ASHEVILLE - Chris Barroso said a legacy dating back several decades on a sugarcane farm in Cuba led him to open his first brick-and-mortar restaurant, Guajiro, in Asheville's River Arts District.
"All this food is inspired by my grandmother and family members. It's a taste of what my grandmother offered us when we were younger. Now, she's not cooking anymore, so this is her legacy moving on through us," Barroso said.
Guajiro — pronounced gwah-hee-roh — is Cuban slang for a farmer or agricultural worker and refers to Barroso's great-grandfather, Seraphin Morejon.
Morejon's image would later become a part of the Guajiro's branding, honoring the family history, heritage and the hardships that they've overcome to live out their dreams.
According to
family history, Morejon worked on his parents' farm until they passed away. His sister inherited it in the late 1920s, and Morejon purchased a nearby farm that was confiscated by the Castro Regime in 1959.
In 1968, Morejon sent Barroso's grandmother, Rosa Montenegro, to live in the U.S.
Years later, she would teach Barroso to cook and inspire his desire to open a restaurant at a young age. Her traditional Cuban recipes form the foundation of Guajiro's menu.
"Guajiro means family because if it wasn't for my grandma's dad all those years ago in Cuba making her come to the U.S., I wouldn't be here," Barroso said.
On the menu: Guajiro returns with all-day Cuban comfort food
In September, nearly two years after floodwaters washed away Guajiro Cuban Comfort Food's mobile eatery during Tropical Storm Helene, the concept has reemerged stronger than ever as a brick-and-mortar restaurant at 122 Riverside Drive in The Asheville Cotton Mill Studios.
About a month before Helene, El Patio by Guajiro, a bar that also offered indoor seating for food truck diners, opened on the building's first floor, and was also destroyed.
Guajiro's new brick-and-mortar version allows the dining and bar concepts to coexist under one roof.
Guajiro offers breakfast, lunch and dinner, with classics such as the bestselling Cuban sandwich, prepared with ham, roast pork, Swiss cheese, mayo, mustard and pickles.
The authentic Cuban-style bread comes from Florida, but the restaurateurs are looking for a local bakery to supply it wholesale. Cuban pastries are also in the baked goods case.
"The Cuban bread is crispy on the outside and pillowy, doughy on the inside," Barroso said.
After four years as a food truck, the permanent kitchen allows the chefs to offer daily specials, such as Ropa Vieja — shredded beef in a savory Cuban-style Creole sauce — that may become permanent fixtures on the expanded menu.
The coffee menu includes Cuban classic sodas, coffee, espresso, and other coffee drinks such as Café con Leche and Cortadito.
Guajiro plans to add a full alcohol bar soon, permit permitting. The bar will sell craft cocktails, beer and wine.
Guajiro's menu is the same as what was on the food truck, though it will be expanded with more breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes and beverages.
Breakfast, offered until 11 a.m., includes a two-egg dish with house potatoes, Cuban toast, coffee with milk, with a choice to add ham, bacon, or sausage for an upcharge.
The Steak Sandwich is prepared with thin slices of steak, grilled onions, shoestring potatoes, lettuce and tomato.
The Roast Pork plate is an entree featuring slow-roasted pork shoulder, served with either white rice and black beans or mixed rice and sweet plantains.
Although North Carolina law prohibits "Happy Hour" specials on alcoholic beverages, Guajiro offers specials on select dishes on designated days, such as Caribbean tostones with roasted pork and pork bites with fried yuca from 4-7 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays.
More is planned for the restaurant following its long-awaited revival and return to its origins in RAD.
"It feels super surreal. It feels like a dream," Barroso said.
Bigger, better aspirations in RAD
Two years after Guajiro began operating in the parking lot of Cotton Mill Studios, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Western North Carolina as a tropical storm on Sept. 27, 2024, following two days of heavy precursor rainfall that raised the French Broad River to a record 24.67 feet.
Floodwaters swept through the River Arts District, leaving the historic former mill, El Patio and Guajiro's food truck, among other businesses, in ruins.
"When it happened, I didn't process it at all. I felt like we were just going through the motions, cleaning up the building," Barroso said.
Guajiro rebuilt with a new food truck and served at Hi-Wire Brewing's Biltmore Village taproom. It was like starting from scratch and rebuilding for a new clientele.
Barroso has since partnered with Joel Morales to develop Guajiro into its new, bigger, permanent version.
