In fact, the only aisles of shelves are in the store’s Food & Thought organic section on the left side of the store. “We are like 74,000 square feet now with the upstairs mezzanine,” Oakes said.īoth conventional and organic produce will be sold, but don’t expect many aisles of boxed or canned goods. Nearly half of the employees will be working behind the scenes and in one of the largest kitchens in Collier County.Įmployees will be hand-stretching mozzarella, churning butter, chopping fresh salad ingredients, supervising a children’s play area and servicing more than 100 tables throughout the store.Īlthough the store is only slightly larger than Albertsons’ footprint, the addition of a mezzanine with a sports bar, restaurant space and administrative offices significantly increased the market’s square footage. Although Oakes said he was initially most worried about being able to fill a wide range of specialized spots he needs, he is relieved that four days of job fairs last month did the trick. Thieffine is just one of 500 employees Oakes hired to operate the market. His team will create all bread and bakery items in the store as well as fresh ice cream. Last week, Thieffine was testing a batch of super chocolate cookies that are certain to be a hit.
Those top-tier items will include many sweet creations by Executive Pastry Chef Sébastien Thieffine, who wowed folks for more than a decade in that same position at The Ritz-Carlton resorts in Naples. We’re still going to have a lot of the same items we have at Oakes but we also are going to have some higher-end stuff.” “I’m very proud of the bakery that we have at the Oakes Farms store (on Davis Boulevard in East Naples) but what we are doing here is still taking it a little bit to another level in some areas. “I feel like I’m stepping out of my comfort zone in a lot of levels here because it’s such a culinary experience that’s like above what we were doing,” Oakes said. The new store will be sort of like a farm market meets a food court meets a supermarket meets an entertainment venue with its sheer size and synergy creating a destination that cannot be simply defined nor easily compared to any other here or elsewhere. The attention to detail and variety of finishes and store sections are remarkable – even surpassing Oakes’ imaginative expectations. Seed to Table market far surpasses what Oakes has developed at his other Naples locations – Oakes Farms Market, Food & Thought and Thoughtful Threads – but it borrows and builds upon elements of each. “We feel pretty firmly that it will be Dec. Oakes Farms Seed to Table market is opening soon on the northeast corner of Livington and Immokalee roads in North Naples. It’s also way past when Oakes wanted to open the store – years ago – but his highly anticipated creation is finally almost ready to be revealed. Oakes dodged a question about the final cost of his new store, saying only that it is “way over budget.”
It’s been five years since Oakes purchased the former Albertsons supermarket and its 8-acre property at 4835 Immokalee Road for $5 million. “The original design of this store, believe it or not, from the time I sketched it out on paper five years ago is almost identical to the actual flow,” Oakes said. He’s at home sharing meticulous details about the massive project he has spent many years planning, designing and building while tweaking it at every stage along the way. Alfie Oakes of Oakes Farms stands on the mezzanine overlooking his Seed to Table market under construction in late October in North Naples.Īs Oakes Farms founder Alfie Oakes gives a personal tour of his new Seed to Table market under construction in North Naples, he could be a mayor matter-of-factly pointing out his small town’s amenities, warmly greeting friendly employees along the way.
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