With locations at 200 Central Ave and 6653 Central Ave in St. Pete, Craft Kafe is a local brand “dedicated to creating the ultimate bakery experience without the use of gluten.” It’s preparing to bring that ultimate bakery experience to a new location, to be located at 4725 34th St S in St. Petersburg, that will also include 4,000 square feet of production space.
“We’ve been building that out for the last five years,” owner Teddy Skiadiotis told What Now on Thursday. “We’ll be doing our production there, and then the cafes can just bake everything.”
This new approach came out of an experience at Craft Kafe’s now-shuttered Tampa location, where understandings with a landlord about kitchen space were disrupted by the sale of the building, leading to an unsustainable production situation. “Every day, I was driving everything from St. Pete to Tampa.”
Other difficulties have followed in recent years. What Now reported at the end of 2024 on the planned launch of Chef Ted Dorsey’s Sunshine City Tavern, in partnership with Skiadiotis. Shortly after opening, Chef Dorsey fell ill and passed away tragically at the age of 43.
“Teddy and I have always wanted to do something together, and when I needed the right partner, it was a no-brainer,” Dorsey told What Now in December 2024. Sunshine City Tavern closed at the beginning of August 2025.
After an undeniably difficult year, Craft Kafe is now prepared to bounce back with the opening of its third St. Pete location, one that will provide more control over the production processes for all the Kafe’s locations.
Like the downtown location, Skiadiotis says the new Craft Kafe (referred to in recently submitted paperwork as Craft Kommissary) will also feature a big communal table, along with inside and outside seating.
There, you’ll be able to enjoy the same great menu of salads, baked goods, build-your-own omelettes, and Kafe sandwiches like The Craft (eggs, chicken sausage, avocado cream, pepper jack) and Ed’s Vegan Burger (organic quinoa, mushroom medley, black bean blend with spinach, tomato jam, red onion).
“We believe in using fresh and clean ingredients. We source quality foods, and stone milling our flour ensures that we give our customers the highest quality product,” says the Craft Kafe website. “We approach our coffee and teas with the same dedication as our bakery. Our baristas are devoted to brewing the best coffees possible. It is our mission to create an exciting and memorable cafe experience.”
Skiadiotis says the new Craft Kafe and Craft Kommissary are expected to open in September.
You can keep up with all things Craft Kafe by following @craftkafe on Instagram.
