Come October, downtown Tampa’s Water Street district will be home to the third location of Naked Farmer, a restaurant that sources its food locally and based on what’s in season.
The fast-casual chain famous for “nude food” already has two locations in the Tampa Bay area—one on Central Avenue in St. Petersburg and another at Sparkman Wharf, just blocks away from the upcoming spot at the bottom of Water Street’s retail and residential Thousand and One building.
“Our menu is grown in direct conversation with small and medium-sized farmers in our region, brought in from the fields, and cooked on site by chefs who know their vegetables,” Naked Farmer’s website states.
Naked Farmer’s new summer menu dropped this week and includes “chili lime Florida watermelon, black bean and pineapple, sweet and sour summer squash, and sheet tray carrots.”
The mid-pandemic openings were delayed for the first two locations, but the Tampa Bay Times says the company survived thanks to adjustments made by owner Jordan Johnson.
Until the 1,600-square-foot space opened in downtown St. Pete, boxes containing meal ingredients and cooking instructions were on sale through a digital farmer’s market. Johnson says the demand for the boxes is high, so they are still available—under “Family Meals” on Naked Farmer’s website—even though both restaurants are open.
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This article appears in Jun 17-23, 2021.