2016 Local Food Hero: The Floridian

OWNERS Genie and Jeff McNally
CATEGORY Full Service Restaurant

STARTUP STORY Genie and a former partner started a prepared foods/catering business in 2008, featuring fresh, healthy soups and sandwiches. In 2010, after years of working in restaurants, Genie and Jeff got the wild idea to partner up and open up a full-service restaurant. The goal was to establish a casual, innovative Southern restaurant, focusing on high quality, local and sustainable ingredients.

WHY LOCAL? “We approach sustainability and food from a couple of different directions, but arrive at the same conclusions. Food is important. Where it comes from, how it is produced equally so. If we lose touch with where our food comes, we lose touch with myriad significant cultural, environmental and social institutions. To continue to make sure that real, good, fresh and fair food continues to be available is therefore a cultural (in the deepest, anthropological sense of the word) imperative.”

RUNNER-UP Moxie Kitchen + Cocktails
HONORABLE MENTIONS Matthew’s, Purple Olive, Taverna, Orsay, Michael’s Tasting Room

For more Information about The Floridian visit their website at http://www.thefloridianstaug.com