Keep your sazón off this lechón: Miami-Dade mayor pardons two pigs for the holidays

It was a day no pigs would die.

Or at least a day on which two pigs wouldn’t die, which is remarkable in a city like Miami, where lechon is as ubiquitous as café con leche and the looming arrival of Nochebuena means it’s time to haul out the caja china.

But Peppa and Petra will skip that particular date with destiny, thanks to the annual pig pardoning at Latin Cafe 2000 in Brickell.

This is the second year for the ceremony, which is a lot like the annual presidential pardon of two turkeys on Thanksgiving, only with pigs.

Amid blaring car horns and beeping trucks, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez pardoned Peppa and Petra in English and in Spanish, decreeing that they can spend the rest of their lives at Aguacate Sanctuary of Love in Miami and not in somebody’s medianoche.

Peppa and Petra had no comment, though Petra knocked over a bowl of orange chunks in what might have been jubilant celebration or possibly just hunger.

“I think they’re happy,” the mayor said.

Here’s who was definitely happy: Daney Cabrera of Aguacate, which takes in rabbits, roosters, hens and pigs - animals usually designated for somebody’s plate.

“We want to show that we can co-exist with animals and thrive on a plant-based diet,” said Cabrera, who also .

And if holding a pig pardoning at a Cuban restaurant seems strange, know that Latin Cafe 2000 is about more than pork (it’s also home to the famous Cafetera Sky installation). Owners Eric and Kali Castellanos have introduced vegan picadillo to the menu (it’s made from Impossible Burger “meat”). The restaurant also makes a mean spinach croqueta.

Which, we suspect, Peppa and Petra would happily devour.

This story was originally published December 16, 2019 at 2:57 PM.