Fresh eats, Sweet treats! All-new Chunky Tuna Cafe ready to offer fresh, good eats mid-island soon
Ready to fill the Fort Myers Beach air with fresh-baked goodness on a daily basis, Kelly Chrisien and her husband, Dale, are eager to open their all-new Chunky Tuna Caf, spanning within two units of the Gulf View Shops (2943 Estero Blvd.), mid-island.
“We are so excited to be opening to the Beach public soon, right around the beginning of March,” Kelly said. “We’re going to be a bakery, breakfast and lunch caf, offering a wide variety of bakery items and fresh-baked breads every day.”
Included on the long and hot list of bakery goodies, Kelly is eager to offer fresh-baked bagels, croissants, breads, cookies, cupcakes, stuffed breads and muffins.
Plus, a very good (and talented) Italian friend will be adding some European flair to the caf each and every day, baking homemade recipes of biscotti, tiramisu, Napoleon, cannoli, rum babas and other delish Italian pastries.
Along with warm, fresh-baked breads and pastries daily, Kelly and her staff will prepare six varieties of fresh-brewed coffee each and every morning, refreshing throughout the day as needed.
“We’ll certainly be busy in the kitchen every morning,” Kelly laughed. “We’ll be in by 4 a.m. baking.”
The 1,700-square foot caf is nestled comfortably within the Gulf View Shops, and the staff put the two-unit establishment through a complete overhaul that began last month.
“We completely gutted the units and started fresh,” the new business owner said. “It’s an American-style caf with a Cuban/Italian/Southwest flair. One side offers the kitchen, bakery and retail products, and the other is completely set aside for dining.
Kelly is not a newcomer to the restaurant business. Co-manager of the Yucatan Beach Stand for over a year, the bakery and caf queen owned and maintained four restaurants while up in her home state of Indiana.
“I’ve been in the restaurant business for 18 years and have loved every minute of it,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to being one of the local spots on the island. That’s something I’m going to cater to the locals.”
Be sure to stop by to pick up your local VIP card from the Chunky Tuna Caf, offering several special items and events for locals and all those in the hospitality business.
And, with such a wide variety of fresh-baked pastries and goodies offered to caf customers on a daily basis, Kelly is also in the process of offering a catering type of service as well, complete with custom orders of the freshest ingredients and goodies.
Indoor and outside seating is available, as well as on-island delivery.
Hours to the all-new Chunky Tuna Caf are 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays. A special brunch menu will be offered Sunday, and breakfast is served all day, every day.
Also, Kelly is in the process of obtaining a beer and wine license. This would be perfect for adding mimosas to the lovely brunch menu the caf already offers.
Once the caf closes at 2 p.m., the new business owner is offering her location for private parties, meetings, functions and other events, comfortably seating up to 40. Be sure to call the caf to find out further information.
For more information or to place your to-go order, call the caf at 765-8862.