Lakeland’s first food hall — The Joinery — nears its opening date on Monday with a lineup of popular food vendors from Tampa and other parts of Florida.
LAKELAND — Chef Ferrell Alvarez of Tampa’s acclaimed Rooster & the Till restaurant has joined the lineup of epicurean heavyweights at Lakeland’s soon-to-open downtown food hall.
That’s good news for food enthusiasts who’ve been pining for The Joinery to open its doors, something that has been delayed for months for various reasons, including construction delays, unexpected costs and a few vendors who got cold feet and backed out of the project.
The wait is nearly over. Principal owners Jonathan and Sarah Bucklew have been entertaining invited guests in a series of practice runs to work out kinks, streamline operations and prepare to open Monday, Jan. 20, to the general public.
The soft opening for the city’s first food hall ushers in reduced hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.
The Bucklews have reason to be optimistic, especially with high-profile restaurateurs like Alvarez lending serious cred to their fledgling enterprise on Lake Mirror.
“We’re over the moon that we have one of our favorite chefs cooking for us,” Jonathan Bucklew said of Alvarez, who is bringing his Gallito Taqueria concept to The Joinery.
Gallito, Spanish for cocky, has one other location at Tampa’s Sparkman Wharf. It serves an abbreviated menu of $4 tacos and liquid refreshments.
Other high-profile vendors setting up shop at the Lakeland food hall include Ava, the Italian-inspired eatery in Tampa’s SoHo district with satellite operations at Tampa’s Armature Works and at a food hall in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Ava, which is co-owned by Joe Maddon, former manager of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball franchise, will serve pizza and other specialties cooked in a wood-fired oven.
Other vendors include:
King State, an independent coffee roaster and microbrewer anchored in Tampa Heights. Owned by brothers-in-law Tim McTague and Nate Young, King State recently was named Florida’s best coffee shop in Food & Wine magazine’s 2019 national survey.
Mayday Ice Cream, a sister brand to The Hyppo, the St. Augustine-based maker of gourmet ice pops with locations scattered around the state, including Tampa’s Hyde Park and Ybor City.
Ato, an offshoot to chef Ferdian Jap’s Zukku restaurant at Armature Works and in Charlotte, specializing in build-your-own sushi burritos and bowls.
Sabu, a ramen shop also serving Japanese street food. Its creator is Ryan Neal, who has worked in kitchens at Ichicoro in Tampa; and in Lakeland at Nineteen61 and Black & Brew Coffee House & Bistro.
Super Duper Spot, which Bucklew describes as a minimalist burger-and-fries food stall with a killer fried-chicken sandwich to boot. It’s the brainchild of the people behind the Ichicoro family of restaurants, including chef-partner Noel Cruz.
The sole non-food vendor is Bloom Shakalaka, a flower and gift shop where customers can custom-make bouquets or purchase ready-made arrangements.
The Joinery, located at 640 E. Main St. at the former home of Lakeland Brewing Co. and Old School Annex, will also feature a microbrewery and full-service bar with a short menu of craft cocktails. Customers will be able to serve themselves at a free-standing soda fountain.
Joe Dunham, owner of Grove Roots Brewing Co. in Winter Haven, will create a special brew to commemorate The Joinery’s grand opening, Bucklew said. Other local brewers, including Swan Brewing in Lakeland, will utilize the facility from time to time.
The food hall will comfortably seat approximately 350 guests inside and on front and rear porches, one of which will be pet friendly.
Much of the furnishings and counter tops were made at the Bucklews’ Seventeen/20 furniture shop. Their concrete bar at the rear of the food hall features colorful ceramic tiles and a bank of 24 taps pouring beers brewed in-house on the 15-barrel system, along with guest brews, hard cider and kombucha tea.
Bucklew gives credit to Lakeland’s growing reputation as a foodie destination for helping him attract some of Tampa’s celebrated restaurateurs.
“It validates what we’ve done as a community,” he said. “They’re not just looking at (my wife) Sarah and me, they’re looking at the whole community.”
Eric Pera can be reached at eric.pera@theledger.com or 863-802-7528.
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January 18, 2020 at 10:05PM
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