CNN
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Cuban businessman Felipe Valls Sr., founding father of the long-lasting Versailles restaurant in Miami, Florida, died Saturday, his granddaughter, Nicole Valls confirmed to CNN. He was 89 years previous.
Nicole Valls didn’t present additional particulars on her grandfather’s dying, however mentioned the household’s spokespeople are anticipated to offer extra info at a later time.
After Valls opened his restaurant on Miami’s emblematic Calle Ocho 51 years in the past, it grew to become an important gathering place for exiled Cubans who might congregate over flaky guava pastelitos and different acquainted dishes.
The landmark spot within the metropolis’s Little Havana neighborhood continues to be a traditional level of focus for activists and members of the Cuban group in South Florida. It additionally serves as a gathering level for demonstrations on political points involving the island.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez mourned Valls’ loss on Saturday, describing the businessman as “a unprecedented human being who served his household, his beloved Miami, and the liberty of Cuba with supreme devotion.”
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava mentioned in a tweet Valls was “the true embodiment of the American dream.”
“As a frontrunner, philanthropist and sensible businessman, he formed (Versailles) into the heart beat of our group for over 5 a long time,” the mayor wrote.
These sentiments have been echoed by Florida State Consultant Daniel Perez, who tweeted his condolences for the lack of “an icon in our group.”
Media shops, together with CNN, have visited Versailles over time to gauge the opinions of the Cuban group on numerous points and important occasions reminiscent of Fidel Castro’s dying in 2016, when crowds crammed the streets across the cafe, banding pots and pans and popping champagne, in accordance with CNN affiliate WSVN.