Hello,

I'm a native of Ybor City, from way back when it was an actual community. In fact, my dad worked at the old Los Helados restaurant, which if you are an old-timer, you will remember for the fantastic homemade ice cream and tropical fruit sherbets. Unfortunately, when the old man who made the helados died, the recipe died with him, and they were never as good afterwards. The site is a vacant lot now, like my grandfather's old bicycle shop, a victim of Urban Renewal: urban removal in the case of Ybor City. Anyhow, one of my favorite memories is taking Jaiba Enchilada out to the Causeway, to eat it with loaves of Cuban bread, cracking the crabs with a hammer, drinking lots of beer (remember Tropical ale?) and jumping in Tampa Bay to wash it all off. I'd really like to read your article about jaiba enchilada. In spite of having lived here in New Mexico for the last 33 years, I still miss some stuff from home... Only in the last couple of years has it been possible to buy good chorizo here, for instance.

I'd be happy to share Ybor-Spanish creole recipes with you, and reminisce about Ybor, if you'd like to.

Steven Pla
email: spla@swcp.com