Families poured into Hillsborough Community College’s Dale Mabry campus for the Taste of Tampa Festival. Organizers set out to build a 370-foot Cuban sandwich — a bid that could shatter existing records.
Chefs partnered with volunteers to assemble the massive creation. Each section had to connect with the next. Bread stretched across tables as workers layered ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard along the length.
Guests wandered between vendor booths while the construction took shape. Some stopped to watch. Others grabbed samples from restaurants scattered around the grounds.
Music filled the air and dancers moved between the crowd.
The Cuban sandwich carries weight in Tampa’s food story, a staple that locals have claimed as their own for generations. This festival turned that tradition into spectacle.
Coordination proved essential as teams worked in tandem across the Dale Mabry location. Every person had a task — spreading condiments, placing meat, or pressing down layers to keep things intact.
Attendees bounced from station to station, tasting what area eateries brought to share. Lines formed at popular spots. Kids ran between tables while parents followed behind.
The record attempt demanded precision and speed. Three hundred seventy feet meant hundreds of pounds of ingredients moving through an assembly line of hands.
Choosing the college campus made sense for organizers. Space was abundant. Parking lots accommodated vehicles while open areas handled the sprawling setup and throngs of visitors.
This wasn’t just about breaking a record. The festival merged eating, watching, and listening into one afternoon that pulled people together.
By the time crews finished, the sandwich snaked across the venue in an unbroken line. Cameras clicked as onlookers documented what they’d witnessed — a monument to Tampa’s signature dish that stretched longer than a football field.