Together with his brother, Richard, Casey Gonzmart presides over Columbia Restaurant in Tampa.

I'm a brave employee with an overpowering sense of duty. So when when our beloved and fearless leader asked for a volunteer to research and write about Florida food, my hand shot skyward faster than Donald Trump's toupee in a hurricane.

Yes, I would try foods both exotic and down-home. Yes, I would expose myself to flavors both piquant and mild. Yes, I would immerse myself in an insanely varied and satisfying cuisine reflecting the traditions of old Florida Crackers, Cubans, Spaniards, Italians, Africans, Central Americans, and West Indian islanders. And yes, I would valiantly eat myself into a giddy stupor, all to bring you these snapshots of what Florida food is all about.

Flavors of Spain and Cuba
I chortle over a savory bowl of black bean soup. I celebrate the genius of rich paella. I ache for the silky caress of flan. I yearn for a steaming caf� con leche.

All are gifts from Spanish and Cuban immigrants, whose cooking seasons much of Central and South Florida. You will not find a better exemplar of these styles than the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City, a historic section of old Tampa.

Currently celebrating its 100th anniversary with a single family at the helm, the Columbia is a restaurant that truly knows itself. "Here there are no shortcuts," says fourth-generation owner Casey Gonzmart. "We prepare food with respect for our history, our family, and our customers."

If you cherish your palate, visit the Columbia. Try the Paella "A la Valenciana," the Red Snapper "Alicante," and the Pompano en Papillot. Relish the black bean soup and fried ripe plantains. And with every iota of conviction you possess, order the flan. Made in the Cuban style with sweetened condensed milk, this evanescent egg custard tastes like a dream from which you hope to never awaken.

Dinner at Columbia Restaurant features such Spanish and Cuban specialties as paella, arroz con pollo, black bean soup, and flan.

A Limy Slice of Heaven
Anyone failing to answer the following question will be summarily flogged with a large grouper--what is Florida's signature dish? The answer, of course, is Key lime pie. Thought to have arrived in the Keys courtesy of Bahamian settlers, this pie traditionally features a firm custard fashioned from egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, grated lime peel, and lime juice set into a graham cracker or pastry crust. Fresh juice from the small, seedy, greenish-yellow fruits that are true Key limes is essential. Its acidic tang balances the sweetness of the milk, resulting in a taste that both kisses and bites.

Who makes the best Key lime pie? For five years running, Floridians have tapped the Blond Giraffe Key Lime Pie Factory in Key West. Owned by Roberto and Tania Madeira, the Blond Giraffe uses a recipe passed down from Tania's grandmother in Brazil. Sporting a cookie crust and topped with meringue, this champion pie is as rich as a sheik and as sensuous as a tango. Another slice, please, if I must.

Forbidden Fruit
I love the mango with the unquenchable passion of a forbidden love. Its melt-in-your-mouth flesh, echoing flavors of peach, pineapple, banana, and spice, is like no other. If permitted, I would eat mangoes until my skin turned bright yellow and scared the neighbor's kids. So imagine my rapture upon discovering a Florida woman who developed an entire cookbook devoted to mango recipes.

The enlightened author is Erin Allen. Former owner of the Mango Inn Bed & Breakfast in Lake Worth, she rightly judges mangoes as "the fruit of the gods." Accordingly, she uses them in almost every dish she makes, including Mango Upside-down Cake, Mango-Curry Shrimp Salad, Mango-Macadamia Muffins, and Mango Margaritas. We've included one of her recipes. Enjoy it often, and you, too, can turn yellow.

Left: Tania and Roberto Madeira of Key West became overnight celebrities when their Key lime pie beat entries from several prestigious restaurants to be named the best in Florida. Right: Fried mullet, soft-shell crab, crab cakes, and stone crab claws are house specialties at Spring Creek Restaurant in Crawfordville, Florida, south of Tallahassee.

Go Fish
Given that Florida is nearly surrounded by water, it's hardly shocking that its residents derive great joy from eating fish. Limited space here precludes me from extolling every fish on the peninsula you can fry, broil, poach, grill, steam, and slather with tartar sauce. But let me suggest three special dishes that will give you a true taste of Florida seafood--fried mullet and soft-shell crabs at Spring Creek Restaurant in Crawfordville; broiled rock shrimp at Dixie Crossroads in Titusville; and stone crab claws with their famous mustard sauce at Joe's Stone Crabs in Miami. Eat, eat more, and be giddy.

This article is from the Favorites 2005 issue of Southern Living.