The story
Maximo Capdevila and his wife Coralia moved from Cuba to Tampa in 1962 with their four sons. He worked 11 years at Acme Plating Co. while she sewed, and they saved. In 1972 they took a Small Business Administration loan and bought a small grocery from Raymond & Sons, keeping the name La Teresita after Raymond's wife.
The store added cafe con leche, sandwiches and a small coffee shop, and the family bought a nearby gas station to make room for it. They sold the grocery in 1986, and in 1993 the restaurant moved to 3246 W Columbus Drive, across from the original store at Columbus and Lincoln. Locals call the street Boliche Blvd. George W. Bush, John Kerry and Al Gore visited, and Mitt Romney held a campaign stop there in 2007 and returned in 2012.
What's There Now
It is still La Teresita, run by the Capdevila family.
Everything that was here
- 1972–present · still open
La TeresitaRestaurant
A West Tampa grocery bought with an SBA loan in 1972 became a Cuban restaurant that presidents and candidates have visited.
See the map in 1973 →
Did you know?
Nearby history
Tampa Stadium (The Big Sombrero)
Fort Homer W. Hesterly Armory
The Big Orange Drive-In
Valencia Garden
Palladium Ballroom
University of Tampa
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