MIAMI, United States. – Cuban Miguel Sánchez, resident in Argentina for 17 years, won fourth place in the Latin American Pizza Championship.
Sánchez, who is originally from the Jesús María neighborhood of Havana and arrived in Argentina in 2005, owns Mima Pizzeria in that South American country. “For me, having to leave my country, having to leave my family, having to leave my friends, my roots (…) took away my very young life,” he lamented.
“Consecrate ourselves as a pizzeria cost us a lot because, being an immigrant from any country costs you, but the possibility of earning the respect of customers and being able to get ahead is not far away,” he said in an interview with CubaNet.
The chef said that in 2019 he entered the Latin American Pizza Championship representing Cuba. “To my people, not to the government,” he clarifies. “I do not represent a government, I represent a people. Let the world know that we Cubans are capable of going outside despite anything”, he assures.
Precisely, to represent Cuba, he created a “mojito pizza”, in which he integrated all the ingredients of the popular Cuban drink.
Regarding his business in Argentina, he pointed out that it has been able to prosper thanks to “the tranquility” generated by a democratic government. “You can have your business paying your taxes and, if things go well for you tomorrow, they won’t come to take it away from you. You have that peace of mind in a democratic country”, he insisted.
Although he has lived for almost two decades in Argentina and has never returned to Cuba, he assures that he always carries the slogan of Homeland and Life “very high”.
“I think it’s time that [los cubanos] We realize the situation we are in. (…) We have the same need as 60 years ago. We have an oppressed people. we go out in protests a few months ago and the boys are missing [presos]”, lament.
For Sánchez, “what Cuba really needs is political support because the people cannot fight against the Army. (…) Cuba has been in bad shape for 60 years and it’s getting worse and worse.”
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