3-minute read
A new Latin fusion restaurant has opened on South Florida Avenue.
Fusion&Sabor Kitchen opened in March, in Courtyard Center near the intersection of Highland Drive, where Cafe Zuppina used to be.
Walk in and you find a cozy space with jazz in the background and five tables.
Owner Ana Soler said she wanted her restaurant to be a quiet place where people could sit and relax or chat with old friends.
“I feel great to have succeeded in this project,” she said in Spanish.
“I like the idea of offering food that is healthier than what you’d find in other places, in a comfortable environment where you feel relaxed. A place that makes you feel at home.”
Soler is a chef from Venezuela. She owned a restaurant there.
On her menu are arepas, sandwiches, empanadas, and pastelitos, food that’s typically eaten in South America.
Fusion&Sabor is open every day but Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The restaurant also uses food pickup/delivery services such as Doordash and Clover.
What’s the difference? : The arepas, empanadas, and pastelitos often are street foods in Latin America.
“This is a version of fast food that is healthy,” Soler said. “Here, nothing is pre-made. We don’t use processed food.”
She cooks from scratch.
Arepas are made with corn-based flour, grilled and stuffed. Soler offers nine varieties, including an egg and avocado arepa, tuna salad arepa, and shredded chicken arepa.
Soler’s empanadas are also made with corn-based flour. She fills them with protein such as chicken, ground beef and fish, and mixes in other ingredients such as onion and peppers.
Her pastelitos are a little smaller, fried, and are made from wheat flour. She offers three varieties, chicken, ground beef and cheese.
The fusion: Soler’s menu also has some Indian influences with samosas, and a chicken masala sandwich.
She has many friends who are vegetarians from India, she said, and she enjoys their food.
Soler also has falafel on the menu due to the middle eastern influences on the northern coasts of Venezuela and Colombia.
A healthier option: Soler uses fresh ingredients such as an actual tuna steak for her tuna arepa, making the food as it’s ordered. Customers should expect a 15-minute wait.
She also cooks with peanut oil, except for the sandwiches and arepas, which are made with vegetable oil using a “plancha grill” similar to a griddle.
Her favorites: Soler’s three favorite items on the menu are the tuna with vinaigrette arepa, the steak sandwich, and the veggie samosas, which are a bit spicy.
About the owner: Soler moved to the Lakeland area in 2014 to be closer to her son, sister and grandchild. While working for Amazon, and taking on other jobs cleaning hotel rooms and businesses, she dreamed of having her own restaurant again.
Fusion&Sabor’s location is ideal for her, she said — a small space. She took over the lease in July of 2024 and began remodeling.
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Can anyone tell me if Lakeland will be getting a Costco please?