{"id":417739,"date":"2026-10-03T13:34:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T13:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/417739\/"},"modified":"2026-10-03T13:34:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T13:34:10","slug":"carupano-kitchen-opening-first-brick-and-mortar-restaurant-in-st-pete","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/417739\/","title":{"rendered":"Car\u00fapano Kitchen Opening First Brick-and-Mortar Restaurant in St. Pete"},"content":{"rendered":"

Born about a year ago at Foodie Labs, the commercial kitchen and restaurant incubator, Car\u00fapano Kitchen is a Venezuelan restaurant \u201cborn out of family, heritage, and a love for sharing food<\/a>.\u201d Building on its success at Foodie Labs, the restaurant is now preparing to launch its first brick-and-mortar restaurant. It\u2019s set to open in November at 1040 Fourth St. N., \u201cin a 1,070-square-foot space previously occupied by a catering kitchen and Urban Canning Company before that,\u201d says coverage by St. Pete Rising.<\/p>\n

The new space will be largely devoted to the restaurant\u2019s kitchen, owner Andrea Osorio told What Now on Friday. It will be a counter-service restaurant with limited seating, designed to serve lots of guests on the go.<\/p>\n

Do you see the menu expanding with the new space? What Now asked Osorio.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are going to expand our menu a bit,\u201d Osorio said. \u201cBut we are firm believers that, sometimes, the bigger the menu, the more mediocre the food. It\u2019s really hard to do everything well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Named in honor of Osorio\u2019s hometown (Osorio founded the restaurant with her mother, Diann Cede\u00f1o, and wife, Lauren Haley, St. Pete Rising adds), Car\u00fapano will maintain its focus on the arepa. Where expansion can be expected is in breakfast and lunch.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe vibe is going to be Car\u00fapano, Venezuela, an elevated version of that,\u201d Osorio says. \u201cWe want a design that feels like home, that feels like us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Osorio says Car\u00fapano Kitchen was born out of a desire to share her family\u2019s Venezuelan culinary heritage with St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n

\u201cSt. Pete is homey, and very unique. We\u2019ve seen all the growth that has happened in the last few years, and we wanted to be part of that growth. We want to be one of those scrappy, small women-owned businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n

As growth in St. Pete continues, Osorio adds that support for small businesses\u2014both among consumers and business owners\u2014is crucial for keeping the city\u2019s culture alive and thriving.<\/p>\n

\u201cSupport small businesses, Hispanic-owned businesses, women-owned businesses,\u201d Osorio says. \u201cIt\u2019s our job to keep St. Pete local. We want to be a small business that makes a big impact in this beautiful town.\u201d<\/p>\n

You can keep up with all things Car\u00fapano Kitchen by following @carupanokitchen<\/a> on Instagram.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/a>Photo: Official (Image Credit: https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/carupanokitchen\/)
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