CASE STORYColumbia Restaurant, Florida, USA
Columbia Restaurant is Florida's oldest restaurant, and the largest Spanish restaurant in the world. It was founded in 1905 by a Cuban immigrant, Casimiro Hernandez Sr.
I was first alerted to Columbia's use of stories by my friend Denise Collazo, who dined at the Florida restaurant and noticed they used stories on the menu. (Stories on the menu? That really got my attention!) So, considering the Florida restaurant is a lazy 24-hour-plus flight from my home in Melbourne, I checked out their website instead.
Their stories were indeed all over their menus, as well as scattered throughout the various sections of their website.
Let's start with the stories on the menu, which highlight that stories don't need to be long for you to create a connection with them. Here are a few examples (and apologies in advance if it makes you hungry).
Spanish Bean Soup
The soup that made the Columbia famous. The original recipe of Casimiro Hernandez, Sr: garbanzo beans simmered with smoked ham, chorizo sausage and potatoes in a delicious broth of chicken and ham.
Picadillo ‘Criollo’
We could always count on enjoying our mother and grandmother Adela Hernandez Gonzmart's delicious picadillo recipe at her home. A family favorite for generations. Finely ground choice lean beef, braised with onions, green peppers, olives, raisins and capers. Served with white rice and ripe platanos.
Crab Enchilado
A Sunday favorite when we were children. A mildly spicy sauce ...
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