Grace De La Torre, whose flower business Garden in a Pot was on Main Street in Miami Lakes for more than a decade, died on March 15. The cause was metastatic lung cancer, her daughter Jessica De La Torre said. Grace De La Torre was 62. Born in Cuba, she lived in Miami Lakes for 32 years before moving to Pembroke Pines. “They told us she was treatable but not curable,” De La Torre, 31, of Miami Shores said of the diagnosis...

    Miami Lakes had a presence at this year’s South Beach Wine & Food Festival, when two local bakeries --  LA Sweetz and Vicky Bakery – showed off their creations to the foodie crowd.       LA Sweetz at 6707 Main St. is owned by Letty Alvarez and her family. Alvarez may be familiar to readers.       She has competed on the Food Network’s “Cupcake...

    In the next series of articles, we’re going to explore the neighborhoods south of Miami Lakes Drive.       In the Lower East Side along Northwest 57th Avenue/Red Road, there are several warehouses.       One of the largest sits on the corner and is home to Mr--Glass Doors & Windows Manufacturing LLC. Its neighbor is the Lakeway Corporate Center.      ...

      Miami Dade College -- with its MDC WORKS Career Studio and Career Source South Florida -- is hosting job fairs that are free and open to the public.      Applicants are encouraged to wear business attire and bring resumes to give to prospective employers. Wednesday, March 15, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.  Health Care Hiring & Transfer Fair MDC Medical Campus, 950 NW 20th St.,...

Despite my South Florida upbringing by Cuban grandparents, ropa vieja (pulled beef in sauce, translated as old clothing) was never a dish for me.       But La Diosa Taqueria’s version called Asere Que Bola ($11) changed my mind. A corn tortilla is topped with ropa vieja, a platanito (sweet plantain) and pork cracklings.         It’s less Mexican, but more Miami. With a name to match...