"When Joel became a part owner, we had bigger aspirations. We wanted to get out of the food truck ― it's hard working in a food truck. In the summer, it's hot, and in the winter we had to close a bunch and the pipes freeze."
Opening so close to Helene's two-year anniversary wasn't intentional, but Barroso said he recognized the significance of Guajiro returning bigger and better than before at the milestone.
Much has changed in RAD since Helene, though Barroso said the changes have been positive as the creative district rebuilds and redevelops and people continue to return.
"The River Arts District's just home to us. It's the only thing we know. Even though being at Hi-Wire was comforting and they supported us, coming back here was always the end game," Barroso said.
Inside Guajiro's new restaurant and bar
Operating the food truck gave the team a chance to gauge Asheville's interest in Cuban food and served as a stepping stone toward developing the brick-and-mortar restaurant.
"After the two years in the food truck, we knew the restaurant would work but we didn't know we would be here this fast," Barroso said.
Guajiro's dining room offers table and counter seating, with additional seating on the spacious front patio and the tucked-away, railroad-adjacent back patio.
The decor further shows the family's geographical and cultural ties to Cuba and Miami, Florida.
The front walk-up window, called La Ventanita, or "little window," is designed after those at Cuban eateries in Miami, where customers order items such as coffee, pastelitos, and sandwiches to go and stick around for conversations. Guarjiro's ordering window features signage styled after a popular Cuban restaurant in Miami called Versailles.
Several artists were commissioned to bring the walls to life, including Cavan Koebel, Oscar Montes and Ishmael Book Art.
Jonathan Bidwell, whose studio/gallery neighbors Guajiro inside Cotton Mill Studios, painted the Celia Cruz mural in the dining room, featuring faux fauna and florals by Julie Roepnack of JCR Plant Designs.
"Celia Cruz ― she's like the queen of Salsa and an icon. I've had a bunch of people who've come in have a personal story that when they met her, she made them feel very special," Barroso said.
During its brief operation, El Patio hosted a couple of Salsa dance nights, which Guajiro plans to reintroduce later, along with house music nights.
His family's photos from across generations, along with scenes from Miami and Cuba, also line the walls.
The family ties don't end there.
Barroso’s parents, Jannette Montenegro and Richard Patino, own and operate Asheville Cotton Mills Studios.
Montenegro called it "a whole family affair," as family members including cousins and Barroso's fiancé work at the restaurant.
"I'm really happy. Coming back to the building, coming back with the artists, and having Chris here, who is our anchor," Montenegro said. "All of the artists are excited because all the people come in, they eat, they walk around the studios. It's a lot more movement, which is important since we're the only ones this side of RAD. Hopefully, it'll bring more people and businesses down here."
The historic Asheville Cotton Mill Studios reopens fully revived
Montenegro said the Cotton Mill Studios, which reopened earlier this year, is at capacity and fully operational, with Guajiro's opening.
The original mill site, where they manufactured denim and flannel, was established in 1887. It was converted into a mixed-use commercial building that now houses local businesses, including artists' studios and galleries.
Barroso said he isn't worried about flooding, as Helene was an anomaly of historic proportions.
In July 1916, a century before Helene, the French Broad River flooded the historic mill.
Still, Montenegro said post-Helene renovations to the Cotton Mill Studios were designed with potential future flooding in mind, placing electrical systems, plumbing, fire systems and HVAC units on the higher ground of the roof.
She said the building had "good bones," and she expects it to stand for at least another 100 years.
Guajiro's grand opening celebration will be announced later, inviting the community to commemorate the revival and see what more the restaurant and its neighbors have to offer.
Barroso said Guajiro and the other building tenants will create a synergy, bringing more people into the building who will patronize each other's businesses.
"We're going to help each other out. We'll bring more business to them, as well as all the traffic that comes through the business," he said.
Guajiro
Where: 122 Riverside Drive, at Asheville Cotton Mill Studios.
Hours: 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday. Hours are subject to change.
Info: For more, visit guajiroasheville.com and follow facebook.com/guajiroavl and @guajiroavl on Instagram.
Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Co., covering the food and beverage industry, including the James Beard Awards, Michelin Awards, restaurant openings, closings and other hospitality industry news and events. Tips, comments, questions? Email tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow @PrincessOfPage on Instagram. Sign up for AVL Bites and Brews, our weekly food and drink newsletter here.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Guajiro parks food truck, debuts brick-and-mortar Cuban restaurant
