Dessert First? Yes Please!

One of my favorite places to go on Sunday morning is Dessert First Bistro. It might sound like it's a place for just dessert, but that's not the case. Owner and Chef, Sebastian Sikora serves up delicious gourmet breakfast and lunches and the best part is you can get either anytime of day. I sat down with Sebastian to learn more about him and this great Bistro.

What made you decide to open this business?

The original owners opened Dessert First Bistro in August 2016, before hurricane Matthew. I came aboard part time Oct 2016 and was in between jobs at that time. Prior to that, I had been working in Ponte Vedra and the travel was killing me, so I got part time jobs at KingFish and here. After some time, my friend that owns Romeo's Italian restaurant downtown asked me to come on as Head Chef and at the same time Dessert First lost their Chef. I did both jobs full time for almost a year. Days here and nights downtown. I still work at Romeo's once in a while. When the Chef here left, she took everything with her. I had to redo the whole menu with my own recipes. Eventually the owners offered me the business. One of the owners fell off and didn't want a part of it. Heidi, who still works here never wanted to be an owner and the other owner moved to Seattle. So I took over at the end of July 2017, right before hurricane Irma. So that was fun!

We had some wind damage to the awnings, but no flooding, thankfully!

What would your customers say they love most about your business?

I think the interaction and always being welcomed here. It's something I have always stressed to all of my staff. I was trained by Ritz Carlton Chef's and this was always stressed to me in my training. It is always customer service as well as the food, it's consistency in the whole spectrum.

What are some odd requests you've had from clients?

Yeah there is always something...that's at every restaurant though. I haven't had anything too bad here, but I remember a lady in Ponte Vedra who always wanted a hard boiled egg with everything she ate, so we always had to have them ready to go. It didn't matter what else was on her plate, that hard boiled egg had to be there.

What are your goals for the future?

I think just to refine what we already have going. Not necessarily expand in size, but expand with the resources we have within. The two girls that work with me, Lucy and Jessica, I've known from around here for years. I always said that I wanted them to work with me, because I knew we could play off eachothers strengths and weaknesses.

What are your greatest challenges?

The finances and the difference between being a chef and an owner. As a chef, I want to use the best, but as an owner, I have to constantly order ingredients and it gets expensive. As a chef I know quality is important and I won't let the owner in me stray from that aspect.

Do you have any local sources for food?

Yes, we get cole slaw cabbage from County Line. We get our molasses for cookies at Rype & Readi. We also get green tomatoes from them, because they are always awesome. Our teas come from Cultivate. We get bread without preservatives from Village Bread in Jacksonville. We get our Datil Day Sausage from my sisters past teacher and Mango Apple Datil hot sauce from a past teacher of mine. We try to support local as much as possible in any facet that we can.

Do you do any of the baking here?

No, I can't stand baking. I don't like to measure. People always tell you there is no consistency in being a chef, but there is and there isn't. For example I have a thai carrot soup that I have been working on for years and sometimes I can't always get thai basil and the asian market doesn't always have it. So I have to improvise at times. I definitely prefer European measuring, the formula for baking isn't my thing. Luckily we have an amazing baker, so we are good on that front.

What do you love most about the neighborhood?

Just the sense of community. It's never a bad day here. It's unreal, I have never experienced a vibe like St. Augustine.

Have you witnessed any significant changes since moving here?

I've lived here 18 years, so there has been alot of change. It's unfortunate that St John's is such a big county and was undeveloped for so long. All the current developing seems overwhelming, but this town has such a big heart, so to get through it just took time. It really is a small town and there's always progress, but you still want to maintain what makes this town what it is.

What is something most people don't know about you?

I went to Pedro Menendez high school and I was in their 2nd graduating class. Ironically, we are sponsoring the Jacksonville Giants to play basketball there Saturday night, it's so cool since it's my old high school, it feels great to be able to do that.

What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had working with a customer?

When I was running the Back 40, Loretta Swift from Mash did a benefit with Aylas Acres. Ed Asner (I'm a huge fan) and all the people from MASH were there. One of the auction items was to have a dinner with Loretta Swift and they chose to have that dinner at the Back 40. They requested a vegan cheesecake, I was like yeah I can do that! Well, let me tell you, we spent so much money on making this one cake, it was crazy! We spent close to $60 in products alone, I used ingredients like raw cashews and had to get everything from Dianes because it was the only health food store here. However, by the end of the night, she knew my name and we chatted a bit. She came back to the Back 40 alot after that, I recall her being really simple, she always got a caesar salad extra croutons.

Where are your favorite places to go in the neighborhood?

If I have time from Dessert First, I go to Porpoise Point. It's my absolute favorite thing, you always see dolphins. There was this one time, I stumbled upon seven manatees on the beach. I thought this was a problem and didn't have my phone on me to call the FWC. I was 40 lbs heavier then and ran my big butt all the way back to the car to get my phone. I called the FWC and was so winded talking to them, they were holding back laughter and were like "Sir, it's mating season". Apparently the males try to mate with multiple females and will herd them onto the beach. I thought the manatees were stuck, I thought I was a hero, it was embarrassing. By the time I get back, the manatees were in the water probably flicking me off. The other thing I enjoy is searching for shark teeth. It took me forever to find my first, but once you find one, you'll notice them so much easier. They are everywhere!

Do you change the menu at all?

We've been adding a little bit slowly now that we have the right staff and key components. My mom has been helping to bring flavors from the deli in, for example her potato salad, which people go nuts for there. We make perogies at Christmas time and we are talking about making Gołąbki (stuffed cabbage) soon. We bought Kielbasa in from Andy's Deli and I have other Kielbasa being shipped in, so I am adding some Polish food.