For months, The Shops at Riverwalk has been abuzz with new and exciting additions, one being the highly anticipated opening of Son Cubano.
 With its sister restaurants Son Cubano in the Meat Packing District and Flor de Sol in Tribeca reaping the benefits of needing a Cuban fix in the city, it was no wonder the Duran-Gouchee family wanted to bring their success back home to West New York.
Alex, Diana, Eddie and Claudia – a tight knit group of siblings hailing from West New York, have risen from tough times in a cramped apartment to owning a multitude of successful ventures.
Edward Duran, their dearly departed father began a small business shuttling South and Central American merchants into New York City for shopping trips. From that simple idea, the family evolved the concept into a wildly successful freight forwarding business. Beginning to conquer the business world, the Duran sisters along with Kevin Gouchee, Diana’s husband, began to sprout their success into the restaurant business when Kevin suggested opening up a small Cuban café in the city. Noticing that there was a niche to be filled with Latin restaurants in the trendy Tribeca neighborhood, they decided to ditch their idea to go small and to go all out. Taking advantage of this opportunity to fill a void, they began building their small Latin empire of restaurants starting with Flor de Sol and Son Cubano – making them one of the Meat Packing District’s first Spanish restaurants.
The restaurant business became a family effort when Alex, Eddie and their mother came on board and put their hearts and souls into making the trio’s dream a reality. Knowing the importance of Cuban influence, they wanted to do this right. They did their research and took a total of 10 trips to Cuba to better understand the culture and to bear witness to the struggle of the Cuban lifestyle. Growing up with little money themselves, it touched the family to see that even amongst political turmoil and harsh living conditions, the Cuban people still had an insatiable appetite for life.
Now years later, the whole family has come together to bring it all back to square one and open Son Cubano in their hometown. A deal two years in the making in a crumbling economy, the Durans and the Gouchees are now open.
Son Cubano
40-4 River Walk Place
West New York, NJ 07093
201.399.2020
[email protected]
ABOUT THE YA GROUPThe YA Group is a multicultural marketing communications agency that specializes in outreach for the US Hispanic market. With over 25 years of experience, The YA Group is made up of marketing professionals that are strategic and creative thinkers. The company has helped a wide range of clients create recognizable brands and messages that translate to the Hispanic community.
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