“Three fat guys try to open a restaurant…” That’s the running joke owner Dean Maha uses to describe the journey he and his two partners, Lou Collazo and Sean Sinback, have experienced over the last five months of preparing to debut Pascal’s Artisan Bistro & Gourmet Coffee in Tampa.
I caught up with them over a large cappuccino — after the locals were fed and the doors were closed — to hear the story of Pascal’s and how the trio is making a splash on Davis Islands after opening a little over two weeks ago.
When the owners of the previous establishment at 241 E. Davis Blvd. were selling the property, Maha and chef Collazo pitched their concept and were met with some less-than-desirable feedback.
“They warned us not to do it, but life is short, and I don’t want to be on my deathbed wondering what could’ve been,” Maha said, as Sinback and Collazo nodded along.
Maha left his 25-year career in IT to take the leap into his first restaurant venture, with Collazo leading the culinary arm and Sinback assisting with front-of-house management. After signing the lease in May, the triad have been working nonstop to make their collective dream come to life.
“We have skin in the game,” Maha said. “We’ve completely refurbished the place, and we’re so excited the community is responding with such positive feedback.”
Area artists offered to decorate the walls of Pascal’s with their works, which mingle with stained and sealed wood tables and bars, plus hanging industrial light fixtures that complete the cozy setting.
The partners planned to give their 1,200-square-foot bistro its sea legs with a soft launch on Aug. 20; little did they know, word travels fast down Davis Boulevard. In no time, all 33 seats were filled — and there haven’t been any signs of slowing down.
“We designed [Pascal’s] to be a small bistro. When our first weekend came, we were not expecting the response that we got. We were sold out for over two hours,” Maha said.
“Three fat guys try to open a restaurant…” and a burst of laughter from the trio followed.
The bistro’s kitchen prides itself on making everything in-house, from ketchup and mayo to banana bread. Prior to opening, Collazo spent weeks researching restaurant trends both nationally and locally to discover gaps in the market.
“People want to know where their food is coming from,” the chef said. “So naturally, we steered toward using fresh, locally sourced ingredients.”
Collazo put his 22 years of industry experience into curating a menu that’s accessible to the masses while flexing his fine-dining muscle. The result? Dishes like Dave’s Eternal Breakfast Quesadilla, a spinach tortilla filled with Cheddar, herb goat and blue cheeses before being topped with an over-easy egg, pico and lime zest crema.
Serving breakfast, brunch and lunch, Pascal’s operates 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Specialty roasts from Tampa-based Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company are on hand, as is wine and canned beer.
This article appears in Sep 6-13, 2018.