Richard Gonzmart (fourth generation owner), second from left, and family, from left to right: daughter Andrea, wife Melanie, and daughter Lauren.  Front row: Lauren’s children, Isabella and Michael.

The roof of the Columbia’s Patio Room allows diners to bask in natural light.

Second generation owner Casimiro Hernandez Jr. with his wife Carmine.

Introduction

It is difficult to visit Ybor City and overlook the vibrant colored tiles and architecture of the Columbia Spanish Restaurant.  The same family has run this palace of Spanish cuisine for a century.  In the summer of 2005, to celebrate its history and demonstrate its commitment to preserving it, the Gonzmart family donated the Columbia Restaurant and Gonzmart Family Collection to the University of South Florida Tampa Campus Library’s Special Collections Department.  Richard Gonzmart, the president of the Columbia Restaurant Group, has donated the collection with the support of his wife Melanie, and his daughters Lauren and Andrea, the fifth generation of the Columbia’s leadership.

The new acquisition fits well with the holdings of Special Collections, which focuses in large part upon Florida history.  Ybor City’s cigar industry and mutual aid societies figure prominently in those collections.  The library’s creation of the Florida Culinary Culture Initiative in 2004 provides a new emphasis on the food culture of Tampa’s diverse population.  The Columbia’s collection of documents, photos, clippings, and recipes is a great first step for Florida Food Families, and a prized new acquisition for USF’s Tampa Library.

This website provides a glimpse at the collection’s materials and explains how they can benefit researchers curious about Florida’s unique cultural mix.

Above Photos Left to Right

Fourth generation owner Richard Gonzmart proudly displays the Columbia’s new wine cellar.

Third generation owner Cesar Gonzmart impressed crowds with his orchestra and “magic violin.”

A detail from a photo of the beautiful new Andalucia dining room.

Adela Gonzmart, daughter of Casimiro Hernandez Jr. and wife of third generation owner Cesar Gonzmart, was a gifted classical pianist and the heart of the Columbia.

The design for the enigmatic “Love and the Dolphin” sculpture, the Patio’s centerpiece, was salvaged from the ruins of Pompeii.