YBOR CITY, Fla. — From the owners of the upscale southern food restaurant, 7th + Grove, Ybor City’s first speakeasy came to light — or more appropriately, came to secret.
Madame Fortune’s Dessert + HiFi Parlor, within the secret door of Roast Deli + Bakery, was named after Fortune Taylor, a former slave who became a landowner in Tampa.
In the 1890s, Taylor gave permission for a bridge on her land to connect west and east Tampa.
“Many people are surprised, first of all, that a Black woman owned that much land — and in downtown Tampa,” Fred Hearns, curator of Black history at Tampa Bay History Center, said. “And second, that authorities would name a bridge for this Black woman.”
Dr. Jamaris Glenn, a co-owner of Madame Fortune’s, wants to expand the public’s historical understanding of its own communities.
“Tampa has a lot of history, right?” Glenn said. “We have a lot of Cuban history, but we also have a lot of rich Black history here in the city. And I wanted to kind of tell that story with Madame Fortune’s.”
To experience this historical speakeasy, try this pass-phrase: “Find your fortune.”
To try their Lobster and Shrimp Curry Stew, follow this recipe:
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp onion and garlic-infused olive oil
2 rosemary sprigs
1 thyme spring
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup green and yellow bell peppers, chopped
1/3 cup garlic, chopped
1/3 cup. celery, chopped
1/4 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup red potatoes, chopped
Curry spices
Blackening seasoning
1/3 cup vegetable broth
1/3 cup flour
4 Gulf shrimp
1 lobster
Served with rice, pigeon peas and sweet plantains.
Method:
- In a heated sauté pan, add oil.
- Add rosemary sprig.
- Add vegetables, spices, blackening seasoning, and sauté.
- Let it cook down.
- In separate heated saucepan, add oil and a rosemary sprig.
- Add lobster and Gulf shrimp next, which will cook quickly.
- Add curry spices and blackening seasoning.
- Next, add broth and then flour to the vegetable mix.
- Let thicken and serve with rice, pigeon peas and sweet plantains.