Naked Farmer Restaurant Debuts At Sparkman Wharf

TAMPA, FL — On the heels of its triumphant debut in St. Petersburg in May, Naked Farmerrestaurant celebrated the grand opening of its second restaurant Saturday at the Sparkman Wharf in Tampa.

While many restaurants are flailing in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, Naked Farmer owner Jordan Johnson has found a successful niche among those who seeking locally sourced, farm-fresh foods prepared with a creative twist.

Abeit, Johnson has had his own struggles with the coronavirus. After years in the making, he originally planned to open his restaurant at 200 Central Ave. in St. Pete April 1 but had to delay the grand opening due to the pandemic.

In the meantime, Johnson and his team found another way to serve the community. They opened Naked Farmer’s Market, an online store where consumers can order boxes of fresh produce to be picked up or delivered to their door.

The boxes contained a variety of fresh veggies, such as heads of lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, kale, zucchini squash, scallions, green beans and basil. Each box can feed a family of four for three to four nights. During April and May, the Naked Farmer sold more than 4,000 produce boxes.

“Our real value is our role as a local connector between farmers and their local community,” Johnson said. “Our restaurants represents the beginning of our mission to change the food game by building a better food system.”

Fresh vegetables at the Naked Farmer are harvested as little as 24 hours before being served with the eclectic menu changing depending upon the vegetables in season.

The Naked Farmer is currently sourcing food from seven local farms, including Brick Street Farms (St. Petersburg), Dakin Dairy (Myakka City) and Providence Cattle Company (Dade City).

With the long-awaited opening of the St. Petersburg restaurant, which offers 40 seats indoors and 32 outside, Johnson set his sights on Sparkman Wharf, the popular Water Street venue at 641 Channelside Drive, featuring restaurants run by top Tampa chefs located inside industrial containers, an open-air biergarten, waterfront workspace, retail shops and an open-air space for entertainment.

Johnson said Sparkman Wharf was the perfect fit for his farm-fresh concept.

"Our chefs handcraft super high-quality farm-fresh bowls from scratch, placing a heavy emphasis on our favorite thing ever—fresh vegetables," said Johnson. "We partner with farmers we know on a first-name basis to serve veggies harvested days, not weeks, ago. We work with producers that understand exactly where it comes from and the quality of life it's lived. Our cows are exclusively grass-fed for their entire lives. Our chickens roam freely."

He adds that the food is prepared "the way nature intended. Without fluff or filler. A little salt, pepper, lemon and expertise. Our from-scratch, chef-driven kitchens were built by food-passionate people who celebrate locally and sustainably sourced goodness."

The Naked Farmer chefs are also cultivating a future generation of chefs through the restaurant's Chef-in-Training and Culinary Leadership Programs.

Currently on the menu is:

• Local Farmer — Brown rice with parsley, charred broccoli with lemon & garlic, roasted sweet potatoes, citrus charred chicken, garlic aioli. $12.44 (560 cal.)
• Southern Comfort — Farro with summer vegetables, farmhouse mac & cheese, charred broccoli with lemon and garlic, seasonal grass-fed beef, mango habanero. $13.82 (845 cal.)
• Light & Leafy — Farm greens with mint, glazed heirloom tomatoes, pecan kale Caesar, mint watermelon and feta, lemon wedge. $9.68 (410 cal.)
• Seasonal Salmon — Brown rice with parsley, half avocado with EVOO and sea salt, charred broccoli with lemon and garlic, Gulf of Maine Salmon, citrus vinaigrette. $14.93 (535 cal.)
• Chicken Kale Caesar — Brown Rice with parsley, pecan kale Caesar, half avocado with EVOO and sea salt, rosemary-roasted chicken, lemon wedge. $13.68 (615 cal.).

Made-from-scratch bowls are prepared with a base of farm greens with mint, farro with summer vegetables and brown rice with parsley followed by a choice of two harvest sides including roasted sweet potatoes, glazed heirloom tomatoes, mint watermelon and feta, pecan kale Caesar, charred broccoli with lemon and garlic, marinated English cucumbers and farmhouse mac & Cheese. Then they're topped the Farmer's Basket, free-range chicken with charred citrus and roasted rosemary, seasonal grass-fed beef and Gulf of Maine salmon.

The new Sparkman Wharf Naked Farmer is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.. and Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

To order farm-fresh veggie boxes for delivery or pick-up, click here.