Skip to content
Search
Cuisine Noir Magazine
Support Our Work - Donate
Support Our Work - Donate
  • Food & Drink
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Recipes
  • Book Grub
  • Events
  • Marketplace
  • Print
  • Podcast
  • More
    • The Culinary Scoop (blog)
    • Black Wineries
    • Videos
    • CN Review
    • Donate
Cuisine Noir Magazine
  • Food & Drink
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Recipes
  • Book Grub
  • CN Review
  • Marketplace
  • Print
  • The Culinary Scoop (blog)
  • Events
  • Black Wineries
  • Videos
Support Our Work - Donate
Support Our Work - Donate
Search
Cuisine Noir Magazine
Support Our Work - Donate
Support Our Work - Donate
  • Food & Drink
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Recipes
  • Book Grub
  • Events
  • Marketplace
  • Print
  • Podcast
  • More
    • The Culinary Scoop (blog)
    • Black Wineries
    • Videos
    • CN Review
    • Donate
Cuisine Noir Magazine
  • Food & Drink
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Recipes
  • Book Grub
  • CN Review
  • Marketplace
  • Print
  • The Culinary Scoop (blog)
  • Events
  • Black Wineries
  • Videos
Support Our Work - Donate
Support Our Work - Donate

Tampa Bay’s Rich Diverse Cultural Exchange and Bites

Pictured: Tampa Bay skyline | Photo credit: Visit Tampa Bay
September 1, 2021
Mira Cassidy
Share this article
       

Tampa is a dynamic destination known for delectable dishes and diversity. Located on Florida’s gulf coast, Tampa Bay awaits and welcomes you. Currently, the state has no travel restrictions. However, wearing a mask is highly advised as well as avoiding crowded places. Still, you can safely enjoy the beauty of the city and it does not matter if you are traveling solo, with your family, friends or as a couple. Tampa has plenty to do and see.

The Beauty of Tampa

Something is always happening in Tampa, and the Riverwalk is a great place to start your trip. However, it is more enjoyable at night when an array of light reflects from the water as you stroll down the strip. The Florida Aquarium, Tampa Museum of Art, Amalie Arena, convention center, restaurants, bars, and parks are located among this waterfront that runs through downtown.

Sculptures in Perry Harvey Sr. Park in Tampa Bay
Pictured: Sculptures in Perry Harvey Sr. Park | Photo credit: Visit Tampa Bay

Locals, like the owner of Shear Utopia Unisex Salon, Jashley Green, are fun and friendly and quick to point you in the right direction when you are looking for more ways to engage. She shares, “If you don’t mind the heat, Bush Gardens.  If you are into art, the Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg. The architecture is beautiful and it’s on the water.  If you have kids, the park downtown, the Glazer Children’s Museum and Dinosaur World.”

Green stands out in her community. As a female barber, she mixes with the community daily. Her brand is popular in the area, and as an owner herself, she is committed to supporting and advocating for other Black-owned businesses.

  • Girls' Getaway to America’s Oldest City, St. Augustine
  • Touring and Tasting History in Fort LauderdaleEmmanuel George and Stephanie Jones of CHAT

“A couple of my friends own Black-owned restaurants, so I definitely try to support them. There’s Black Chef Eatery. I actually grew up in school with them. It’s a bodega-type style. In Ybor City, you have another one right across the street from him. It’s a new restaurant called Daddy O’s Patio, and it is two blocks from 7th + Grove in Ybor.”

The entrepreneur further shares, “Of course, you have your island restaurant that so many people go to. It’s called Dunn’s River. The Jerk Hut, which is more like an island club and The Rose Bar.”

Centro Ybor in Tampa Bay, FL
Pictured: Tampa's Centro Ybor shopping and entertainment center | Photo credit: Visit Tampa Bay
Ybor City and Tampa’s History

Tampa is a city with a strong Cuban presence. The cigar industry also brought in African Americans, Spanish and Italians in the 1800s. With a vibe similar to New Orleans, Ybor City is an industrial hub located in the heart of Tampa.

“The history of Ybor is a strong Cuban and Italian history, but a lot of people don’t know that there is a strong Afro-Cuban history and a strong rich Black history that happened in Ybor City and downtown Tampa. We used to have different thriving neighborhoods like The Scrub. The Cotton Club was located there. Ray Charles loved to come to Tampa to eat here. We were literally known as the Southern Harlem for a very long time. So, Tampa has a very rich Black community,” clarifies Dr. Jamaris Glenn, co-owner of 7th + Grove restaurant.

Not too far from Ray Charles Boulevard and the historical African American educational Perry Harvey Sr. Park, you can find genealogist, author and docent Gigi Best Richardson and her husband Harry “Skip” Richardson, the proud owners of Best Richardson African Diaspora Literature Museum.  Listed on Oprah’s 125 Black-Owned Book Store List, this bookstore, which is also a museum, is the place to go to learn about Black history in ways that you may have never known before.

