Gluten-free café opens in Lutz

A unique, gluten-free café has sprung up in Lutz.

Café Liberty & Bistro, 17695 N. Dale Mabry Highway, opened its doors in April, replacing Hattie’s Café and Beanery.

Owned by James and Marni Frank, the breakfast and lunch dine-in restaurant features an all-natural menu, where more than 75 percent of offerings can be prepared gluten-free.

The menu, and ingredients used, are a far cry from that of a typical breakfast and lunch spot.

Breads and produce are sourced locally, and coffee is roasted daily, in-house. Moreover, the café uses cage-free eggs and non-GMO, organic sunflower oil.

“We saw the need (for gluten-free) in the market that we were in,” Marni Frank said. “I travel in a circle with people that have a lot of allergies and autoimmune diseases, and I think it’s a healthier way of living.

“Even our kid’s menu is the same way — we use the same all-natural chicken, the same gluten-free flour, the same oil,” she said.

Café Liberty — who’s moniker and logo comes from the Statue of Liberty in New York City — is open Monday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Beginning Aug. 25, it will also be open for dinner on Wednesdays through Saturdays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

In addition to the restaurant’s full breakfast and lunch offerings, additional items like Crab Cake Benedict, will be available for the evening crowd.

“Instead of changing up the whole menu, we’ll add in like two or three specials,” Frank said, noting salmon, steak and pasta dishes will likely be offered throughout the week.

Though the restaurant has only been open for about four months, the menu has already been altered three times: “You learn what works and what doesn’t work,” Frank said.

In addition to standard breakfast and lunch fare, Café Liberty’s menu features several distinct waffle options, including a so-called “Baffle,” where bacon is added into the waffle batter; various waffle sandwiches, including ham and swiss, and turkey and cheddar.

There’s also a “Fry Bar,” where restaurant-goers can choose from a variety of waffle fry options: truffle parmesan garlic, Triple B (bacon, blue cheese and balsamic glaze), sweet potato and Cajun.

“We’re trying to be a little different, with a flair,” Frank said.

From 1992 to 2001, the Franks operated a New York City-based office coffee service, called “Café Liberty Coffee.” After 9/11, they sold the business and relocated to Tampa, starting a similar office coffee service, which they sold in October 2015.

“The city had changed,” Frank said about leaving New York City. “You had armed guards at every bridge; we lived 35 miles away from the city, and it took two hours each way to get to work, minimum.”

From New York to Florida, Café Liberty’s owners have always placed an emphasis on philanthropy, Frank said.

Prior to selling their Florida-based office coffee service business, which spanned 10 counties, they were finalists for the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Corporate Philanthropy Award.

They currently participate in several fundraisers and charities, such as The Arthritis Foundation, the American Breast Cancer Strides Against Cancer walk, and Metropolitan Ministries’ food and toy drives.

“I feel like being part of the community…is what it’s really about,” Frank said. “Why be in a community and not part of a community?”

“We enjoy talking to people, meeting people and being a part of people’s lives,” she added.

As another gesture of “giving back,” military veterans and first responders receive 10 percent discounts at the café.

“Really, our (focus) is family and community,” she said. “And because of that, it also dictates the products we’re providing.”

Café Liberty is approximately 3,000 square feet. It has 18 employees, including the Franks’ two daughters, Sabrina, 15, and Jessica, 19.

Breakfast and lunch menu items:
Breakfast sandwiches; twisted Benedicts and biscuits; various waffles; skillets, eggs and omelets; burgers and sandwiches; waffle fry bar; and, soups and salads.
Barista bar: in-house coffee blends roasted daily; espresso, cappuccinos, frappuccinos and lattes; blended smoothies, sorbets and milkshakes; bakery items including danishes, muffins and cookies

Published August 17, 2016