Florida landmark, Columbia Restaurant, flavored by ‘passionate, patriotic’ immigrant experience

Immigrant taste fills a deep melting pot of patriotism at Columbia Restaurant in Tampa, Florida. 

Casimiro Hernandez Sr., an immigrant from Cuba of Spanish heritage, based the festive eating landmark in 1905. 

“My great-great-grandfather got here from Cuba as a result of he needed to construct a greater life for his household,” Casey Gonzmart Jr., the fifth-generation co-owner, informed Fox News Digital. 

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“The name Columbia back then was used as a substitute name for the United States. It’s what they called the U.S. He loved America so much, he loved Columbia so much. He wanted to name his restaurant after the place he loved.” 

Columbia lays declare because the oldest frequently working restaurant in Florida and the most important and oldest Spanish eatery within the United States. 

Casey Gonzmart Jr. is a part of the fourth era of householders of Tampa eating landmark Columbia Restaurant. His great-grandfather Casimiro Hernandez Sr. not solely based the restaurant in 1905, he’s credited by many observers as creator of the unique Tampa Cuban sandwich. (Kerry J. Byrne/Fox News Digital)

It’s been acknowledged for its contributions to state heritage by the Florida senate. 

It’s at all times busy. 

Columbia’s menu is a tribute to the multicultural tastes of Tampa’s historic Ybor City — and of the United States. 

The wealthy, colourful flavors on the desk are mirrored within the brilliant decor of deep ocean blues and sunny yellows. A big mural in a single room depicts the ships of the primary Christopher Columbus expedition to the Western Hemisphere. 

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Columbia’s luxurious paella Espanola is an homage to “Spain’s nationwide dish.” 

It’s filled with shrimp, scallops, calamari and clams, plus hen and pork, baked over a mattress of golden Valencia rice. 

The Cuban sandwich, now extensively coveted throughout the United States, was reportedly born at Columbia. 

Despite the title, it is an all-American fusion of worldwide influences: Cuban pork, Spanish ham, Italian salami, German pickles and mustard, and Swiss cheese. Each tradition has loved a historic presence collectively in Tampa. 

The paella Espanola is among the signature dishes at Columbia Restaurant in Tampa, Florida.  (Kerry J. Byrne/Fox News Digital)

“It represents all the different cultures that make Ybor City such a great place,” mentioned Gonzmart. 

Columbia’s flavors are so brilliant and daring that even its signature salad is a can’t-miss savory sensation. 

The Original 1905 salad boasts baked ham, Swiss cheese and grated Roman cheese, plus some greens, too. 

It’s tossed with chilled crispy lettuce, tomato and olives and sharpened with a splash of Worcestershire sauce. 

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Columbia’s meals, and its title, pay homage to the unrivaled international variety of the United States, the nation the place the phrase “immigrant” itself was coined.  

The historic significance of the title Columbia is value remembering right this moment, mentioned Gonzmart.  

“Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean” was a preferred patriotic anthem within the nineteenth century and into the twentieth century. 

Columbia Restaurant is an American culinary landmark within the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa, Florida.  (Kerry J. Byrne/Fox News Digital)

The crew of Apollo 11, coming back from the triumph of the primary moon touchdown, splashed down within the Pacific Ocean within the area capsule Columbia. 

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It was a landmark second in world historical past achieved first and nonetheless solely by the nation of immigrants. 

“This restaurant represents all the passionate, patriotic feelings our family had and has for America.”

Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins, plucked from the ocean, had been greeted by the sounds of “Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean” from a U.S. Navy band as they boarded the plane provider USS Hornet. 

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“We call Columbia the gem of Spanish restaurants,” mentioned Gonzmart.

“This restaurant represents all of the passionate, patriotic emotions our household had and has for America.”

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