Over the past few months, at the corner of 16th Street and Central Avenue, where the EDGE District meets the Grand Central District, three apartment buildings have completed construction and commenced lease-up on a total of 700 new apartments. A Tru by Hilton hotel has also just opened their doors across the street.

This pocket of new developments is the foundation of what will soon become a thriving community that will undoubtedly bring in a wave of coffee shops, cafes, boutiques, and services to the area. 

Local restauranteurs, Chef Marlin Kaplan and his partner Lisa Masterson, are hoping to capitalize on the influx of residents when they open up Gracie Pasta and Provisions in a few days at 1431 Central Avenue, previously home to ARTicles which will still operate out of a storefront three doors down. This will be the second location of Gracie, with the original outpost located on Pass-a-Grille adjacent to Grace, the couple’s upscale casual eatery which opened in 2017.

Kaplan and Masterson possess over 30 years of restaurant industry experience, and have owned many restaurants ranging from casual eateries to fine dining establishments. The duo cannot wait to break into the downtown St. Pete food scene.

“Gracie will be tailored to the neighborhood,” says Masterson. “We are here to serve the community’s needs. If they want it and we can get it, we’ll do it.”

Gracie Pasta and Provisions will be a 720 square foot Italian market offering fresh homemade pastas, sauces, soups, sandwiches, charcuterie, in addition to pantry items, t-shirts, and sweets.

Soon you’ll be able to stop in for lunch to grab one of Gracie’s sandwiches. The Tramezzino, a small triple-decker sandwich with layers of egg, tuna, and more egg, will always be available. We’ve also heard great things about the Friday special, a lobster roll served on a freshly baked baguette.

Other sandwich offerings, available as rotating weekly specials include, among many others, an Italian BLT with lemon aioli, and the Pass-A-Grille Chicken Salad Sandwich with walnuts, craisins, Sicilian pesto, herb mayo and romaine.

Rather cook at home? Fresh pasta and homemade sauces are made each morning by Chef Giuseppe De Lorenzo, who recently moved to St. Pete from Italy. Available pasta varieties typically include linguine, fettuccine, gluten-free fettuccine, pappardelle, short rib ravioli, cheese ravioli, crab and shrimp mezzaluna, Sardinian gnocchi (vegan), and the most intriguing offering, a bright red heart-shaped ravioli made with beets appropriately named Beeting Heart Ravioli.

Gracie will also provide a variety of prepared foods, such as chicken salad, lobster salad, cucumber salad, pasta and shrimp salad, edamame, quinoa, and lasagna.

And we all know you can’t have a proper Italian meal without wine. But don’t worry, Gracie has you covered. While wine may not be available initially, it’ll be coming soon along with wine accoutrements like wine stoppers, corks, and markers.

For dessert, sink your teeth into fresh-made cannolis, panna cotta, and macarons. A wide variety of macaron flavors will be available, such as chocolate, vanilla, PBJ, salted caramel, pistachio, strawberry, blueberry, lychee and Thai iced tea.

Lastly, Gracie will also stock a huge selection of pantry items, such as Taste Elevated Candied Oranges with Rosemary, Caputo 00 Flour from Naples, Italy, Strawberry Rhubarb Jam from Bonnie’s Jams, jarred and raw honeycomb from the Savannah Bee Company, and Compartes Chocolates.

Gracie Pasta and Provisions will be opening just after Labor Day at 1431 Central Avenue in the EDGE District. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram to stay up-to-date on the latest food specials and grand opening plans.