Ella's is closing in Seminole Heights, new Filipino options in Pinellas Park and more Tama Bay food news

OPENINGS/CLOSINGS

Kuya Kevin’s, a new Pinellas-based food truck, dishes out Filipino-American fusion
There's no shortage of mom and pop, cafeteria-style Filipino restaurants in Tampa Bay, but one new food truck is offering a unique twist on classic Pinoy dishes. Owner and chef Kevin Baumgartner is a Pinellas County native with years of kitchen experience—and he recently launched his first food truck endeavor called Kuya Kevin's Filipino Fusion BBQ. Dishing out “authentic Filipino cuisine fused with Western-style cooking methods,” the 34-year-old celebrated the grand opening of Kuya Kevin’s in early August. “I’ve spent the last few years trying to change up the conventional dishes to try to add a little bit of a twist to it," Baumgartner tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. "Kuya" is a tagalog word that translates to "older brother." “One of the first questions I get from customers is what ‘Kuya’ means," Baumgartner added. "I think the name invokes curiosity and is a good way to get people interested in a cuisine that they may not know much about.” For now, Kuya Kevin’s menu consists of a few classic Filipino favorites like crispy lumpia, pancit and BBQ pork skewers or inihaw, plus a few of Baumgartner’s own twists—like his chicken wings marinated in sinigang (a sour tamarind soup) and then deep fried.

New food truck from the owner of Nana's in Ybor City celebrates grand opening next week
Three months after a permit-related stop work order effectively shutdown Nana’s Restaurant & Juice Bar in Ybor City, Anisa Meija is back in the kitchen. The celebrated plant-based chef—who could usually be seen greeting and hugging her regular customers—decided to team up with a new partner and pivot to a food truck instead of re-opening her popular brick and mortar. Nana’s Rooted is parked at Food Truck Culture’s lot at 4914 E Broadway Ave. (about three miles from Meija closed Ybor City restaurant), and will also be available for events and festivals throughout the greater Tampa Bay area. According to its new social media page, Nana’s Rooted celebrates its grand opening on Saturday, Aug. 31 starting at noon. Other concepts that use Food Truck Culture as a homebase include Three Stones Kenyan Cuisine, fellow plant-based spot Seasoned Green, Norma's Kitchen, Willie Mae's, Mai Thai, Mother Shuckers 813 and more.

Tampa’s Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe will close on September 1
Eight months after hitting the market, staple Seminole Heights restaurant Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe seems to have found the right buyer—and will close on Sept. 1. On social media, the restaurant—which has been a cornerstone of the neighborhood for 15 years—expressed deep gratitude and a heavy heart about the end of the road. It invited the community to share a last meal, drink and “celebrate the memories that have made our time together in Seminole Heights so much fun.”
As previously reported, the restaurant's clientele since opening day has been eclectic as the neighborhood, and its menu has always been a surefire way to satisfy a craving for Southern comfort food. The Sunday brunches—which frequently saw lines form outside 5119 N Nebraska Ave.—were stuff of legend. Late last year, co-founder Melissa Deming told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that it was time for her to start a new chapter in life, adding that putting the perennial Best Of the Bay-winning concept on the market was one of the hardest decisions she’s ever made. “I feel honored to have had their support for so many years,” she said about the love from the neighborhood since opening day.
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