We have been following the growth of Steam and Chill since the very beginning, in late 2010 when I met Ruthie Buxbaum. Steam opened on a shoestring budget where several others had failed. In 4 ½ short years it had grown and popular 7-day-a-week, 3-meal-a-day, 150-seat, full-service restaurant, espresso & liquor bar and live music venue.
And, they did it in a retail space – with no kitchen. Part of the enchanting small business story of Steam & Chill was the unlikely success of a restaurant in a facility not intended for food service. “It’s hard to tell which was the greatest challenge in our old space…they were so numerous,” said Ruthie. “Clearly the lack of a kitchen made it nearly impossible to operate a restaurant, but we had to make do with what we had.” Each year brought more and more guests and the growth brought so many new challenges – yet no matter how many times Ruthie upgraded the space, there was never a real solution to the “unkitchen” problem.
Ruthie was a bit of a trailblazer with the introduction of casual upscale dining in a market that had been largely known for fried fish & chips. Chill launched as an upscale tapas/small plate eatery, which was the first lasting restaurant start-up in St. Pete Beach in over 5 years. It was truly family owned and operated, with Ruthie, sometimes Paul and often up to 5 of their 6 off-spring working at any given time. Chill brought a healthier way of cooking whole foods into full view, and taught us all about spaghetti squash, Brussels sprouts, zucchini noodles and even rutabaga fries. Ruthie indulged us with Bananas Foster French toast & muffins and bread puddings too…they even made a go at a bakery for a year. With all the hurdles the Buxbaum family has overcome, it truly warms our hearts to introduce you to the new home of Chill.
When Madeleina’s Cottage announced they were vacating the space several months ago, a few of the Corey Avenue business owners and myself were musing about how wonderful it would be to have Chill take the space. We felt it would be good for Chill and good for the downtown area to add another successful independent restaurant to the mix. We encouraged Ruthie to look at the opportunity, the kitchen and infrastructure was significant and only a block away. They were at the end of their lease and the timing was perfect. After an amazing 6 weeks, the new space had been “Ruthie-ized” – creative, upscale, elegant, a touch eclectic, warm, inviting and of course, always delicious. The surrounding neighborhood is the perfect backdrop for Chill.
The inviting exterior, new signage, landscaping… the physical approach to the new Chill is impressive. My first impression was, WOW! The transformation was rather shocking. I could hardly believe it had been the old Madeleina Cottage. Somehow, Ruthie brought the “chill vibe” we’d all come to love into the heart of Corey Avenue. Ruthie and husband Paul made a permanent and significant investment into the renovations and outfitted an impressive kitchen. They have committed up to 20 years to be an anchor to a growing Corey Avenue shopping district. Wells Fargo has agreed to allow restaurant parking in their lot after 6 pm, a tremendous gesture of support from the property owner.
Still serving breakfast, lunch & dinner daily, the coffee bar is intact. For simplicity sake, they dropped the “Steam and” part of their name and are now just “Chill.” The sofas and lounge seating is comfortable and the bar is gorgeous.
Carl’s Piano Bar found a home at Chill several months ago plays 7 pm til closing Friday & Saturday nights. They have a beautiful private dining room, easily seating 50. The indoor /outdoor Al Fresco seating is spectacular and available for smaller parties up to about 40. It is also pet friendly. Ruthie’s new labradoodle puppy, Rocky, is a regular at Chill and even has a burger named after him.
Chill just hired Chef Keith Richardson, formerly of Cafe’ Luna and Fetishes. After Cafe Luna closed, owner Allen Butler strongly recommended him. Ruthie and Chef Keith are creating a a “best of Chill” menu. They sorted through a dozen old menus and have assembled the favorites from each era. Look for a return to a “small plate style” dinner menu.
They are also preparing a very affordable Early Bird & Happy Hour menu from 3-6 and a hospitality industry special on Tuesdays. She also told me that she will be offering a “relocation discount” to breakfast patrons… through the month of October. She is offering 20% discount off the entire check for breakfast from 8-11 am, including weekends. She was working on a full-service catering menu when I last saw her… the woman’s energy is endless.
We are thrilled for St. Pete Beach to have Chill in the heart of downtown. Join us in celebrating Ruthie & Paul’s new dream-come-true restaurant by visiting the new location at 357 Corey Avenue, east of Blind Pass Rd. St. Pete Beach, FL 33706
Reservations 727-360-Chill (2445) | www.chillstpetebeach.com
Article by Peter Roos