In 1886, visionary entrepreneur Vicente Martínez-Ybor moved his cigar operations from Key West to Tampa after the Great Fire devastated much of the city, including 18 cigar factories. Attracted by cheap land, Tampa’s warm climate, and Henry Plant’s new railroad and steamship lines, he immediately purchased land northeast of Tampa and began planning the cigar town that would become Ybor City. His booming operation became the magnet that attracted tens of thousands of Cuban immigrants across the 90-mile journey through the Florida Straits from Cuba to Key West, and then onward to Tampa. What followed was a mass migration that gave birth to Ybor City—which ultimately became the cigar-rolling capital of the world.

The factories buzzed with Cuban, Spanish, Italian, German, and Jewish workers. Each brought their flavors, their traditions, and their hunger. From their melting-pot tables came a mixed sandwich built for strength, culture, and survival—which is now known today as the modern-day Cuban Sandwich.

• Cuban immigrants brought the mojo-marinated roast pork.

• Spaniards added cured Serrano ham.

• Italians contributed Genoa salami.

• German and Jewish immigrants offered Swiss cheese, pickle and mustard.

Pressed together between warm loaves of crisp, fresh-baked Cuban bread, this hearty meal kept cigar rollers full through long shifts at the factory tables.

The Cubano “Mixto” became popular among working-class residents in Tampa. Since it was so affordable and delicious, it became a favorite meal for many. In its early years, working-class cigar rollers would find Cuban sandwiches at street vendors outside the factories and at small cafes in Ybor City.

Casimiro Hernandez Sr., an entrepreneur and immigrant from Cuba of Spanish heritage, arrived in Ybor City in 1902 and instantly recognized the opportunity to meet the demand of the hungry cigar workers. He opened the Columbia Saloon, serving Cuban sandwiches and strong drinks to cigar workers. By 1905, it evolved into the Columbia Restaurant, now the oldest continuously operated restaurant in Florida.

A decade later, in 1915, a cooperative partnership between Casimiro Hernandez Sr. was formed with Juan Moré, founder of La Segunda Central Bakery, whose golden Cuban bread became—and remains—the official bread of the Columbia’s original Cubano Mixto to this day.

More than a century later, both Columbia Restaurant and La Segunda still thrive, preserving the tradition of Ybor City’s signature creation. The Cubano Mixto isn’t just a sandwich—it’s history pressed into every bite.