Four Cuban women who worked at Farm Store, a bakery and coffee shop at 11291 NW 87th Court in Hialeah, say they are owed unpaid wages, according to accounts and documents provided to Cubanos por el Mundo (CPM). They allege that the owner, Paula Natalia Peri-Cohen, owes them approximately $2,410 combined, according to their own calculations.
One of the workers, Yudaily Toranzo Guirola, says she worked 54 hours at an agreed rate of $13 an hour. Florida’s minimum wage rose to $15 on September 30, 2026, the day she says she began working at the store. None of the workers’ claims has been decided by a court, according to the information available to CPM.
Unpaid wages: what Yudaily Toranzo says she is owed
Toranzo, a U.S. permanent resident and the mother of a minor, says her duties included operating the register, baking bread, making coffee and serving customers. She says she sometimes stayed beyond her scheduled hours because the person replacing her did not arrive.
At $13 an hour, 54 hours would total $702. Toranzo says she received $450 through Zelle after repeatedly requesting payment, leaving $252 under the agreed rate.
At a $15 hourly rate, the same 54 hours would total $810 before any applicable overtime, which would leave $360 in unpaid wages after the reported payment. Whether overtime is owed depends on the workweek and applicable coverage; the available account does not establish how all 54 hours were distributed.
Toranzo says the owner deducted money for products allegedly damaged at work. She disputes those deductions, saying frozen bread arrived stuck together and broke when separated for baking. She says she retained register reports, payment records and messages about reviewing her hours and arranging payment.
The owner’s remarks and the request for comment
According to CPM’s Spanish report, Peri-Cohen acknowledged in a telephone call recorded with consent that payment had not been made, citing her husband’s situation and other personal priorities. She also promised a Zelle payment during the conversation.
When a possible lawsuit was raised, the owner said, “We are people with power,” and added that they had the means to defend themselves, according to the account of the call (translated from Spanish). Toranzo interpreted the remarks as intimidation.
The owner also accused Toranzo of photographing confidential business information through an administrative account. Toranzo says it was the shared sales account used by employees. In text messages described by Toranzo, the owner said the business was not making sales; Toranzo responded with a register-system report totaling $12,738.35.
The original CPM report says the newsroom attempted to contact Paula Natalia Peri-Cohen for her response but had not received one by that report’s publication. This English adaptation does not represent a new request for comment.
Business records and a reported sale
A U.S. Department of Agriculture authorization for Farm Store 1007 to accept SNAP payments at that address identifies Glenn Peri-Cohen as an owner or responsible party, according to documents cited in the Spanish report. The authorization has been in effect since March 2024. Toranzo says Paula Peri-Cohen at one point denied owning the business.
CPM obtained material showing the business had been listed for sale. Toranzo says it was sold for $60,000 on the day she was dismissed. The materials reproduced in the original coverage include a real estate agent’s message and listing information.
The original report nevertheless states that CPM had not independently confirmed completion of the sale or the price. This adaptation preserves that limitation. A change in ownership would also require clarity about which person or entity employed the workers during the period at issue.
Workers allege threats to call ICE
Toranzo says three other former co-workers are also seeking unpaid wages. According to her account, some lack work authorization and fear immigration consequences if they pursue their claims. CPM is protecting their identities.
The workers allege that the owner’s husband threatened to call U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement if they continued asking for payment. They also say some workers were accused of taking money from the register or damaging equipment. CPM has not independently verified the alleged threats.
A message provided to CPM, which one worker says she received after asking to be paid, reads: “No one hired you, your [sic] not legal to work in this country.” The original report does not identify the sender of that message.
Toranzo also alleges that the husband arrived at the store agitated while she was closing, shouted and made aggressive gestures in front of her daughter. She says he later acknowledged arriving upset.
She says she went to Hialeah police on October 8, 2026, at 7:23 p.m. and began seeking assistance from labor authorities. She also says an attorney told her he would take the case only if the combined unpaid amount reached approximately $4,500; that account describes the attorney’s stated threshold, not a general legal filing requirement.
Where workers can find wage-claim information
Florida’s minimum wage reached $15 an hour on September 30, completing the phased increases approved by Florida voters through Amendment 2 in 2020. CPM has previously covered Florida’s gradual minimum-wage increases.
Under Florida’s Minimum Wage Act, a worker seeking unpaid wages under that statute must first give the employer written notice identifying the wages sought, work dates and hours, and alleged unpaid amount. The employer then has 15 calendar days to pay or otherwise resolve the claim.
Miami-Dade County’s Wage Theft Program also handles qualifying claims for work performed in the county. Its published criteria include an amount greater than $60 and no more than $15,000, employee status, and a claim filed within 12 months of the last day worked. The county lists the Consumer Mediation Center at 786-469-2333.
CPM will continue following the workers’ allegations of unpaid wages and ICE threats and will update its coverage if the owner or authorities respond.
American English adaptation of CPM’s original reporting on the Hialeah wage dispute, based on Toranzo’s testimony and the documents submitted to the newsroom. Allegations remain attributed to their sources.
