St. Pete chefs to open nostalgic new eatery

One of Tampa Bay’s most successful chefs has left the world of fine dining to open a nostalgic new neighborhood restaurant and bar.

Ted Dorsey will soon open the Sunshine City Tavern at 4351 4^th Street N., most recently home to Oaks on 4^th. He is no longer the executive chef at Sonata, the year-old dining destination inside the Mahaffey Theater.

Dorsey described Sunshine City as the antithesis of a button-down culinary spectacle. He envisions a loud, vibrant and joyful concept with an affordable yet thoughtfully orchestrated menu.

“It’s my homage to 1990s St. Petersburg,” Dorsey said. “I want to feed the locals, and I want it to be a place where you can come multiple times a week. And just have fun again.”

Ted Dorsey. Photo by Bill DeYoung.

Opening a neighborhood bar and grill will scratch a decades-long itch for Dorsey, who has helped launch 10 popular restaurants throughout the area. It will also allow him to work alongside a longtime friend.

Teddy Skiadiotis, founder of St. Petersburg’s Craft Kafe, will co-own Sunshine City. Dorsey noted Skiadiotis “grew up in” the former family-owned Skidders restaurant on St. Pete Beach.

“That was the beach’s version of a neighborhood bar and grill,” Dorsey said. “Teddy (Skiadiotis) sees the vision of what this place can become, and I know that it will. And when it does, we will exercise our options and add an additional 40-ish parking spots.”

Dorsey has lived in Shore Acres for the past 12 years. The neighborhood is about two miles east of the Sunshine City property, once the home of Fred Fleming’s Famous Bar-B-Que.

Oaks on 4^th vacated the 3,500-square-foot space in late 2023. Dorsey has long considered the location perfect for his dream concept.

“I love this specific property – its proximity to the neighborhoods, families and schools,” he added. “I’m very thankful and blessed to be the one to get his hands on it.”

Dorsey said Sunshine City would harken back to a bygone era before cell phones and social media dominated dinner table ambiance. A welcoming and colorful interior would evoke the 1990s while showcasing old St. Petersburg.

The menu will feature “action components.” Dorsey declined to offer specifics.

The Sunshine City Tavern’s parking lot was recently repaved, and renovations are ongoing.

However, Dorsey divulged that he acquired the original Southern Pride smoker from Fred Fleming’s. He said Sunshine City will offer a “fair amount” of barbecue without becoming a full-fledged smokehouse.

“I want it to be a place where you could have a business lunch, come with a date, come with a buddy or kids,” Dorsey explained. “It’s going to be all-encompassing. As a single dad with two kids, that’s very important to me.”

Sunshine City will offer nightly food specials and made-to-order family meals that customers can schedule to pick up at their convenience. Those will include appetizers, salads and “all the fixings” for two, four or six people.

Dorsey said he was “100% adamant” that the concept’s price points would range from $8, on the low end, to $36. He frequently reiterated his intention to provide an approachable atmosphere with “delicious” food and drinks at costs people can comfortably afford.

“If that means our bottom line takes a little bit less, then that’s what it means,” Dorsey said defiantly. “You’re going to see some things you haven’t seen in restaurants since years past.

“I think we’re going to shock some people.”

He envisions loud guests and music. Several televisions will broadcast sports, and the overarching goal is to become “everybody’s favorite watering hole.” “I want it to become Cheers. I plan on having the most aggressive happy hour in town.”

Dorsey said he and Skiadiotis are industry lifers born and raised in restaurants. He also noted that Harvey’s 4^th Street Grill, a mile south of Sunshine City, has operated for 40 years.

Dorsey wants Sunshine City to “stand the test of time” and provide a place for his kids to learn the importance of a strong work ethic – and neighborhood camaraderie – once they enter high school. He has had “a few interesting years” and is now ready to live his dream.

Interior and exterior renovations are ongoing, and Sunshine City should open in the second week of January. Dorsey teased that he and Skiadiotis “have a big vision” and “there may be other new concepts.”