My father Arsenio Rodriguez was born in Pinar Del Rio, Cuba in 1923. His love of cooking came early in his life. In his twenties he owned a small place at the Lanchita de Regla, the place where you could catch a ferry to Havana. (Yes Cuba had a ferry across a bay over 70 years ago) There he would cook Cuban delicacies (Frituritas de Bacalao, Fritas, Croquetas, Papa Rellena, etc.) . Nearby there was a park where singles would come to mingle. The men would walk around the park clockwise, the women counterclockwise. That is where he met my mom. They soon married and had me and my brother.
He went on to work at The Hotel Nacional De Cuba as a chef and cooked for the workers building the Havana Tunnel till the job was finished. He then became a Merchant Marine. Cooking on ships that traveled all over the world. In 1959 when Batista was overthrown he was in Tampa, he never got back on the ship. He did the paperwork necessary and brought my mom, brother and I in September of 1962 to Tampa. We moved to the Ponce De Leon housing project. We lived at 3 different locations there, Cano Ct., 23rd Ave and 26th Ave. I was 6 years old. I started 1st grade at Orange Grove Elementary. I knew no English. They put me in Mrs. Castellano's class who was trilingual (English, Spanish and Italian). The next year I got lucky and she was teaching 2nd grade so again she was my teacher. Doing this time my mom and dad added 2 girls to the family.
My father worked hard, most times working 2 jobs. He would cook at one restaurant for lunch and another for dinner. He worked at many restaurants in Tampa, Spanish Park, Las Novedades, Valencia Gardens but his favorite was always The Columbia in Ybor City. He loved Cesar Gonsmart and was always bragging that he was a chef there. In 1967 he bought a 3 bedroom house in the East Tampa neighborhood of Highland Pines. He put $150 down and was paying $54 a month. We lived there for years till we moved to West Tampa where my mom still lives.
This beautiful wonderful man saw me come into this world.
On August 21, 2017 at 5:10 PM I saw him leave.
I will never forget him!
This beautiful wonderful man saw me come into this world.
On August 21, 2017 at 5:10 PM I saw him leave.
I will never forget him!
