A workhorse in the fields and then in the kitchen will be missed by his family and, a fine compliment, his employees.
By MARTY CLEAR
Published April 9, 2004
TAMPA HEIGHTS - When Gerencio Cura bought his restaurant in 1978, he didn't know anything about the food business.
He had been a tobacco farmer all his life, first in his native Cuba and later after he fled his home and came to Florida.
But it didn't matter. His restaurant, the Gold Ring, at Tampa Street and Columbus Drive, has been a fixture in Tampa Heights for 26 years.
Although he was always a good cook, Mr. Cura's success had more to do with his character than his cuisine.
"He was a very loyal person," said his daughter-in-law, Leanne Cura. "He was kind of a perfectionist, and he was very demanding. But he never asked someone to do something he wasn't willing to do himself."
Mr. Cura was devoted to his employees, she said, and they returned that loyalty.
"In the restaurant business, you usually have a lot of turnover," said Leanne Cura, who owns the restaurant with her husband, Gustavo. "We don't have any turnover at all. Some of our employees have been with us for 18 years. Every single employee came to his funeral, and they all came to visit him when he was sick."
Mr. Cura died March 30 at age 84. He had two great passions: work and family.
"He was a really hard worker," his daughter-in-law said. "He worked from sun up until sundown. That's just the way his personality was."
When he was a young man in Cuba, Mr. Cura established a successful career growing and curing cigar tobacco. After Fidel Castro took control, Mr. Cura gave up everything and fled to Tampa.
Almost 40 years old, with a wife and two children, he started from scratch, with no money and few possessions.
The family settled in South Tampa, but Mr. Cura, still working in the cigar business, was away much of the time.
"He'd travel to Nicaragua or Honduras and raise a tobacco crop and cure it, and then he'd come home," Leanne Cura said. "He'd be away ... for months at a time."
He hated being apart from his family, especially his wife, Raida. So, in 1978, he and his son, Gustavo, pooled their savings and put a down payment on the Gold Ring, which had been open for a couple of years.
"My husband always wanted to go into business with his father," Leanne Cura said. "He'd work at the restaurant all day and then go to school at night. He got his four-year degree in accounting."
When he wasn't working, Mr. Cura spent most of his time with his wife. Even when they were in their 60s, they still held hands.
After Raida Cura died suddenly of cancer 19 years ago, Mr. Cura was never the same.
"He and his wife were very close, and I don't think he ever completely got over her death," his daughter-in-law said.
Mr. Cura developed cancer a few years ago. Even his treatment was a family affair. His doctor was his nephew, and he lived with his daughter, Yemile.
"The idea of a nursing home wasn't even an option," his daughter-in-law said.
Mr. Cura is survived by his daughter, son and daughter-in-law; brothers Jose, Eduardo and Felipe; sisters Marta, Onelia and Norma; two grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