Wall art of Georgette Gardner in Perry Harvey Sr. Park in Tampa
Pictured: Wall art of Georgette Gardner in Perry Harvey Sr. Park in Tampa | Photo credit: Visit Tampa Bay

Featured is a collection of children’s books that teach Black girls to love their hair and skin. Learn all about Juneteenth and The Tulsa Massacre. Go back in time and be astonished as Mrs. Best-Richardson teaches you about Nefartari, the Nubian queen who was the wife of Ramesses II, Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, Hannibal who fought the Romans, or Queen Charlotte Sophia. “She was the wife of King George III. She’s Queen Elizabeth’s fourth great-grandmother. She is actually in the line, Queen of Britain and Ireland 1761-1818,” she explains.

As a genealogist, Best-Richardson helps interested parties trace back their African, Native, and European history. “I break down the myth of the 1870 brick wall. So many people of the African American diaspora have been told that they can’t go back past 1870 because 1870 was the first census that the emancipated people were on and listed by name. So many of them hit that brick wall and don’t know where else to go. I offer them other opportunities.”

Where Minds Mingle

It does not take long for a tourist to hear about the restaurant 7th + Grove several times throughout a visit. 7th + Grove is an amazing establishment of eclectic, creative energy that connects people of all kids from all over, including known celebrities such as DJ Envy, Ginuwine, Bow Wow and Jacob Latimore.

Interior of 7th + Grove restaurant in Tampa, FL
Pictured: Interior of 7th + Grove restaurant | Photo credit: 7th + Grove

The restaurant is owned by three well-educated, well-known, heavily involved community activists, Khalilaa McDuffie, Dr. Vondalyn Wright and Dr. Jamaris Glenn. 7th + Grove is not only Black-owned but also Black-operated with 80% of that number being women. This chic, voguish restaurant also serves as a shelter for safe conversations that create positive change and strengthens the community through various events and panel discussions.

Some of the frequent events hosted are Love & Lavender, where individuals come together to talk about sensitive issues that plague the Black community, such as mental health, homophobia, and police injustice; Lotus Lounge, where Black artists and entertainers perform; and Legacy Lounge which ask the question, what legacy are you making and leaving behind for your children?

Take a virtual tour of 7th + Grove here.

  • Exploring Southern Charm in Athens, GeorgiaCouple out and about in Athens, GA
  • Your Guide to Discovering the Outer Banks of North CarolinaCouple Duck boardwalk

“When we decided to become a restaurant and lounge, we just didn’t want it to be a hot spot. We wanted to have those types of discussions that are very important to us,” Dr. Glenn says. “The weather is perfect. The beach is in our backyard. We wanted to develop something in our own community and try to inspire others to create a thriving Black ecosystem where people can develop different Black ideas and essentially it is working.”

himp dish at 7th + Grove restaurant in Tampa Bay, FL
Pictured: Shimp dish at 7th + Grove restaurant | Photo credit: 7th + Grove

With a plethora of parks, museums, restaurants, water taxies, TECO streetcars and beaches nearby, Tampa Bay is a must-see city where you will be on the go from sunrise to sunset. Just remember to try the historic Cuban sandwich before you depart.

For more information about the Best Richardson African Diaspora Literature Museum, which is now moved to St. Augustine, Florida, in September, visit the website at bradlcmuseum.com, and follow along on Facebook or Instagram.

For more Information on Jashley Green, owner of Shear Utopia Unisex Salon, visit kokodabarber.com and also check her out on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube.

For more information on 7th + Grove, visit 7thandgrove.com, Facebook, or Instagram.

  • under Etiquette Etiquette in Public Places
  • Aiyana Victoria Mathews in Japan
    under Travel Tips for African American Travelers in Japan
  • under Food & Drink Saluting the Vinous Odyssey of Zimbabwean Wine Whiz Job Jovo
  • under Food & Drink Biology and Science are Put to the Test with Twins That Cook
Share this article
Mira Cassidy

Mira Cassidy is an award-winning writer, luxury travel advisor, and motivational speaker. As a survivor of domestic violence, she strongly believes that writing, traveling, and time heals all wounds.

Related Articles

Loading...
Featured Food & Drink

Legendary Football Star Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders Joins Oikos® for an Epic Family Battle

2023 James Beard
Black Chefs Food & Drink

2023 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Semi-Finalists Announced

Haitian chef Findler Charles
Black Chefs Food & Drink

Haitian Pride and Island Flavors Drive Success for Food Truck Owner Findler Charles

Be the first to know about the latest online, industry updates, world news, events and promotions that connect the African diaspora through food, drink and travel.

    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising

    #IAmCuisineNoir

    This site participates in affiliate programs. See our full disclosure for more information.

    © 2022 The Global Food and Drink Initiative d/b/a Cuisine Noir Magazine. Privacy
    Site by ACS Digital

    Any unauthorized duplication, download or reprint of images or content from this website for promotional or commercial use is strictly prohibited without written permission from The Global Food and Drink Initiative. Violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Trademark pending.

    YES!  We’re excited you are signing up too!  

    Get ready to receive our weekly newsletter about:

    • New articles online
    • World news and industry happenings throughout the African Diaspora
    • Mouthwatering recipes
    • Promotions and giveaways

    Right in your inbox!