New chef-driven food market on Anna Maria Island has sandwiches, charcuterie and more
Graze Street AMI opened Feb. 22 as a chef-driven modern market.
Chef-driven means that the grab-and-go food items are as beautifully presented as they are satisfying to eat.
Heather and Jason Hernandez are the chef-owners of the business at 3218 E. Bay Drive, Holmes Beach. Between them, they have a combined 50 years of experience in the kitchen.
They chose the name Graze Street AMI to signify the reward of enjoying small, appetizing bites and the seaside location.
“Our chef-driven modern market will offer artisan sandwiches, flavorful salads, sweet treats, cheese, charcuterie, specialty spices, small batch olive oils, jam, honey, seasonal fresh flowers, and so much more. We believe that offering the best ingredients is as important to you as it is to us, we know there are no substitutes for quality,” the couple said on their website, https://grazestreetami.com/.
The owners relocated to the Bradenton area from Las Vegas in November 2020, drawn to this area by family who were living here.
Graze Street AMI is their first brick-and-mortar market, but they bring years of experience of working in restaurants, helping open restaurants, consulting and training around the country.
“Because we are both chefs, we are focused on bringing products you can’t find any place else, products from places where we have worked. Graze Street AMI is a different type of space where you can get things you can’t always get anywhere else,” Heather said.
Have’A Chips from Laguna Beach, Calif., is one example.
“I grew up eating their corn chips with salsa and they are delicious,” she said.
Other unique offerings include Tulip Tree small batch, hand-crafted cheeses and cultured butter, and Smoking Goose Meatery, both from Indianapolis, Jason adds.
This week, Graze Street AMI’s menu included a variety of sandwiches (all of which come with homemade pickles), including the Caprese (heirloom tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil, arugula, pesto and balsamic glaze), the Italian, the Frenchy (grass-fed butter, prosciutto, brie and peach jam), Green Goddess (heirloom tomato, fresh mozzarella, avocado, pickled red onion, arugula and lemon aioli), Beachy BLT, chicken salad and tuna salad, all for $15.
Graze Street AMI offers small, medium, and large boxes to go, including their charcuterie boards.
“We are doing brunch boards on the weekend,” Heather said.
Also available are soups, salads and baked good.
Graze Street AMI partners with Beach Suites, which books beachside lodging for visitors.
“Their standards are really high, as are ours,” Heather said. “The community has been so welcoming and supportive. It has allowed us to fulfill our dream.”
Graze Street AMI supports local producers, small-batch products and women-owned businesses. The business is open 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Graze Street is closed Monday and Tuesday.
For more information, call 941-896-6320.
