THE FOUNDERS OF CIGAR CITY MAGAZINE
LISA M. FIGUEREDO
PUBLISHER AND FOUNDER
Cigar City Magazine™ is the vision of Lisa M. Figueredo, who feels passionately about her blended culture, history, and family
Lisa was born in 1961 in Tampa. See grew up in West Tampa with her best friends Linda Gallardo, Cynthia Fuente, and the Fuente family. She graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School, attended the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, and had a 40-year career as the owner of an ad agency.
She founded Cigar City Magazine in 2005 and brought her aunt Marilyn in as Editor. Together these two women became the storytellers of our great city and made Cigar City Magazine the ONLY history magazine in Tampa.
In 2016, Lisa took over the Cigar Heritage Festival, making it the world's largest cigar festival, bringing over 20,000 people to Ybor City for this traditional event. In 2021 Lisa sold the Cigar Heritage Festival after achieving her goals. She is now semi-retired, running the Tampa Mafia Tours with her business partner, Scott M. Deitche, author of Tampa's favorite books, Cigar City Mafia: A Complete History of the Tampa Underworld & The Silent Don: The Criminal Underworld of Santo Trafficante Jr.
Ms. Figueredo's mission statement is as follows: We have all been told stories by our parents, grandparents, abuelos, abuelas, nanas, nanos, tios, tias, zios, and zias. The stories captivated us, and we always asked questions. "What country did our family come from? How did they arrive? How did they live?" We were constantly amazed as the stories of our families unfolded, and we felt proud of our heritage. We also felt a little sad since we would never have a chance to meet some of these wonderful relatives.
We all have a responsibility to keep these stories alive by passing them on to our children. By sharing the past, our children will learn their roots and recognize the foundation of love and family they can carry with them into the future. They will become the voices of our ancestors.
Cigar City Magazine's last printed issue was back in 2014. The stories on this site are articles written from 2005-2014, but you never know...Lisa may start it all over again.
Lisa was born in 1961 in Tampa. See grew up in West Tampa with her best friends Linda Gallardo, Cynthia Fuente, and the Fuente family. She graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School, attended the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, and had a 40-year career as the owner of an ad agency.
She founded Cigar City Magazine in 2005 and brought her aunt Marilyn in as Editor. Together these two women became the storytellers of our great city and made Cigar City Magazine the ONLY history magazine in Tampa.
In 2016, Lisa took over the Cigar Heritage Festival, making it the world's largest cigar festival, bringing over 20,000 people to Ybor City for this traditional event. In 2021 Lisa sold the Cigar Heritage Festival after achieving her goals. She is now semi-retired, running the Tampa Mafia Tours with her business partner, Scott M. Deitche, author of Tampa's favorite books, Cigar City Mafia: A Complete History of the Tampa Underworld & The Silent Don: The Criminal Underworld of Santo Trafficante Jr.
Ms. Figueredo's mission statement is as follows: We have all been told stories by our parents, grandparents, abuelos, abuelas, nanas, nanos, tios, tias, zios, and zias. The stories captivated us, and we always asked questions. "What country did our family come from? How did they arrive? How did they live?" We were constantly amazed as the stories of our families unfolded, and we felt proud of our heritage. We also felt a little sad since we would never have a chance to meet some of these wonderful relatives.
We all have a responsibility to keep these stories alive by passing them on to our children. By sharing the past, our children will learn their roots and recognize the foundation of love and family they can carry with them into the future. They will become the voices of our ancestors.
Cigar City Magazine's last printed issue was back in 2014. The stories on this site are articles written from 2005-2014, but you never know...Lisa may start it all over again.
MARILYN L. FIGUEREDO
EDITOR AND CO-FOUNDER
Marilyn Figueredo was Cigar City Magazine's managing editor until her passing in 2007. Her work alongside her niece Lisa M. Figueredo, Founder and Publisher, was instrumental in producing Tampa's first historical magazine.
Marilyn was born in 1948 in Tampa, where she lived her entire life and, more specifically, her early childhood in Ybor City. After a successful 30-year career at Delta Air Lines, Marilyn embarked on what became her true passion: reinvigorating the colorful, multicultural history of Ybor City through the lives and personal stories of the families and individuals who made up the uniqueness of this Tampa quarter. She did this primarily through Cigar City Magazine, serving on various committees and organizations, and attending cultural events throughout Tampa. You could often find her chatting with residents and business owners along Ybor City's 7th Avenue, sipping cafe con leche at local establishments, diligently working at the magazine's office just across from Centennial Park, or through the efforts of her krewe, The Spirit of Cigar City.
She also served as a consultant on two musicals, "Cigar City Chronicles" and "In Ybor City," and, as a community activist, was very involved in preserving historical landmarks and buildings. Marilyn's passion, love of the historical significance of our lives, and strong family traditions and values were instrumental in increasing public awareness of Tampa's rich history and early contributions to the cigar industry.
Marilyn was a member of many animal advocacy groups, and she played a significant role in rescuing and recovering animals in the 2004 Florida hurricanes. She was a loving, caring human being and loved by many. She will be missed, but we hope her memory will continue the momentum she created to bring to light the history of her beloved Ybor City...one life at a time.
Marilyn's legacy will live forever throughout the pages of Tampa's first historical magazine–Cigar City Magazine.
Marilyn was born in 1948 in Tampa, where she lived her entire life and, more specifically, her early childhood in Ybor City. After a successful 30-year career at Delta Air Lines, Marilyn embarked on what became her true passion: reinvigorating the colorful, multicultural history of Ybor City through the lives and personal stories of the families and individuals who made up the uniqueness of this Tampa quarter. She did this primarily through Cigar City Magazine, serving on various committees and organizations, and attending cultural events throughout Tampa. You could often find her chatting with residents and business owners along Ybor City's 7th Avenue, sipping cafe con leche at local establishments, diligently working at the magazine's office just across from Centennial Park, or through the efforts of her krewe, The Spirit of Cigar City.
She also served as a consultant on two musicals, "Cigar City Chronicles" and "In Ybor City," and, as a community activist, was very involved in preserving historical landmarks and buildings. Marilyn's passion, love of the historical significance of our lives, and strong family traditions and values were instrumental in increasing public awareness of Tampa's rich history and early contributions to the cigar industry.
Marilyn was a member of many animal advocacy groups, and she played a significant role in rescuing and recovering animals in the 2004 Florida hurricanes. She was a loving, caring human being and loved by many. She will be missed, but we hope her memory will continue the momentum she created to bring to light the history of her beloved Ybor City...one life at a time.
Marilyn's legacy will live forever throughout the pages of Tampa's first historical magazine–Cigar City Magazine.