Miami Native Defies Odds to Launch Dream Cuban Sandwich Food Truck

In 2019, Miami native Jose Mitjans realized he longed to share his delicious Cuban sandwiches with his friends, family, and community — but he didn't know exactly where to start. So, he started by selling his sandwiches out of a makeshift trailer that he made with his bare hands on the side of the road. Then, COVID struck, and his plans derailed.

Little did he know then, that his dream food truck would come to fruition in 2024.

Mitjans has a background of working in the business side of the food industry, but he had never started his own business before. In 2019, he named his makeshift trailer that he handmade himself Miami Micro Kitchen. His trailer was made complete with a ventanita and everything (that was actually a sliding house window). Although it wasn't an actual food truck, he tells New Times he was proud of building it himself.

"I didn't know how to build food trucks. I was learning as I went and I built it basically from scratch with my own two hands," he recalls. "Friends and family helped me with some of the projects I had, and we did our best. At the time, we were selling just traditional Cuban sandwiches with old-school recipes and some flair that I added through my experience in the industry and working with chefs. Soon, I started selling them to locals in Miami, spent some time selling at breweries, and did some work with bars that didn't have kitchens."
Soon, word got out about Mitjans' sandwiches and he was selling out daily, but his luck would soon run out.

"We received lots of feedback from the community saying it was the best Cuban sandwich they had ever had," he says with a smile. "We became popular and were selling out every day, but then, six months after we opened, COVID hit."

He tried to stay afloat by selling near offices that were still open, rain or shine, but once the lockdown started Mitjans had no choice but to close his trailer. It wasn't until years later that he revisited the idea with Medianochies, a food truck named after the medianoche Cuban sandwich, where he makes amped up Cuban sandwiches in bite-size portions. Cofounded by Mitjans and Rande Samuel, the two met while working for years in the restaurant industry.

"We've done every job in the industry, from dishwashing to director of operations," says Mitjans. "Rande is one of my best friends and we put in an equal amount of blood, sweat, tears, and money that took us a long time to save up to open Medianochies."
The cofounders presented the idea of the bite-sized sandwiches served with a side of sauce of choice to family and friends and they were an instant hit

Here's how the Medianochies menu works: Guests start by picking out the style of sandwich they want, with options being the "Medianoche" made with its flagship mustard sauce, the "Cubano," a pan con lechon, a ham and swiss, or the grilled cheese. The second step is to pick a sauce to go on the side with your sandwich, either the "Signature Medianochie Sauce," barbecue, guava barbecue, ranch, or buffalo. Prices vary between $13 for 10 pieces and $20 for 16 pieces, all served in a cone.

Every Saturday, the black and white Medianochies food truck with a fun astronomical design will be parked at Grand Central Food Station, located at 12701 SW 137th Ave. "We created a theme around space and astronauts, we put a little food truck on the moon and an astronaut is holding the cone in outer space because we wanted to show that the flavors are out of this world," he explains. "We are bringing that uniqueness to something that's traditional. We're selling to the locals. We're born and raised in Miami, so, we know what people like here."
Mitjans and Samuel already have big dreams ahead for the Medianochies brand. Both coming from humble backgrounds, they persevered in the restaurant industry with big aspirations and a lot of ambition.

"Our goal, ultimately, is to grow this concept and take it to the moon," he says. "It's to have as many units open as possible, franchise it out, and help other franchisees be successful, as well. I grew up in a great home thanks to my parents. They were the first-generation Americans coming to Miami from Cuba, but we had a lot of financial struggles. My dream was to have financial freedom, and I think this will be the platform for me to not only help people in the community by pulling them, and helping potential investors in the middle class, but also helping my family."

Medianochies. 12701 SW 137th Ave., Miami, at Grand Central Food Station; instagram.com/medianochies. Open every Saturday from 3 to 7 p.m.