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Hugo's Owner Has Medical Dreams

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By ESTHER HAMMER

Tribune correspondent

Published: August 13, 2008

SOHO - On most days, Ramon Hugo Sanchez can be found behind the counter at Hugo's, the South Howard Avenue restaurant that his parents started in 1975.

The 41-year-old Tampa native, who lives in Lutz with his wife and two children, now owns the restaurant. He's good at managing, but he's more than he appears to be.

Sanchez has a medical degree from the Central University of the East in the Dominican Republic and a yearning to complete his training and go into family practice. That requires passing a bunch of tests in order to apply for a residency program in the United States.

What's the status of your quest to get into a residency program?

I've taken and passed all the exams I need but one, and I'm studying for that one.

You graduated from medical school in 1993. What has happened in your life since then?

I worked for the U.S. Department of Justice in Marianna as a doctor in the federal prison there for a year. Then family hardship brought me back to Tampa, and I took over running the family business.

Now that you're the owner of Hugo's are you also the chief cook and bottle washer?

I do whatever needs to be done. But I don't do much cooking. Mom and Dad Angelo and Hugo were the professional cooks in the family. I'm more of an overseer. But if I have to, I can go in there and cook because I learned from them.

What's special about Hugo's?

It's authentic Cuban food. I'm honing in on that. I think that's what people want when they go to a Cuban restaurant.

Are most of your customers Cuban?

No, not at all. There's been an influx lately of all different nationalities. They may be living in the area or visiting from other places. We have a lot of people who have moved away and come back to see us when they're in town.

Do you have a lot of regulars?

We have some customers that have been coming here since the beginning - friends of ours from the neighborhood. Yes, there are lots of regulars, but we're also seeing a lot of new faces, new people moving into the area.

You're in the process of changing the look of Hugo's. Why?

It's been 10 years since our last remodel and we're changing with the times. I want to change the atmosphere to be a more Cuban-oriented look. The walls have been painted; there are new cafe curtains at the windows. Next will be some Cuban art on the walls.

Correspondent Esther Hammer can be reached at (813) 259-7662 or ehammer@tampatrib.com.

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