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it company and has a repertoire fo-cused on art-house films and classics.Every show starts with a performanceof the Mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ, in-stalled in 1926 and maintained by vol-unteers. Inside, the theatre still has most of its original furnishings and plasterwork decorations includinggrotesque faces that were quite thefashion then.
But it is in Ybor city in the heart ofTampa that shades of Cuba start com-ing at you. Here the coffee, the musicand the food all reflect life on that little island. By even-ing, Ybor City’s streetstransform into South-west Florida’s hottest barand nightclub scene.
The aromatic fra-grance of cigar smokehangs heavy in the airand interspersed be-tween restaurants, cafés,
barber shops and art shops are cigarshops. Here, through shop windows,you will see cigar makers hard at work,sometimes with cigar clasped betweentheir lips.
The Ybor City State Museum gives agreat insight into the unique history ofTampa Bay’s Ybor Cityneighbourhood. Theformer Ferlita Bakery has been reborn as
a museum and state park, and if youare interested, here you can learnabout the economic forces that turnedTampa Bay into the Cigar Capital of theWorld between the 1800s and 1940s.
Discover how immigrants fromCuba, Spain, Italy, Germany andEastern Europe combined in YborCity to create their own distinct cul-ture and community — a legacy that continues today in hand-rolled ci-gars, hand-crafted beer and the clas-sic Cuban sandwich.
Speaking of which there is also a Cuban Sandwich Festival held in YborCity where you can sample delicious va-rieties of this healthier import from Cuba. The festival is not just about sand-wiches, it is a jamboree of live music anddance from Cuba and features over 100booths with food vendors, art, culturalexhibitors and much more.
Many believe the Cuban Sand-wich to be a work of culinary art.
Though the main ingredi-
Dear old Fidel has finally stubbed out hiscigar and, like a wisp of smoke from thesame, has ascended heavenwards or
elsewhere, as some would argue or, perhaps,even hope.
He lived to the grand old age of 90, survivingthe sturdy cigars he smoked, the 600 assassina-tion attempts on his life and the reign of 11 American presidents — from Eisenhower to Obama — who opposed his ideology and gov-ernance of Cuba.
Even though the embargo on Cuba is firmlyin place, it cannot be denied that Cuban cultureseeped into the fabric of the southern states ofAmerica. And, this is not a bad thing actually.
In fact, it is this very culture that adds a vivid
colour to the cultural landscape of some of thecities of Florida, especially Tampa.
Because of the high quality of life and easyconveniences that make this city an attractiveoption to retire in, it was often sardonically re-ferred to ‘God’s waiting room’ but the fact is thatthe Tampa of today is vibrant and stylish. Thecity’s showpiece is its Tampa Riverwalk that connects most sights. And north of the River-walk is the Tampa Museum of Art and the Glaz-er Children’s Museum.
If art moves your soul then the formerwill leave you happy and mellow because it houses a collection that includes ancient andmodern masterpieces. After dark, the museumbecomes a work of art itself when its façade comes to life with thousands of shifting coloursin Leo Villareal’s ‘Sky (Tampa)’. Right in front ofthe museum is the Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park that hosted many of the events from the2014 International Indian Film Academy (IIFA)awards ceremony that was held in Tampa.
A six-minute walk east, away from the Hills-borough River will bring you to the Tampa Thea-tre, which will grudgingly make you believe thatthe USA can claim to have some architecturalhistory. Built in 1926, the movie palace was Tampa Bay’s first air-conditioned building.
Today, the theatre is operated as a non-prof-
Cuban culture, brought byimmigrants from the nearby island,has added vivid colour to the culturallandscape of cities like Tampa, saysRishad Saam Mehta
Tampa’s Ybor Cityarea is where mostof its famoushand-made cigarscome from
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The unique Tampa Riverwalkconnects most of the sightsin the vibrant and stylish city
The Centro Español is oneof the five social clubs thatwere the hubs of life forYbor City’s immigrantcommunity
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Photo: Rishad Saam
Mehta
Photo: Rishad Saam Mehta
ent is ham and cheese, pickles, salamiand mustard are also slapped in-be-tween freshly baked Cuban bread.
With this blend of bread, meats andother ingredients, the Cuban sandwichhas inspired thousands of differentversions. But those who are in theknow (or reside in Tampa) will be quickto tell you that the only true Cuban sandwich comes from Tampa Bay.
The sandwich was invented in the1880s at Ybor City’s El Pasaje hotel toprovide a quick, filling lunch for thou-sands of Cuban and Spanish cigarmakers working in Tampa Bay. The in-gredients reflect Ybor City’s cultural mix at the time: Cuban bread, ham(Spanish), pork (Cuban), salami (Ital-ian), pickles (Jewish), mustard andcheese (German).
Every year, chefs from across the country gather in Ybor City for theCuban Sandwich Festival to see whomakes the best Cuban sandwich.
The taste greatly varies on how theham has been prepared and the kind of
cheese used.Even if the festival is not on, the Co-
lumbia restaurant that turned 100 yearsold in 2015 is the place to head for a veryspecial meal in hallowed and atmos-pheric surroundings. It occupies an en-tire block and consists of 13 sophisti-catedly decorated dining rooms and quixotic, fountain-centred courtyards.
Gloved waiters — many have been
there for a lifetime —glide about deliveringplatters of food. TheCuban sandwich hereis delicious no doubt but one of the iconic items on the menu is the copyrighted 1905 salad that is tossedright at your table. Iam a certified carni-
vore but I would go back there to eatthat salad, so you can imagine how good it is.
Another great place where you canexperience the soul of Cuba while eatingsome great food is the Carne Chop-house. Ybor City’s unique history envel-ops this restaurant in the landmark Cen-tro Español, one of five ethnic socialclubs that were (and in some cases stillare) the hubs for life among Ybor City’simmigrant-rich community. The CentroEspañol served Ybor’s Cuban and Span-ish communities through the 1950s,providing cradle-to-grave support.Other clubs that remain in operation arethe Cuban Club, the Italian Club and theSpanish Centro Asturiano.
While I would not venture a guessabout whether recent events in Cubacaused mourning or celebration withinthe Cuban community in Tampa, I wouldcertainly encourage you to go there andexperience a little bit of Cuba that is firm-ly entrenched in the United States.
The century-old Columbia restaurant is the place to head tofor its atmospheric surroundings; (Top right) Ybor City in
Tampa is steeped in real Cuban flavour; (Right) The classicCuban sandwich was originally meant to be a quick meal for
cigar makers
How to get there: From Calcutta,Etihad (two stops) is a good op-tion. Else, one can go to Mumbaiand fly from there. Turkish Airlines(via Istanbul), Virgin Atlantic (viaLondon), Lufthansa (via Frankfurt)and so on, are quick and comfort-able flights to Miami. It’s just ashort one-hour flight from thereto Tampa.
For more information on what todo and see in Tampa, go to www.visittampabay.com.
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Photo: Rishad Saam
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Photo courtesy: Colum
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Photo courtesy: Hampton Inn & Suites
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