Grenville Kitchen, a vegan café and gluten-free bakery, is coming to Downtown Jacksonville as soon as the first week of July.
Owner Jenielle Frith said the fast-casual concept at 311 W. Ashley St. will have about 10 items that will change every three months. The restaurant also will sell prepared to-go meals.
Frith is partnering with St. Augustine vegan, gluten-free bakery iRie Couture Bakery. The bakery wanted to branch out into serving food, so Frith and a partner decided to open Grenville Kitchen to do that.
Frith said the restaurant is well-positioned near the Duval County Courthouse for steady foot traffic.
“It’s geared toward people who aren’t necessarily able to find (vegan and gluten-free options) in a fast-food setting,” Frith said. “A lot of restaurants offer vegetarian options, but they don’t offer options that are fully vegan.”
The name for the restaurant came from Frith's grandfather's last name, Grenville. She called it a kitchen because she wanted to include both the baking and cooking aspects of the business into one name.
Frith attended the Le Cordon Bleu culinary school and has been in the restaurant industry for 11 years. She wants to hire experienced chefs as well, to ensure the food served is the highest quality possible, she said.
“We’re not just preparing food as like a mom-and-pop operation,” Frith said. “We want it to be tasty. We want the flavor to be in there.”
Frith’s goal is to be open by the first week of July, but said there wouldn’t be an exact date until inspections are complete.
