“It Was Very Fancy”: Fine China, Menus and Etiquette from Henry B. Plant’s Tampa Bay Hotel

Long before the Ritz-Carlton or the Four Seasons, there was the Tampa Bay Hotel. Railroad giant Henry Plant founded the hotel, which operated from 1891 to 1932 and served as a playground for the rich and famous. Today, the former Tampa Bay Hotel is home of the Henry B. Plant Museum on the University of Tampa campus. I stopped by the museum to learn who stayed there, what they ate and lessons their fancy-schmancy meals can teach us today. In this conversation, you'll hear from Lindsay Huban, Susan Carter and Melissa Sullebarger of the Henry B. Plant Museum.Related episodes: How Plant City Became the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World James Weldon Johnson’s Foodie Life Grits, Gravy and Pie: Florida Cracker Cooking