As the Future of Cities’ Phoenix Arts & Innovation District continues the rejuvenation of its North Springfield properties, the first restaurant tenant is preparing to build-out in the Liberty Building.
The city is reviewing a permit application for Skyline Construction Inc. of Jacksonville to renovate space for Naked Kitchen, a restaurant with plant-based, organic and protein options and the motto “Cooking with Conscience.”
Doherty Sommers Architects Engineers Inc. of Jacksonville Beach is the architect.
Chef and partner Brian Nelson said Jan. 22 that he expects a soft opening of Naked Kitchen the first week of May before he schedules a grand opening. Its website is nakedkitchenjax.com.
Naked Kitchen is the first tenant to sign in the PHX JAX Liberty Building, which is next to The Emerald Station structure that ceremonially opened Oct. 30.
Emerald Station is a renovated 17,000-square-foot warehouse that features offices, a 10,000-square-foot event space, a kitchen, conference rooms and more.
They are two of several buildings being revitalized in the more than 8-acre Phoenix Arts & Innovation District north of Historic Springfield and east of Main Street.
Plans for the full district include 10 properties, with conversions of four warehouses and green spaces into office space, artist studios, galleries, retail establishments and restaurants. Affordable housing also will be included.
Tony Cho, founding managing partner of PHX JAX and CEO of Miami-based Future of Cities, bought and is developing the properties.
He had a lead role in similar developments that began with adaptive reuse at Miami’s Wynwood Art District, Magic City Innovation District and Little Haiti.
The PHX JAX site is bordered mostly by Main, 15th and Liberty streets and an east-west rail line.
Naked Kitchen plans
The permit for Naked Kitchen shows that Skyline will build-out the 2,750-square-foot restaurant in the 17,533-square-foot Liberty Building at 2336 N. Liberty St. at an estimated project cost of $398,000.
A site plan indicates a tenant area of about 2,500 square feet with 75 indoor seats.
The restaurant ownership group comprises spouses Brian Nelson and Alexandra Bowles, managing partner, and their business partner, chef Matt Johnson.
Nelson said Naked Kitchen will lease about 2,700 square feet of space with a patio for outdoor dining in an area shared between buildings.
He said previously he anticipated a $400,000 to $500,000 investment to complete the project.
Nelson said Naked Kitchen will seat at least 80 and possibly 100. He anticipates 20 to 30 staff members to start.
Nelson said the restaurant will start with breakfast and lunch, with dinner added as the rest of the building is ready for use. It will serve beer and wine.
He envisions starting with operating hours of 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closing at 9 p.m. when dinner is added.
With the area a food desert, Nelson said the team wants to serve what the neighbors want, such as complete breakfasts and lunches and grab-and-go items if there is a need.
Offerings will include sandwiches, salads and ancient grain and protein bowls, for example.
Nelson, Bowles and their three children live in Springfield.
“We want to be there for Springfield and have a wonderful place to take your family and have a wholesome weeknight dinner and create a date night atmosphere on the weekend,” he said.
Its five-year lease, with options to extend, is with the Future of Cities, which owns the district.
Naked Kitchen’s broker was Cantrell & Morgan sales associate Kayla Deguzman. Future of Cities works with Colliers Senior Vice President Matthew Clark and associates Sam Middlekauff and Olivia Steinemann.
Nelson initially anticipated a 2024 summer-fall opening, but the almost century-old building needed more work.
“With it being a 100-year-old building we ran into some structural issues with reinforcing the roof, etc.,” Nelson said by email.
“With preserving as much as possible it takes longer than expected vs a new build. We fortunately have overcome these hurdles and are moving forward at a steady pace to meet our projected goals.”
The food
Naked Kitchen now offers catering and operates pop-ups at area and Springfield events.
The catering menu includes vegetables, tacos, salads, pasta, sandwiches, mussels, desserts, braised short rib, duck ragu and lemongrass roasted chicken.
In a November 2023 interview, Nelson said he doesn’t want to label the restaurant’s cuisine because Naked Kitchen will serve diverse foods from vegan eggs and plant-based proteins to house-cured pastrami sandwiches and kimchi grilled cheeses.
Primary to the concept are healthy ingredients and preparation, such as air-frying.
“It’s still good food and makes you feel good,” Nelson said. “Food is medicine.”
Nelson, who has been a chef with several area restaurant groups, said he likes to try new concepts.
“One thing we are really trying to achieve is not using any processed ingredients,” he said.
“Our goal is to reimagine the purpose and structure of a restaurant, establishing a blueprint for better food and sustainable practices in our community. By doing so, we hope to empower community members—especially children—to lead longer, more connected, and community-oriented lives,” Nelson said by email Jan. 22.
“Our approach is simple yet ambitious: keep all food within the system and utilize 100% of everything that enters Naked Kitchen. This means recycling unused parts of ingredients, like chicken bones and onion peels, down to uneaten table scraps using food mills and composters,” Nelson said.
“The resulting compost will be used in local farms, and we’ll work on developing sustainable chicken feed in collaboration with our local chicken farms. In fact, we’re already piloting some of these practices at home with our own chickens and garden.”
Nelson said sustainability is a cornerstone of his mission.
“We’re committed to purchasing used and repurposed materials whenever possible, from vintage plates and smallwares to used kitchen equipment. Even our cups will be crafted from recycled wine bottles. The possibilities are endless, and we’re inspired by other community members who are leading similar efforts.”
Locally grown ingredients
Nelson said the menu will be inclusive, showcasing locally grown vegetables and encouraging adventurous eating, including for the children’s menu.
Nelson said the group plans to incorporate fermentation techniques into every part of the menu.
It plans to ferment on-site and partner with local artisans like Olive My Pickle.
“A great example is our kimchi grilled cheese, which has become the poster child of our pop-up. It’s an East-meets-West harmony of flavors, highlighting some of the best kimchi we’ve ever had from the Olive My Pickle team,” he said.
“Everything we make will be crafted by hand, from daily fresh bread to hand-cut pasta made with local eggs, to making our vinaigrettes out of kombucha while eliminating the use of ultra-processed foods,” he said.
When the group cannot make the ingredients, it will source them from area providers like Bee Pollen or Frog Song farms, Harmony Mushroom Co., Clover Farms, and its broad line food provider, Jacksonville-based Sea Breeze Food Service.
Blueberries will come from The Blueberry Ranch, and espresso from Longroad Coffee Co., all based in Northeast Florida.
“This ensures that every dollar spent at Naked Kitchen stays in Jacksonville, strengthening our community through good food,” Nelson said.
“We know these goals are ambitious, and the road ahead won’t be easy,” he said.
“With the support of Tony, the Phoenix Arts and Innovation District, and our community, we have the resources and determination to make a meaningful impact. After all, ‘Good Food Makes Good Neighbors,’” he said.