Spoke with Chris Ponte this morning about his new Tampa "fast casual" venture (see original post here), Peel. A joint venture with Melting Pot, Ponte has been working with Arlene Johnston from Melting Pot for the past one and a half years to perfect the concept. Everything will be "made from scratch" and he defines the menu items as "fresh, artisan cuisine." Among the 30 or so dishes will be favorites from Cafe Ponte's current offerings like the turkey club and potato truffle pizza but also new items like barbecue beef calzone, eggplant calzone (baked in a wood burning oven) and spicy shrimp pasta.
This article appears in Jun 17-23, 2009.
