The woman in the shades
Abuela Marta never wore sunglasses. Not once, for most of her life.
Then, in her last eight to ten years, she decided to move to Puerto Rico, because that’s where most of her kids were. And from that point on, every single picture you’ll find of her, she has her shades on.
When it came time to make a logo, we wanted it to be her. We took the black-and-white offset look of the old Marilyn Monroe prints and did it with her face. I told the artist: even if you pick a photo where she isn’t wearing them, put the shades on. He picked one where she already had them on. It was perfect.
“Not cheap. Valuable. Quality food at a fair price.”
Why we cook
La Fondita de Marta started in Lakeland in 2026 with a simple idea: a good meal shouldn’t make you stop and think about whether you can afford it. Real Puerto Rican food, cooked with care, at a price that feels fair.
Right now that looks like Thursday through Sunday at Catapult, where you can sit down and eat with us, plus pickup and delivery. Every plate is cooked to order. We fry the tostones fresh, season them right and serve them with mayoketchup, the way they should be.
Local, and family first
We’re a Lakeland kitchen, and we’re building this the way families build anything: one plate at a time, with the people around us. If you’ve stopped by, thank you. If you haven’t yet, come hungry.
— Andrew, La Fondita de Marta
