Berkys Gonzalez and her family endured a difficult journey out of their native Cuba that included traversing the dangerous Darien Gap on the border between Colombia and Panama and passing through several other Central American countries in hopes of someday reaching the United States.

“We successfully entered, fortunately, to this country that I am so thankful for, and Marshalltown especially because of the opportunity it has given me plus the tranquility to have been relieved from all those political problems of my country, and to have a good future for my children,” she said.

Now that they are here and settled in Marshalltown, Gonzalez is living her version of the American Dream and recently opened her new grocery store, La Isla Mercado Cubano, the first of its kind in the community, at 16 N. Center St. It has been operating since late December and specializes in a variety of Cuban ingredients, produce, snacks, drinks and meats, and as Gonzalez told the T-R during a recent interview (translated and interpreted by Melisa Fonseca), the store is for everyone, not just those who hail from the island about 90 miles off the Florida coast in the Caribbean Sea.

Like many Cuban-Americans, Gonzalez first lived in Miami when she came to the U.S., but she heard about Marshalltown through an uncle who has worked at JBS for many years and other members of her father’s side of her family, who are almost all settled here.

“I like the snow. I like to learn about something new, and this is where God put me and gave me the opportunity to start my small business,” she said.

As more individuals of Cuban descent migrated to the community, she saw the opportunity to add to Marshalltown’s diverse roster of grocery stores that already includes several Mexican and Asian options mostly focused in the downtown area.

“The thing that was new was the Cuban component, and we started talking about it. It was a family decision,” Gonzalez said. “And the store is not just for Cubans. I have Mexican, Dominican and American customers as well.”

Although she doesn’t sell prepared meals out of the store, Gonzalez did share that a few of her favorite Cuban delicacies are lechon asado (slow roasted pork with crispy skin), ropa vieja (shredded beef stewed in a tomato-based sauce with peppers, onions, and garlic), yuca (the root of the cassava plant with a flavor similar to potatoes) and Cuban-style tamales, which are distinct from their Mexican counterparts in that the meat is mixed directly into the corn masa as opposed to being stuffed.

So far, Marshalltown residents who have visited La Isla are appreciating its offerings, as Gonzalez said it has been “very well-received,” and she thanked Danielle Lekin of the Marshalltown Central Business District (MCBD) for assisting her in getting the business listed on Google and other internet search engines with the address and hours.

“I am very thankful for her. That was a step that has really helped because I didn’t know how to do that,” Gonzalez said.

Additionally, she is thankful for Selena Flores with the city of Marshalltown, who helped her in translating the necessary documents she needed to submit to the city. And as she looks toward the future, she would love to see the business continue to grow.

“God willing. I’m counting on God. I would love for my store to be bigger, to cover more necessities of the community and every other customer who would like to come in. It doesn’t matter where they’re from,” she said. “And (I want to) keep going.”

La Isla is open every day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.