Not only is Fit & Fuel Cafe closing soon for an extreme makeover, the new North Naples restaurant replacing it will be a vehicle to showcase the cutting-edge work of local chef Kayla Pfeiffer.
What started in 2011 as mostly a morning pit stop for bicyclists, Fit & Fuel will be retread and refueled as Bicyclette Cookshop, a more elevated dining experience. A full bar will expand what has been a cafe for coffee, beer and wine.
“We’re going to be closing Aug. 31 and then we’re going to do renovations for two months, and then open the first or second week in November, if all goes as planned,” Pfeiffer said.
“Everything will be completely redone from tables to the chairs to the paint scheme. The bar will look a little different, the restrooms,” she said. “Right now, there’s a big shipping container that won’t be there anymore. Then, the kitchen is going to have minor renovations and just more upgraded appliances.”
Bicyclette, pronounced bee-see-klet, is the French term for bicycle. Cookshop, a refreshed word for restaurant, followed Pfeiffer from her early influences in New York City.
“That’s the benefit of having a 27-year-old around you who influences things like that because she keeps us all current,” said Colleen Dunavan, a consultant on the project who previously worked with Pfeiffer at other restaurants in Naples. “This whole project really is Kayla’s vision. The decor is hers, the food is hers, the concept is hers, and it’s going to be a really neat reflection of her as a person. She creates this beautiful food. She’s an outgoing, driven young lady who is a little bit edgy, and I think, when you see the restaurant and you see the menu, you’re going to be like, this is totally her.”
The neighborhood restaurant will serve New American cuisine—basically, contemporary cooking with high-quality ingredients from around the world that fits Pfeiffer’s eclectic, global style. Small plates will include gnocchi fritto with caviar and crème fraiche; and oyster po’ boy sliders with pickled okra aioli. Main dishes will include a smash burger with raclette, gruyere and kimchee remoulade; and herb-seared tuna with white beans, soppressata, pepperoncini and parmesan oreganata vinaigrette.
“A lot of the menu items come from my past travels and things that have inspired me throughout the years, as well as some inspiration from when I lived in New York and worked there for a while,” Pfeiffer said.
At only 27, Pfeiffer has had a few fast-paced transitions during her young career as an executive chef in Naples. For six years, she was with the Campagna Hospitality Group, where she become the executive chef of The French, then transitioned as the executive chef opening Bar Tulia at Mercato.
“That was a great experience, great people to work for,” she said. “But, you know, I think with anything, I’m constantly pushing and very hungry, looking for that next step. When Paul Fleming approached me to open up the PJK Chinese restaurant, I felt that was an opportunity to work with someone as well known in the restaurant industry as him and get another notch under my belt.”
Of course, the chef also cherishes the opportunity to work with industry veteran and longtime mentor Louie Mele, an avid bicyclist who joined Patrick Wenning in buying Fit & Fuel Cafe and its adjoining Naples Cyclery bike shop a year ago. Mele, the former president of McDonald’s Canada who has spent 40 years in the restaurant business, considers Pfeiffer a star and perfect for taking his cafe to the next level.
“We’ve got lots of things in the works. I think it’s going to be really exciting,” he said. “We’re still attached to the bike shop. The whole idea here is to expand our base. I mean, too many people still think Fit & Fuel is only for bikers. We just had to change the concept.”
The new full-service restaurant for lunch and dinner also will provide lunchtime grab-and-go takeout for folks on the way to Vanderbilt Beach. The restaurant team feels the loss to redevelopment of the nearby Beach Box Cafe and Beach Store provides them with an opportunity.
“This area has so much potential. There’s so much being built up around here,” Pfeiffer said. “It’s the halfway point from Bonita to Fifth Avenue, so I feel like this is just the spot to be right now.”
The overhead door that connects the adjoining bicycle shop to the restaurant will be kept closed when Bicyclette opens.
“We’re going to actually keep that shut, pull some curtains, and then that won’t be an entrance to get into the bike shop anymore,” Pfeiffer said. “Decor-wise, it’s going to be just a little light, vibrant, but we’re definitely going to focus on the ambiance at night and full service with a liquor license.”
During the past month, the restaurant team has been researching and developing the entire menu for Bicyclette.
“We have a pretty good idea of what will be on there. We’re looking at around 20 to 22 dishes in total, which for me, I like the smaller the better,” Pfeiffer said. “I think it’s more controllable and consistent. It’ll be snacks, shareables and then entrees, and we’re only going to have about five entrees.”
Pfeiffer has created a menu that appeals to how she personally likes to dine out.
“A lot of it will be shareable. I call it international-inspired dishes,” she said. “They’re all small plates and not this first course, second course, dessert. Of course, that will be available, but it’s more to have a few really great dishes—maybe five to six for every two people—and so you kind of get to taste a little bit of everything.”
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