
Florida landmark, Columbia Restaurant, flavored by 'passionate, patriotic' immigrant experience
Fox News
Columbia Restaurant in Tampa, Florida, was founded in 1905 by a Cuban immigrant Casimiro Hernandez Sr. It remains a beloved landmark dining destination today.
"My great-great-grandfather came from Cuba because he wanted to build a better life for his family," Casey Gonzmart Jr., the fifth-generation co-owner, told Fox News Digital. "This restaurant represents all the passionate, patriotic feelings our family had and has for America." Kerry J. Byrne is a lifestyle reporter with Fox News Digital.
"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 claim as the oldest continually operating restaurant in Florida and the largest and oldest Spanish eatery in the United States.