Lansing - It might be hard to imagine, but underneath the snow and ice, Old Town is like a little piece of Havana.

At least Sabina Texido thinks so.

"I don't feel like I'm not home," she said. "This town has a similar feeling and I also bring the culture with me."

Texido runs Café Cubano, 311 E. Grand River Ave., a snug smorgasbord of Cuban flavor. Inside her restaurant, it's hard to think of anything but the tropical island, surrounded by the aroma of Cuban flair and food.

Inspired by a small eatery called La Bodeguita del Medio in Texido's hometown, the building walls are encoded with messages scrawled out in a rainbow of colors, mostly written by passersby. Sometimes it's just a scribbled name - some written in different languages - others are messages of hope, pieces of poetry, drawings and many are comments about the food.

Leaving Cuba with her husband and three children in 1997, Texido also left with the priceless recipes from her mother's kitchen. With everything conceived from scratch, Texido is a one-woman production line who cooks, serves and cleans everything on her own.

"I prefer to do everything myself," she said.

Friends, family and those who frequent the café stop by to volunteer their time with some of the tasks and to keep Texido company.

Creating Cuban sandwiches on authentic Cuban-style bread, tostones (fried ripened plantains), thick soups, seasoned meats and blending Moros y Cristianos (Muslims and Christians rice), which surprisingly, mingle nicely together.

Ladeling a spoon full of soup, Texido's nose dives over the steaming pot, pulling in the diverse spices with one big whiff.

"Woo!" she yelps as she stomps her right foot into the kitchen's concrete floor. "This is the best soup ever."

Texido never taste-tests the product in the process though - she waits eagerly as her customer's taste buds are awakened.

"Any Cuban can probably make any of these dishes," she said. "But no one can make them the way they were passed down to me in my family with the flavors."

The main dishes only scratch the menu's surface however, as deserts, drinks and a powerful authentic Cuban coffee might make the night for someone with a particular craving or who just needs a study break.

Laughing, Texido said she doesn't have to compete intensely with other restaurant's menus because she doesn't use the same Americanized products.

"They know they are in Cuba when they can't get decaffeinated coffee or sugarless sugar," she said. "I don't use any of that stuff you gringos have invented."