MIAMI (WSVN) - Philanthropist and businessman Felipe A. Valls Sr., who helped turn Versailles Restaurant into a Little Havana icon and a popular Cuban cuisine dining spot for over five decades, has died, the restaurant and local officials have confirmed.
The Miami Herald reported that Valls died Saturday in Miami of natural causes at age 89, according to his family.
Valls, described in a tweet from City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez as “one of the historical figures of the Cuban exile,” founded Versailles in 1971.
The restaurant became a gathering place for Miami-Dade’s Cuban American community, as well as a frequent stop for tourists and political figures visiting South Florida.
In his tweet, Suarez wrote that Valls is “an extraordinary human being who served his family, his beloved Miami, and the freedom of Cuba with supreme devotion. Rest in peace.”
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava also took to Twitter to eulogize Valls. She wrote, “Felipe Valls was the true embodiment of the American dream. As a leader, philanthropist and brilliant businessman, he shaped @VersaillesMiami into the pulse of our community for over five decades.”
An extension of the restaurant, Cafe Versailles, has often served as a meeting place for Cuban Americans and the setting for political conversations often revolving around the island nation.
When Fidel Castro died at age 90 in November 2016, Versailles and the stretch of Southwest Eighth Street where the restaurant is located was one of the central locations where South Floridians came for days, many of them banging on pots and pans, to mark the passing of the Cuban leader.
In 2021, the restaurant marked its 50th anniversary with a celebration in Little Havana.
Valls is survived by his children, grandchildren and partner.
7News has reached out to Versailles for a statement.
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