TAMPA, Fla. — The first retail space at ENCORE! Tampa has officially opened its doors for business.
Michelle Faedo’s Tampeno Cuisine opened for business on Friday to dozens of people lining up to order a classic Cuban sandwich.
The storefront location is on the ground floor level of The Ella at ENCORE! building — a new space that’s bringing retail stores close to downtown.
You would expect the owner, Michelle Faedo, to soak in her own grand opening, but she was behind the scenes making every single Cuban sandwich for every customer. Afterall, no one makes them quite like her.
The Tampa native has received awards and recognition for her version of the classic sandwich.
“My dream is to always having a restaurant and having it in my part of the city,” she said.
Faedo grew up on the east side of the city — so she wanted to feed the people she grew up with.
The shop sits on a 40 plus acre plan of ENCORE! Tampa that is helping bring affordable communities near downtown.
The area expects a barbershop, early learning childhood center, a new hotel and a grocery store to come soon.
In all, the area is to bring more than 1,000 jobs.
