Quintin and María Teresa Larios returned to cooking on September 7, 2022, at Royd’s, a western-themed roadside attraction in Miami’s Redland farming district. The legendary Cuban restaurateurs, who founded Casa Larios and later partnered with Emilio and Gloria Estefan to open Larios on the Beach had retired multiple times after business setbacks and COVID-19 infections forced them out of kitchens they once ruled.
Key Takeaways
- Quintin and María Teresa Larios returned to cooking on September 7, 2022, at Royd’s, a western-themed roadside attraction in Miami’s Redland farming district, after retiring multiple times due to business setbacks and COVID-19.
- Developer Royd Lemus, who grew up as a Casa Larios customer, built the venue on his ornamental plant nursery and recruited the couple to cook Cuban food from a bus outfitted with a stainless steel kitchen.
- Quintin Larios, 93 years old, works alongside two longtime cooks who have been with him for 12 and 30 years, maintaining the same recipes and kitchen rhythm that built the Larios reputation.
- The Larios couple founded Casa Larios and later partnered with Emilio and Gloria Estefan to open Larios on the Beach, establishing a benchmark for Cuban cuisine in Miami before forced retirements.
Their comeback isn’t happening on South Beach or in a polished Coral Gables dining room. Instead, 93-year-old Quintin cooks his signature vaca frita and ox tail from a bus outfitted with a stainless steel kitchen, parked behind swinging saloon doors on Krome Avenue. María Teresa spends each day calling old friends and customers to alert them of the return, according to the Miami Herald. The revival shows that Miami’s appetite for authentic Cuban cuisine tied to legendary names can survive even dramatic location and format shifts.
What Brought the Larios Couple Out of Retirement?
Developer Royd Lemus grew up eating fresh ham croquetas at Casa Larios with his mother, becoming more than a regular customer. The family formed an extended kinship with the Larios clan. After learning the couple had retired once their previous restaurant, La Fragua, was sold in 2021 following pandemic losses, Lemus visited them at home with plans for a new venture.
Lemus owns Gateway Tree Farm, an ornamental plant nursery on Krome Avenue in the Redland. In October 2019, he drew up plans to build a western-themed roadside attraction on a front acre of the nursery property. The concept, nicknamed ‘The Gateway,’ was designed to catch agri-tourists heading to the Everglades and the Keys. But the food component remained unsettled until he thought of the Larios couple.
‘Who better than the kings of Cuban food?’ Lemus told the Miami Herald. He pitched a vision of three food buses: one for fresh fruit shakes and desserts, a second for sandwiches, and a third for hearty Cuban cuisine. Quintin and María Teresa agreed immediately. ‘He showed us all these plans and we said, whatever you need, we’re in,’ Quintin recalled.
How Does Royd’s Fit Into Miami’s Cuban Dining Scene?
The Larios name carries weight in Miami’s Cuban restaurant history. Casa Larios set the standard for Cuban food in the city for years, and the partnership with the Estefans elevated the couple’s profile. Their cooking became synonymous with authenticity, a benchmark for the diaspora’s culinary identity.
After business mistakes doomed their original restaurants, the couple cooked at La Fragua, a family member’s restaurant, and turned it into a hit. But the pandemic crushed sales, the restaurant was sold, and both Quintin and María Teresa contracted COVID. They retired again, seemingly for good…