Moros Cuban Restaurant, located in La Habra, California, is tucked away on a busy street amongst a variety of bustling businesses. A quaint little space, Moros exudes a vibrant and thriving atmosphere. At any given time, the 12 tables are filled to the brim with a diverse crowd and exotic entrees. The smell of Cuban spices wafting from the open kitchen and the thrum of Spanish music accompany the welcoming and hospitable staff.

ETHINIC FLARE

Moros is owned by Sean Saafan, an Egyptian man from Cairo who came to the United States in 1998 at the age of 19 to pursue a culinary career. Saafan refined his culinary skills as a chef in New Jersey, New York and Las Vegas before settling in California and planting a restaurant with the help of his good friend, Sam Rodriguez. Although Rodriguez was born in La Habra, he brings an ethnic flare to the restaurant through his Brazilian and Mexican cultural identity.

As the manager at Moros, Rodriguez knows how to foster an environment that keeps customers satisfied with their restaurant experience.

“It shows when a server genuinely cares about the people they’re serving. When you show love and attentiveness to the table, I think they enjoy that,” Rodriguez said.

A POSITIVE EXAMPLE

Moros serves as a positive example of Orange County’s demographic composition “that is becoming increasingly more diverse in culture, character, and community” according to the Orange County Business Center. Crystle Garcia, a server at Moros, is Mexican-American. She said the majority of their customers are Asian, but they also cater to Mexicans, Cubans and Americans. Garcia speaks Spanish fluently and exhibits the curiosity-driven desire of a multi-cultural crowd to interact with each other and grow in their perceptions of varying cultures.

“I’m constantly asked if I speak Spanish, if I’m Cuban, if I’m European. I get everything,” said Garcia.

A UNITED TEAM

Saafan is a Muslim who has allowed his faith-based values to intersect with his business practices. Besides avoiding pork, practicing fasting and praying every day, Saafan’s family has raised him to be fair, hardworking and ethical. He upholds his motto to “do your best and forget the rest.”

“The way I was born and raised, it’s part of me and I would never let that part go. So I do things differently– I believe in God, of course in Allah.”

Moros Cuban Restaurant illustrates clashing cultures being able to work as a united team. A Muslim man from Cairo has constructed an extremely successful Cuban restaurant with the help of a Christian man from California, who he endearingly refers to as his “brother.” Both men integrate different aspects of their faith into their work and contribute to the growth of this small business.