MONDAY October 12, 2020
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Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
DEVELOPMENT
Gilbert to open Springfield restaurant
Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
Southern Grounds primary tenant at The Hub Brooklyn
The yet-to-be named fast-casual concept is taking the Bleu Chocolat Cafe space at 1602 Walnut St.
Daily Record Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
BY KATIE GARWOOD STAFF WRITER
JACKSONVILLE
Special to the Daily Record
Southern Grounds plans to fill the retail spaces and kitchen at The Hub Brooklyn at Riverside Avenue and Forest Street. The development also includes office space.
The DDRB approved the indoor-outdoor development at Riverside Avenue and Forest Street. BY MIKE MENDENHALL STAFF WRITER
Southern Grounds & Co. plans to expand to Downtown’s Brooklyn neighborhood with a coffee bar and “seasonally fresh” restaurant concept. The Jacksonville-based coffee chain’s owner Mark Janasik said Oct. 9 that Southern Grounds is working with Cronk Duch Architecture to fill both retail spaces and the kitchen at the proposed The Hub Brooklyn at Riverside Avenue and Forest Street. “It’s certainly a quaint gathering spot with the open courtyard design,” Janasik said.
“It’s a place to meet friends, a place for weekenders,” he said. “Gathering together is a huge part of what The Hub is and part of Southern Grounds’ Janasik philosophy.” The restaurant menu and the courtyard design connecting the business concepts will be similar to the Southern Grounds Neptune Beach location, he said. Janasik said the restaurant will be fastcasual, with food from local farms with “globally inspired cuisine.”
The Southern Grounds owner envisions a 1930s-style “prohibition kitchen” serving cocktails in the bar space. The Downtown Development Review Board approved the final design 6-0 at its Oct. 8 meeting. Plans presented by developer Joseph Loretta and Cronk Duch show a threelevel retail space and 2,593 square feet of outdoor dining and gathering space. Architect Joe Cronk told the board “the DNA” of Hub Brooklyn is to “blur the lines” between the public pedestrian right-of-way and “internal street” feel of SEE SOUTHERN GROUNDS, PAGE 2
Chef Kenny Gilbert is embarking on a new fast-casual restaurant concept in his own Springfield neighborhood. While he is waiting for approvals from the state for the restaurant, Gilbert said he won’t disclose the restaurant’s name and menu. He did say Oct. 7 that “it’s going to offer things that are missing in Springfield.” “For sure it’s going to be counter service, slightly elevated from what normal counter service would be,” he Gilbert said. “It’s going to be a fun concept that I think a lot of people are going to enjoy.” He and his wife, Anna Gilbert, registered the name Kenny’s Chicken and Biscuits LLC with the Florida Division of Corporations on Aug. 31. The address listed is at 1602 Walnut St. Gilbert said dishes would range from $6 to $18. He said the idea for the restaurant evolved from serving food out of his house and to health care workers during the pandemic. When he saw that the former Bleu Chocolat Cafe space on Walnut Street was available, his wife suggested they open a restaurant there. He hopes to have the restaurant open in the next several weeks, before the holiday season. SEE GILBERT, PAGE 2
Terry Foundation donates to MOSH 2.0 The C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry Foundation contribution to the Museum of Science & History’s 2.0 capital campaign will be recognized with naming rights. The museum will gain the C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry Education Center. “We are not at liberty to disclose the amount of the contribution,” said museum spokeswoman Natalie DeYoung. Bruce Fafard, interim CEO of MOSH, said the center will be one of the most active areas within the museum. “It will serve as a place of enrichment where guests of all ages can be curious, explore and learn,” he said.
VOLUME 107, NO. 231 • ONE SECTION