TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Andrea Gonzmart Williams, recently named Tampa Bay’s 2024 Hispanic Woman of the Year, continues to build on her family’s 120-year legacy with The Columbia Restaurant.
As the fifth-generation owner and operator, she honors the traditions passed down through her family while embracing change, including the pivotal moment in 1979 when the restaurant welcomed its first female employees — a milestone her grandmother would have cherished.
Tampa Hispanic Heritage, Inc. named Andrea Gonzmart Williams Tampa Bay’s 2024 Hispanic Woman of the Year . That’s a title she says she is excited to carry, just like she’s carried her family traditions within The Columbia Restaurant for years.
“My story with The Columbia began at birth,” Gonzmart Williams said in an interview with WFLA and Tampa Hoy. “I used to go all the time and watch my grandfather play the violin. He was a concert violinist and my grandmother was a concert pianist.”
For 120 years, the Columbia Restaurant has been a family-owned staple in the Tampa Bay community, growing from generation to generation. As the fifth generation owner and operator, Gonzmart Williams works to keep those who came before her proud.