A successful Lakeland chef and restaurateur is launching a second location in Auburndale, getting back to their roots and hoping to anchor a new wave of small, independent businesses.
Tina and Tim Calhoon, owners of Frescos Southern Kitchen & Bar in Downtown Lakeland, are preparing to open The Abigaile in Auburndale in August. The couple have taken over the space formerly occupied by Crave & Copper at 117 E Lake Ave. to transform the microbrewery into a modern American restaurant.
“The Abigaile for us is getting back to what we started out as,” Tina Calhoon said. “Being that place for everybody to get a little bit of everything.”
The dark wood microbrewery has been transformed over the past two years, with large pipes and brewing equipment ripped out. The walls are now light and covered in bright citrus-themed murals.
With a soft launch of a lunch menu rolling out Aug. 17 to 21, Tim Calhoon said diners should expect to see a smaller, more eclectic menu that will frequently change based on what his wife feels like dishing up. Lunch will be served Mondays through Fridays, 10:45 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“It’s modern American, not necessarily Southern American. That’s a big distinction,” he said. ” You have a chef who can cook any cuisine. If she wants to throw in a Peruvian dish, she can do it, or an Ethiopian dish, we can do that.”
Tina Calhoon said the descriptive tagline of “modern American” simply didn’t exist when she opened Frescos about 17 years ago.
“It gives us the opportunity to be as creative as we want and still have an identity on social media,” she said.
The Abigaile has a smaller footprint than its predecessor, Tim said, and will have approximately 70 to 80 seats indoors with an additional 70 to 80 outside.
“We will treat it like we do in Downtown Lakeland, as we realized the value of outdoor seating,” he said.
A black bandstand sits at one end of the outdoor seating, where Tim Calhoon said the couple plan to offer live music on Friday and Saturday nights and Saturday and Sunday brunches. It’s reviving an old tradition that vanished from Fresco’s during the COVID pandemic.
“Our feeling is that people want live music,” he said. “There’s definitely not many restaurants out there right now offering live music. People rom Lakeland will drive over here.”
Frescos fans should be aware of a few major differences. The Abigaile will not allow pets in its outside dining — no matter how much Tina and Tim say they love them — because of the astroturf.
The restaurant will offer full bar service, Tim said, including a bar outdoors for guests. However, brunch will not feature the bottomless mimosas that Frescos has become known for because of a smaller overall footprint.
The rollout of the dinner menu will begin the week of Aug. 24 with a dinner service offered on Fridays and Saturdays from 3 to 11 p.m. The last week of August will be marked by the rollout of a brunch menu served Saturdays and Sundays from 10:45 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“My goal coming into Auburndale is to be that foundation, like we were in Lakeland, of that small independent restaurant to give others an opportunity to understand Auburndale will support you,” Tina said. “We need to go in open armed and welcome everybody and every genre to start with.”
Tina said she’s open to adapting and pivoting the restaurant to suit guest demands over the first six months based on feedback.
“We are really guest focused, they will dictate what they want and we will pivot over the next six months to make sure we are the restaurant Auburndale needs.” she said.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Popular Lakeland restaurateurs expand, open new concept in Auburndale
Reporting by Sara-Megan Walsh, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Sara-Megan Walsh, Lakeland Ledger | USA TODAY Network
