A Taste of Home
Food is both a personal and impersonal experience. For some, it’s a quick stop in the middle of a busy day, a cup of coffee grabbed on the way to work, a pastry eaten without much thought. But for others, it’s memory, identity and connection. It’s the taste of home, the smell of childhood and the feeling that no matter how far you travel, a part of you never really leaves.
For one Cuban-born musician turned café owner, that feeling never went away.
Oscar Canizares and his wife, Sandra, both classically trained musicians, left Cuba in 2018 and made their way to Indiana University in Bloomington.
After settling in, they explored their new surroundings, searching for the flavors they grew up with: Cuban coffee, pastries and meals that filled their childhood kitchens. But time and time again, the familiar tastes they longed for were nowhere to be found.
“At first, we talked about the possibility of creating a space in the future that could combine our fields of expertise — Latino artistic expressions and Cuban food affections,” Canizares recalls. “But such an ambitious project had to wait until we covered other basic needs for the family.”
After earning his master’s degree in music, the couple moved from Bloomington to Greenwood, became naturalized citizens, and opened SC Music Place, their music studio. It became their focus and foundation, connecting them to the community through what they knew best. But even as they poured their energy into the studio, the idea of a café never left.
Then, in the summer of 2025, a serendipitous opportunity presented itself. Space at 211 W. Main St. in downtown Greenwood became available. The dream of Melao Cuban Café (MCC) began its transformation into reality.
Long before the café existed, its foundation had already been built in a Cuban kitchen. Canizares grew up surrounded by women who expressed love through food — his mother, his aunts and especially his grandmother. She had a gift for creating something memorable out of simple ingredients — traditional Cuban desserts made from tropical fruits, each carrying its own story.
“I have memories of traveling for more than two hours from my home to hers, and she would greet me with a kiss and whisper in my ear: Go check in the fridge! I knew something yummy was waiting for me there,” Canizares says.
Those moments live on in MCC. The bold aroma of Cuban espresso echoes mornings in his mother’s kitchen. Guava-filled pastries reflect the treats he would buy after school. Mango and mamey milkshakes bring back hot afternoons spent with his grandmother, watching cartoons. Each item on the menu is tied to a memory, a piece of home shared with the Greenwood community.
But for Canizares, food has always been about more than taste.
“Growing up in a context of scarcity, a lot of times we didn’t have all the traditional ingredients that Cuban cuisine requires, but the food coming from our moms’, aunties’ and grandmas’ hands was still delicious,” he explains. “We did it with love. We believe that the starting point to serve delicious food that brings joy to people is the love you invest in the process.”
That philosophy sits at the heart of MCC. Creating an environment where employees feel valued and connected, where they see MCC’s success as their own, is as important as the food. Because when people care about what they’re doing, it shows in the service, the atmosphere and every cup that leaves the counter.
MCC is more than just a café. It’s an invitation to experience Cuban culture through food, music and community.
“We hope that Greenwood embraces it and they start speaking with pride to others about their local Cuban café,” he says.
Looking ahead, the vision continues to grow. In the next five to 10 years, they hope to open a Cuban restaurant and help inspire a more diverse food scene in Greenwood. But at its core, the dream remains the same: to create a space where culture, food and community come together.
Sometimes, the smallest things — like a cup of coffee, a familiar flavor or a warm welcome — can mean everything. And for MCC, that’s exactly the point.
Visit Melao Cuban Café at 211 W. Main St., downtown Greenwood, and follow them on Facebook @melaocubancafe.
