It’s hard to imagine that one corner of Little Havana without the two-story sculpture of an ice cream cone.
Azucar Ice Cream has come to signify the neighborhood. Just as Little Havana helped build Azucar.
The ice cream shop has all the iconic, Miami elements down to its iconic name: the catchphrase of the immortal Celia Cruz: "Azucar!" There’s a painting of her inside, too.
The flavors: guava, cream cheese and Maria cookies — all in one ice cream? It’s like a frozen pastelito! Cafe con leche. Something called "Cochino Borracho" with candied bacon. The way it reflects the flavors of Miami culture is part of its success.
Inside, the owner, Suzy Batlle, stands at the counter wearing a black T-shirt that reads, "La Jefa" — "The Boss."
Batlle led a life in banking before she took a hard left to build her own ice cream shop more than 10 years ago.
And now? It’s like it’s always been there.
On the May 3 episode of Sundial, she joined us to talk to us about how to keep an icon relevant when the neighborhood changes around you.
On Sundial’s previous episode, Journalists Ana Arana and Oz Woloshyn, the hosts and reporters behind the podcast Silenced: The Radio Murders. The series is about the murders of local Creole radio journalists in Little Haiti in the 1990s.
Listen to Sundial Monday through Thursday on WLRN, 91.3 FM, live at 1 p.m., rebroadcast at 8 p.m. Missed a show? Find every episode of Sundial on your favorite podcast app, such as Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify.
Stay in touch with us by emailing us at sundial@wlrnnews.org.
