Flan Factory Celebrates 6 Years of Cuban Traditions

What started as a pop-up market stand has grown into an Ybor City staple. Owner Jose Palau founded Flan Factory to preserve his grandmother’s legacy, share his Cuban heritage and bring family recipes to the Tampa community.

Palau was born and raised in West Tampa, where the kitchen was the heart of his home.

“A lot of what we do today is all family recipes built on the memories. Especially growing up learning to cook from grandmother and mother and opening up Flan Factory to incorporate memories with my own spin,” Palau said.

Palau said he wanted to share his love of traditional Cuban food with the community that helped raise him. He chose Ybor City because of its rich Cuban history and wanted the restaurant to feel like it had always belonged there.

“I never owned a restaurant before, so to look back now and see everything that's happened and the customers who have been coming here since the beginning, it means a lot to me,” Palau said. “The employees are a part of our family and the recognition from the Tampa community means more than anything. I am so grateful Tampa has embraced us.”

At Flan Factory, the menu features dishes Palau and his team enjoy preparing. Two of his favorites are the Cuban frita burger and Cuban-style fried rice.

The burger puts a twist on the traditional Cuban frita. Instead of one patty made with pork and beef, Palau uses two smashed patties: one made with beef and the other with chorizo. He learned the recipe from his grandparents but wanted to add his own spin.