Karma Kitchen and Bakery is set to take over the historic Craftsman House in St. Petersburg, which announced its closure later in 2025.
Josie Barber and Ashley Stover are partners in the restaurant venture. Barber also owns and runs Karma Juice Bar & Eatery, with locations in St. Petersburg and Clearwater, and Stover is a tenured employee of Karma.
This is a new concept under the Karma banner, where guests can expect to find a vegan and gluten-free bakery, mocktails, cocktails, Filipino-inspired small bites and more. Karma Kitchen plans to open this summer.
Barber plans to incorporate her fresh juices into the mocktail-heavy and cocktail program along with Asian ingredients like ube and lychee, she said by phone Tuesday. April Lupkey, Barber’s daughter, will be providing the coffee through her company Lucky Cup.
Karma Kitchen will incorporate some of the favorites from the juice bar like smoothies, acai bowls and salads, but it will be a more pared-down menu overall. For the Filipino starters, Barber said to expect things like lumpia, adobo meatballs and grilled skewers. Dinner will be a small rotating menu of Asian-Mediterranean fusion like oxtail ragout over spaghetti with vegan and gluten-free options. All dessert will be done in-house, with gluten-free and vegan options.
The property at 2955 Central Ave. will be refurbished inside and out under the guidance of Barber’s business partner Bob Roberts, a St. Petersburg restoration specialist, she said. A kitchen will be built outside of the house and the freestanding carriage house on the property will be refashioned as the gluten-free bakery, Barber said. A space upstairs that functions as an Airbnb is even getting a remake to match the restaurant’s decor.
Barber wants to take a step back from day-to-day operations after almost 12 years of running her juice bars, she said. Stover’s going to run the spot, with the goal of eventually owning her own Karma someday.