After His Father’s Murder, Carlos Frías Found Solace In Miami’s Ventanitas

Fernando Frías was a successful cafe and restaurant owner in Havana. But when Fidel Castro came to power, the government nationalized Fernando’s businesses and imprisoned him when he tried to leave the country. Eventually he got out, settling near Miami like so many other Cuban expats. Even though Fernando never went back to Cuba, he was always searching for pieces of his homeland in the Cuban-American community in Miami. This week Dan talks with Fernando’s son, Carlos Frías, who’s now an investigative editor at USA TODAY. Carlos was close with his father until Fernando was tragically murdered in 2020. In his grief, Carlos sought a new connection with his father by writing about Miami’s first ventanita.This episode originally aired on June 27, 2022, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Kimmie Gregory, and Jared O’Connell. The Sporkful team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell.Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of The Sporkful ad-free. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.