Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 5-7-21

Feature
Couple Brings The Caribbean To Tampa
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Staff Writer
At Mangos Café and Specialty Store, the warm smells of the Caribbean welcome you.
Owner, Nagere Andre’s mother had four mango trees in the backyard when she was growing up and the memory of the tropical fruit encour- aged the name of the business.
Nagere and her husband, David Andre are both of Caribbean descent. While David was born and raised in New Jersey, Nagere grew up in Haiti. The couple met at the University of South Florida.
Nagere was a financial aid advi- sor at Hillsborough Community Col- lege for 18 years before quitting her job three months ago to concentrate on her restaurant.
Although the pandemic hindered their plans somewhat, they leaned into the challenge of opening a busi-
NADEGE and DAVID ANDRE ... Tampa couple brings the healthy food and ingredients to customers
ness. They faced many roadblocks, but they took their entire life savings to open the restaurant. Eventually they want to branch out into larger markets.
Nagere says that her love of cook- ing started when she was about 8- years-old. She was steeped in Haitian cuisine and when her mother went to the hospital to have her younger sib- ling, Nagere jumped in and made rice, beans, and chicken for her entire family.
Friends and family encouraged the Andres to bring their delicious food to the public, so they started their own catering company. Nagere and David not only have Mangos, but they continue to entertain and cater.
The restaurant officially opened in January 2021.
At Mangos Café, you will find a tra- ditional Caribbean menu, along with made to order items like signature burgers and chicken sandwiches. All
the seasonings are home grown, and they use no by-products or GMOs.
They also have a vegan menu and pescatarian menu with freshly made smoothies.
On Fridays, Mangos has their “Soul Food Friday” with a variety of soul food items to choose from.
On the last Sunday of every month, they are open for “Brunch and Vibe” with a live saxophonist. The menu consists of a variety of brunch food.
The restaurant is also a specialty store selling their herbs, spices, mugs, aprons, and tee shirts.
Mangos’ hours of operation are Tuesday to Saturday from 11:00 a.m to 8:00 p.m. The store is located at 9718 N. 56th Street, Temple Ter- race, FL, 33617.
The couple emphasizes that they are Christ-based and all they do is faith-based. They have been married for 15 years and have two sons.
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