‘The American dream is still here’: Cuban immigrant represents Utah on Food Network

SALT LAKE CITY—If you ask Adalberto Diaz, the perfect ingredient in any dessert is passion.

"I've been baking since I was nine," he said, while working on one of his latest concoctions back in the kitchen of his bakery. "I used to help my grandma. I made my first cake by myself in a pressure cooker — it was a lemon cake. A neighbor bought it, and she just loved it so much, she kept ordering more."

Diaz grew up in Cuba, a place some may not think of as being famous for post-meal pastries.

"Oh, well they think wrong," he said with a laugh. "Cuban food includes everything, and we love desserts."

Diaz's bakery, Fillings & Emulsions, specializes in desserts. His employees rush about, covered in flour, cracking dozens of eggs and heating utensils with blowtorches. Here, Diaz is in his element. He opened his first baking business as a young man — but navigating Havana on a bike while toting a bag of flour brought along its own special set of challenges.

"Trying to go around the neighborhood to avoid the police, so you don't get stopped," he said. "You're not supposed to have a bag of flour. That just doesn't happen in communist countries."

In Cuba, owning your own business was illegal.

"They were already showing up at my house," Diaz said. "Private property wasn't allowed, back in the year 2000. It has gotten a little bit better now, people can have private enterprises. But back then, it wasn't allowed."

Diaz fled to Mexico, and made one of the riskiest decisions of his life.

"I got somebody to drive me all the way to the border, because Cubans, if they catch you in Mexico, they'll send you back," he said. "I crossed the border in Texas, and asked for asylum."

For Diaz, fond memories of those times are hard to come by.

"It was very scary," he said. "I actually was in jail for 21 days, in an immigration processing facility. Just to make sure I was who I said I was. It took over a year and a half just to get my first paperwork done."

Diaz said his own mother didn't even know where he'd gone.

"She didn't actually know I was coming," he said. "That was a surprise for everybody. I had to hide for a week before I left my house. So basically, nobody knew I was leaving until I got here, and I called them and told them 'I'm in America now.'"

His request for asylum was eventually granted. Diaz had one goal in mind — doing whatever he could to make sure he could stay in America. After eight long years of struggles, he became a citizen.

"Becoming a citizen is a long process," he said with a laugh. "You have to prove first that you're a good permanent resident. And it's costly. You know, for immigrants that don't make a lot of money, usually, when you come into the country."

Once he held that certificate stating he was now a U.S. citizen, Diaz was able to bring his mother to America. Four years after that, his brothers followed. And despite all the turmoil, one part of his life remained constant.

"Baking grabbed me again, and I ended up working as a baker over and over," he said.

He held a few baking jobs, and even taught culinary arts at UVU — all the while, soaking up as much knowledge as he could. Finally, after years of studying, he opened his own business.

"My goal when I came to America was to understand," Diaz said. "I mean, it's a completely different culture. We have a culture that's — a communist economy to a capitalist economy is completely different. It took me around 13 years to say 'I'm ready.' I could have just opened a bakery when I came in, and probably it wouldn't have lasted. No way."

And now, this immigrant who came to the country with nothing but a dream is part of one of the most American things you can imagine: a reality TV show. Diaz recently took part in the "Best Baker in America" on the Food Network­ — his second appearance on the cable channel.

"I did the Holiday Baking Championship in 2015," he said. "I guess when they decided that they wanted to get a few bakers together to decide who's the 'Best Baker in America,' they considered me, which I'm pretty honored, because a lot of the bakers were really, really good."

Although Diaz didn't walk out with the top prize, he beams with pride when it comes to what's really important to him: his bakery. After all, he's taken full advantage of his appearance, as any true American would — a banner listing him as a semifinalist on the show hangs on the front of his building.

"It's great for business," he said. "It was great for promotion, it was a great opportunity."

And while passion may be the most important part of any dessert, Diaz believes it's not just about what you bake — it's about where you bake it.

"The American dream is still here," he said. "It's here for the taking. If you fight for it, if you want it, you can have it here."

Related topics