot space, you know?
It's like Cuban-American dream stuff.
Yeah it's great.
This was delicious.
Let's go check out some sandwiches.
Let's do it. (upbeat music)
- [Serena] Alright, so the sandwiches ...
So this is a traditional Cuban sandwich,
and you see the cheese melted.
- [Serena] Yes, super melty.
And this is something new for us,
the Cuban sofrita.
These are fresh made plantains.
- [Serena] So this is a classic Cuban?
This is a Cuban sandwich,
(speaking foreign language)
Tell me ...
What makes it a classic Cuban dish?
Well it's go the mother of all Cuban items,
which is pork.
So that's were you start,
Cubans love pork more than anything.
And we love it so much,
this sandwich has pork and ham in it.
So I think that's what puts it ...
that's what sets it as the standard.
And also it's so interesting to put Swiss cheese on it
because people would just use like a different
type of cheese but it goes so well together.
What is this, like a hamburger?
It's a hamburger but it has grilled;
it's got like fried little potatoes on it,
and grilled onions,
and a mojo, like a garlic aioli type of thing.
And then a sweet, sweet delicious bun.
(laughter)
Really good.
Okay, so this is their take on it?
This is their take on it.
- [Serena] Alright, I'll take half you take the other half.
Yeah.
(upbeat instrumental music)
It's delicious.
This reminds me of visiting my grandma in Miami,
she lives in Hialeah.
And then just going to Calle Ocho and seeing all the
food trucks and getting a frita.
I would venture to say that this
is better than anything in Miami,
(laughter) but I don't ...
I don't want to start a turf war with Pitbull.
But this is the bomb.
It's delicious.
And I could eat this all day.
It's really good.
Chris, thank you so much for coming and sharing with me
your Porto's obsession.
Yeah. I totally get it.
- [Chris] Mm-hmm. My Pleasure.
Anytime.
(laughter)
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(outro music)