Catching up with Pete Veytia III

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His family has been in the St. Petersburg restaurant business since 1981, and Pete Veytia III continues to play a dominant role on the cuisine scene: As Chief Operating Officer of Red Mesa Group, he oversees Red Mesa Restaurant, Red Mesa Cantina, Red Mesa Mercado and Red Mesa Events, bringing (through different concepts) the potent heritage of regional Mexican flavors to his hometown. Veytia and his longtime executive chef Chris Fernandez – a native of Oaxaca, Mexico – will open a fourth Red Mesa location, at 6001 Central Ave., in early 2024.

In this interview, Pete goes back to the beginning to take us on a journey from Sea Bar in the ’80s to the multiple locations that the Red Mesa Group operates today.