Founder of Ulele Native Inspired Foods and Spirits, Richard Gonzmart, says a few words about what inspired him to found Ulele Brewpub in Tampa Heights:
Ulele will be a native-inspired restaurant and brewery, using fresh fruits, vegetables, seafood and other proteins from Florida when they are available, just as my ancestors did.
For the rest, we’ll use food harvested and raised in the United States, preferably from family-owned and independent companies. Our organic food is not genetically modified, and has no hormones and antibiotics. The wines we sell will be from the U.S.: California, Oregon, Washington and emerging areas, such as New Mexico, Virginia, New York, Texas and several other states. We will serve a craft beer, available only at Ulele, made on site by our Brewmaster Tim Shackton.
My great-grandfather Casimiro Hernandez Sr. courageously left his home in Cuba with four young children, and very little money, because he saw opportunity in the U.S.
His dreams led him to the small town of Ybor City, which was becoming known as a world leader in cigar manufacturing. He took a job with the Florida Brewery based there.
Through dedication and hard work, he became general manager of the brewery. In those pre-Prohibition days, breweries would open small saloons to sell their products. That’s how the Saloon Columbia was born on Dec. 17, 1903.
My Don Quixote dream has been in my mind for over five years and on June 26, 2013, the journey finally began with the groundbreaking ceremony of Ulele.
The goal is to open soon.
Gonzmart speaks at length about his family’s cooperative relationship with Tampa, its people and its legacy. Gonzmart also speaks about how Ulele will fit into that legacy and how his dream for this restaurant came to be. Full text is available on Ulele’s website.