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Neighborhood Report

Hot Shop still a hot stop for aloe smoothies

Fire may have closed the kitchen at Cephas Gilbert'splace, but the juice still flows and patrons still show up to get some of the famed elixir that's "soap for your intestines."

By ALEXANDRA ZAYAS
Published June 23, 2006

It has been half a year since flames consumed Cephas Hot Shop one night, and the shell of the Jamaican restaurant still smells like smoke.

The walls once covered in civil rights memorabilia are bare and charred. The kitchen that once served curry goat and oxtail stew is empty.

But Cephas Gilbert hasn't stopped cranking out his famed aloe smoothies and singing the praises of the miracle mixture from a makeshift juice stand outside his restaurant at 1701 E Fourth Ave.

"It's soap for your intestines," Gilbert proclaims, lifting his worn Bob Marley T-shirt to reveal a flat stomach.

His smoothies keep him regular and keep his regular customers coming back for more. They linger by the street side bar and rub aloe on their skin as Gilbert, 54, concocts the foamy plant water.

"It totally changed me," said Marti Leonard, a South Tampa mom.

She has had four or five smoothies since she heard about Gilbert's stand a month ago and says her skin has cleared up, her vision has improved and she's even lost a few pounds.

Bobby Dennis takes a break from his job at the nearby shipyard three or four times a week to chug an aloe smoothie.

"When I met him, he looked like a big pig," Gilbert teases.

Dennis came first came to the Hot Shop four or five years ago to eat, but Gilbert told Dennis he was fat and persuaded him to try a smoothie to help him lose weight.

Since then, he has lost 35 pounds. Dennis says he still drinks the smoothies because he likes the taste. But he misses Gilbert's curry chicken.

So does Gilbert. He had been cooking it for 24 years.

He longs to reopen his restaurant, but fire damage is estimated between $86,000 and $98,000. Gilbert didn't have insurance.

He blames a small General Electric coffee pot for destroying his restaurant and has hired an attorney to help with his claim.

"If I purchase your stuff and I believe your stuff burned my place, I should get paid for it," Gilbert said.

Neighbors drive by and honk hello from their cars. Gilbert knows construction workers and business owners by name and scolds them if they don't finish their smoothies.

"But you drink a six-pack tonight," Gilbert yells as one chases a bus down the street.

He gives free samples to first-timers in the hopes people will feel the difference and come back. After that, the drinks cost $5.

"I wouldn't just turn my back on these people," Gilbert said. "My people take care of me."

Alexandra Zayas can be reached at 813 226-3354 or azayas@sptimes.com.

He's the man

To learn more about Cephas Gilbert, visit www.cephashotshop.com.

[Last modified June 22, 2006, 12:05:43]