Son returns to operate plant-based coffee house his father founded

Tyler Kirby started working at Simon's Coffee House the day he graduated from Sarasota Military Academy in 2007, quickly rising through the ranks to become head chef. 

At some point, however, he still felt he wanted more than the coffee shop, which his father Simon Kirby had founded in 1991. 

Nonetheless, after a two-year search, he and his wife Maya say they've found where they were meant to be all along. 

"From 17 till 30, all I knew was these four walls," Tyler said. "And it's hard to know what you have until you don't have it anymore, and I didn't know what was out there."

A plant-based staple 

Kirby describes himself as "fanatical about food." 

In contrast to the homemade offerings at Simon's, he found himself seeking the style of cooking inspired by the likes of chefs Grant Achatz or Roy Choi.

Additionally, the demands of COVID-19 had also interfered with a dinner service he and Maya had established at the coffee house. 

"My parents had also separated pretty recently around that time, and we were kind of just lost. So I ended up leaving," he said.

Taking ownership of the shop, at 5900 S. Tamiami Trail, was an enthusiastic customer, Jerry Williams, and his wife Jill. 

Over about two years, Tyler worked in roles that included positions at restaurants such as Florence and the Spice Boys and, most recently, PigFish at Calusa Brewing.

However, he found himself frustrated with managerial roles that did not allow him to make the executive decisions he could at the coffee house, while he also found what he truly believed in was his own business tactics and homemade offerings. 

It came to the point that he and Maya began considering starting life anew in Portland, Oregon, a location that had impressed them while visiting there for a wedding. 

"We're looking around, and I'm like, wow, this is so cool, and everything's so new, and it's so vibrant and shiny," he said.

Yet he had to ask a certain question first; he gave his father a call to find out whether a deal could be worked out with the coffee house. 

It turned out the Williamses were thrilled to return ownership to the Kirby family, with Tyler returning on Nov. 1, and with Simon serving as landlord. 

Tyler said he doesn't think the shop, which was built from the ground up and represents the legacy of his family, can be emulated.

The family, who owned restaurants in England, had come to Florida to seek sunshine and pursue the American Dream, when Simon Kirby founded it. 

At that time, the plaza was largely dilapidated, Tyler said, but the shop grew from one unit, into three, becoming a community staple of plant-based eating in Sarasota. 

In its laid-back atmosphere, it serves full breakfast and lunch, with juice, coffee, craft beer and wine.

Tyler said upon returning, his goal is to create a menu that is more all-encompassing; the shop is not exclusively vegan, but promotes the inclusion of plants within meals. 

He is also pursuing more ethical sourcing of food, now using 100 percent free-range eggs and chicken while growing the inclusion of locally-made products. 

"All the employees are so thankful to see us come back, to be the owners and me, to be family with them again," he said. "We have customers crying from joy, hugging us."

"There's a lot of community love within this place," said Maya.