FireWater Cuisine & Wellness will replace Love Food Central in the Grand Central District of St. Pete | Photo Provided

After nearly a decade, a longtime spot for vegan and gluten-free dining in the Grand Central District has entered a new chapter.

Love Food Central, located at 2057 Central Avenue, recently rebranded as FireWater Cuisine & Wellness and rolled out a new menu about a week ago.

The biggest change is that FireWater, unlike its predecessor, is not strictly vegan.

The updated menu now includes vegetarian and pescatarian options, while still offering a solid lineup of vegan and gluten-free dishes.

In many ways, the shift mirrors what’s been happening recently across St. Pete’s food scene.

FireWater’s Cumin & Garlic Mushroom wrap (Gf, V) | FireWater

Over the past several years, a number of vegan restaurants have closed, including Golden Dinosaurs, Rawk Star Café, Cider Press Café, Freya’s Diner, Black Radish Grocery, Meze 119, Leafy Greens Café, and The Works by Squeeze Juice Works.

Others have adapted, like Valhalla Bakery consolidating into one location with Valkyrie Donuts, HaleLife Bakery closing several storefronts while keeping one open, and Plant Love Ice Cream adding dairy ice cream to its menu.

After all, a fully vegan-only kitchen is hard to sustain when only 1 to 3% of the population identifies as vegan, particularly as food costs, labor, and rent continue to rise.

However, FireWater’s pivot feels less like walking away from vegan dining and more like trying to make it work in a way that lasts.

The goal is to be a place where everyone at the table can order comfortably, whether one person is vegan and another is vegetarian.

FireWater’s Tuna salad on sourdough | FireWater

The kitchen is led by chef Sal Corteo, who was hired to help launch FireWater and develop the new menu.

Corteo is pescatarian that has worked in hospitality kitchens in New York City and Florida, including at the Sheraton.

FireWater’s menu contains four salads, which remain fully vegan and gluten-free.

Sandwiches and wraps are split between cold and hot options, with bread choices that include local sourdough, a kaiser roll, gluten-free multigrain, or a gluten-free wrap.

Every sandwich comes with a side like potato salad, chipotle chickpeas, or broccoli slaw.

FireWater’s Kale Caesar Salad (Gf, V) | FireWater

First-timers are often pointed toward Ayla’s Grilled Cheese, layered with mozzarella, sharp cheddar, tomato, and fresh herbs, or the Tuna Salad sandwich made with tomato, romaine, and scallions.

Vegetarians can select the Caprese sandwich, which combines pesto aioli, arugula, tomato, and mozzarella and can be ordered on gluten-free bread.

Vegan options include the Antipasto sandwich, Thai Peanut Cucumber Wrap, Portobello Burger, Roasted Red Pepper Hummus sandwich, and salads like Maple Dijon Chickpea, Green Goddess, and Kale Caesar, among others.

FireWater’s drink offerings include espresso drinks with oat, almond, or whole milk and house-made syrups like vanilla, lavender, birch, rosemary, and simple, along with chai, herbal tea, fresh-pressed cucumber lime juice, Beech Kombucha, Mother Kombucha, and canned sparkling and still water.

Chef Sal Corteo, the local chef crafting the new dishes at Firewater Cuisine and Wellness in the Grand Central District | photo provided

Although FireWater may not be 100% vegan anymore, there’s still plenty here for vegans to enjoy.

And in a city where many vegan restaurants have struggled to stay open, this feels like an honest attempt to evolve, stay open, and keep serving food that looks good, tastes good, and brings more people to the table.

Be sure to visit FireWater Cuisine & Wellness’ website and follow them on Instagram to stay up to date on the latest offerings and specials.