New Jersey - "The Garden State"

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania, and on the southwest by Delaware. New Jersey lies entirely within the combined statistical areas of New York City and Philadelphia. It is also the second-wealthiest U.S. state by median household income as of 2014.The area was inhabited by Native Americans for more than 2,800 years, with historical tribes such as the Lenape along the coast. In the early 17th century, the Dutch and the Swedes made the first European settlements. The English later seized control of the region, naming it the Province of New Jersey.

New Jersey was the site of several decisive battles during the American Revolutionary War. In the 19th century, factories in cities such as Camden, Paterson, Newark, Trenton, and Elizabeth helped to drive the Industrial Revolution. New Jersey's geographic location at the center of the Northeast megalopolis, between Boston and New York City to the northeast, and Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., to the southwest, fueled its rapid growth through the process of suburbanization in the 1950s and beyond. The capital of New Jersey is Trenton and the largest city in this state is Newark.

The Cuisine of New Jersey is derived from the long history of immigrants to the state and its close proximity to New York City and Philadelphia. The state of New Jersey is known for its commercial food and industrial production, with the founding of Campbell's Soup in 1869. Campbell's Soup is currently headquartered in Camden, New Jersey. Goya Foods, the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the United States, operates a state of the art and sustainable corporate headquarters in Jersey City, New Jersey as part of a $500 million global expansion plan. Restaurants make use of locally grown ingredients such as asparagus, blueberries, cranberries, tomatoes, corn, and peaches. The state is the nation's third largest producer of bell peppers, cranberries, and spinach. With a passionate fast food culture, Italian hoagies are an icon. New Jersey is home to approximately 525 diners. Disco fries are a long-standing tradition at New Jersey diners. M&M candy has been produced in Hackettstown since 1958 and the Mars company has been headquartered in New Jersey for over 75 years.  

New Jersey doesn't appreciate you messing with its breakfast sandwich, so it's good thing Kal Salih, The Bagel Man, an Egyptian descent hails from New Jersey himself. There is nothing special about the breakfast sandwich's appearance - egg, cheese, usually a hard roll, sometimes a bagel but the defining feature and cornerstone of your complete Jersey breakfast is the meat, referred to by the popular brand name Taylor Ham. Pork roll  (known as Taylor Ham) is a pork-based processed meat originating and commonly available in New Jersey. It was developed in 1856 by John Taylor of Trenton, New Jersey, and sold as "Taylor Ham".   Sliced and griddled to a crisp, it's a salty, processed, guilty little piece of heaven, that is in not in the menu. You have to ask the staff of "The Bagel Man", a small bagel shop in Phoenix, AZ, for a special order of a Taylor Ham Breakfast Sandwich.

Florida - "Sunshine State"

Florida is a state in the southeast United States, bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south by the Straits of Florida. Jacksonville is the most populous city in Florida, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. The Miami metropolitan area is the eighth-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Tallahassee is the state capital.

Florida was the first part of the continental United States to be visited by Europeans. The earliest known European explorers came with the Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León. De León spotted the peninsula on April 2, 1513, and he named the region La Florida ("flowery land").Today, Florida is distinguished by its large Cuban expatriate community and high population growth, as well as its increasing environmental concerns. Its economy relies mainly on tourism, agriculture, and transportation, which developed in the late 19th century. Florida is also known for its amusement parks, the production of oranges and the Kennedy Space Center, and as a popular destination for elderly retirees. Florida culture is a reflection of influences and multiple inheritance; Native American, European American, Hispanic, and African American heritages can be found in the architecture and cuisine.

As part of "Eat in All 50 States without leaving the Valley", Cuban cuisine was selected for the state of  Florida. Due to large Cuban community, this country's cuisine is very popular in this US state.  Cuban cuisine is a fusion of Native American Taino food, Spanish, African, and Caribbean cuisines. Some Cuban recipes share spices and techniques with Spanish and African cooking, with some Caribbean influence in spice and flavor. As with many historic dishes, there was no "Aha" moment that marked the invention of the Cuban sandwich. Similar sandwiches existed in Cuba before they were brought to the States, but these variation exploded in popularity in Ybor City, a historic neighborhood in Tampa, which was a center of cigar manufacturing in late 19th century. Today's Cubano sandwich combines roasted pork, glazed ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard and if you are in Tampa, add salami. There are also sometimes an layer of mayonnaise in the pressed, toasted sandwich that's expertly done at Cuban Foods Bakery and Restaurant in Phoenix, AZ. This locally owned restaurant is owned by a Cuban family. The food is very authentic and reasonably priced. The service is excellent and staff are friendly.