French-inspired Cafe Clementine to open inside Museum of Fine Arts in downtown St. Pete
/Café Clementine will be located inside the museum of fine arts at 255 Beach Drive in downtown St. Pete
For many St. Pete residents, Le Clementine Bakeshop’s pastries are a welcome treat. After serving the downtown scene for well over a year at the Saturday Morning Market and Pete’s General, owners Paulina and Vince Gervasi are excited to announce a new cafe nestled inside the Museum of Fine Arts at 255 Beach Drive in downtown St. Pete.
Opening April 30th, Café Clementine is an artisanal bakery and casual eatery that will serve a variety of fresh handcrafted pastries, all-day brunch items, salads, and soups. The menu will change with the seasons, so something deliciously new is around the corner all year long. And with organic, locally sourced ingredients from all over Tampa Bay, guests will know what’s on their plate is fresh–and thoughtfully selected.
Owners of Cafe Clementine Paulina and Vince Gervasi
The Spring menu will feature a Salted Honey Croissant, Citrus Morning Bun, and a Spring Zucchini Galette, which is served on a butter pie crust with ricotta, mozzarella, tender herbs, and candied lemon.
Also made from scratch is the cafe’s all-day brunch menu with items like Turkish Eggs with garlic-dill Greek yogurt, two pasture-raised poached eggs, chili oil crisp, and fresh toast.
Salad lovers can enjoy Beets & Citrus, a blend of marinated beets, orange, goat cheese, golden raisins, parsley walnut pesto, and microgreens.
Spring Zucchini Galette
ricotta + mozzarella + tender herbs + candied lemon + all butter pie crust
Before taking a seat inside the Museum of Fine Arts’ eye-catching conservatory or on the terrace overlooking Tampa Bay’s North Yacht Basin, don’t forget to grab a cup of coffee, matcha, or house-made ginger lemon tonic.
“We aim to create a warm and inviting space for our ever-supportive community to gather and where we, alongside our team, explore artistic expression through food,” explains Paulina on Café Clementine’s new website.
Though there’s plenty of space, indoor and outdoor seating for 60 people, the cafe is first-come, first-serve, and won’t be taking reservations. However, if you want to enjoy a beautiful day soaking up the St. Pete sunshine, Café Clementine will gladly package your order to-go to enjoy picnic-style in the many parks surrounding the MFA.
While you don’t need to buy a ticket to the museum to enjoy Café Clementine, MFA members will get private access on April 28th and 29th, as well as a 15% discount to the café.
Cafe Clementine was designed by St. Pete-based Dame Design House.
When it comes to carefully sourcing ingredients, Café Clementine is in a league of their own. “It’s one of the biggest differentiators between us and other bakeries,” Paulina Gervasi explains.
Their bacon and ham come from the Boozy Pig, a butcher from Tampa that only uses meat from humanely raised animals. Buddy Brew will supply beans for drip coffee, while the greens will be sourced from another local business, Brick Street Farms.
Beets & Citrus
marinated beets + orange + goat cheese + golden raisins + parsley-walnut pesto + micro greens
The Gervasi’s are known for their Viennoiserie treats–in other words, flaky, flavorful food. While Viennoiserie is a traditional French craft, often associated with croissants and brioche bread, the two aren’t afraid to create their own style.
“We are very playful,” said Paulina Gervasi. “We make it a truly exquisite experience.”
Paulina’s inspiration to make food for others comes from her mother. “I grew up with breakfast being very important,” said Paulina. “My mom worked full time (and still does) and still always put great effort in making breakfast for my brother and I every morning.”
Although Paulina always had a love for baking, being in the food industry wasn’t her original plan.
“In my culture, you’re expected to be a doctor, a lawyer, or an accountant,” said Paulina, who comes from a Puerto Rican family. “Everything else is a hobby.”
That’s how she found herself applying to graduate programs in Physician Assistant studies after graduating from the University of Florida with a degree in Health Science. However, she soon realized she wasn’t pursuing her true passion, and switched gears to follow her dream.
“I always told myself that when I retired, I’d open a bakery,” Paulina said. “After being unhappy in the health industry, I realized that life is way too short to wait until you’re retired to do what you love.”
Fresh Citrus Morning Buns
The couple found new beginnings in Portland, Oregon where they discovered their passion for finely crafted food.
“The food scene in Portland was such an eye-opener. The city has so many different cuisines,” Paulina said. “Restaurants like Andina and Bible Club put so much thought and intention into their dishes. I felt so inspired.”
After living in Portland for a while, St. Petersburg came calling again. The couple made the move back home in early 2020. Paulina started apprenticing under Jenn Smurr at the acclaimed Born & Bread Bakehouse in Lakeland, honing her technique.
After months of hands-on culinary training, Paulina decided to launch her very own micro-bakery, Le Clementine Bakeshop. She tested the waters by selling croissants at local pop-up events–which soon transitioned into being a regular vendor at the famed Saturday Morning Market.
Salted Honey Croissant
It was then that they knew St. Petersburg was their true home–and the perfect place to lay down roots.
Next came a partnership with St. Pete’s favorite bagel shop, Pete’s General. It was quite a change from selling only once a week at the market to every day in the Grand Central District. But the two felt they “really cultivated a neighborhood bakery” after making the move.
Now, life has led Paulina and Vince to the Museum of Fine Arts located on the downtown St. Pete waterfront.
“One of the MFA staff members brought us to the Director’s attention and the rest is history,” the Gervasi’s said. “Kristen, the CEO and Director of the MFA, was really excited about the concept and we worked with the whole MFA team to make it happen.”
And so, Paulina and Vince’s baking journey continues. What initially started as a fun hobby for Paulina has now placed her at the center of one of downtown St. Pete’s most prestigious museums.
Paulina Gervasi of Le Clementine Bakeshop at the Saturday Morning Market in Downtown St. Pete
"Baking is a labor of love that brings so much happiness to those you share it with,” says Paulina. “I feel this has always been my purpose, to bring joy and comfort in some form, to those around me.”
The café will operate from 9 AM to 3 PM Thursday through Sunday starting April 30th. In the meantime, catch their latest delicacies–right from the oven–on their Instagram, @leclementinebakeshop.
