Backwoods Bistro

Specialties

Backwoods Bistro is a genre of its own. Combining the awesome fresh seafood and decadent produce of Florida with an Italian home-​style cooking. Weekend food specials are produced from an array of delicious local fresh products. Backwoods has something for everyone, from delicious house-​made soups to in house cut N.Y. Strips.

History

Established in 2012.

Backwoods Bistro originated in Sopchoppy Florida when the young chef, Jesse Rice, opened its doors in November of 2006 when he was just 20 years old. The business flourished in the little town with a population of a little over a thousand and went on to win Reader’s Choice Best Dinner, Best Lunch, Best Service and Best Atmosphere multiple times. Leading up to winning Best Business of The Year in 2011. An opportunity arose for the chef to move his restaurant up to the Capital of Florida and he jumped on it. Jesse enhanced the menu to fit the bigger city and started cooking some Sunday Brunches.

Meet the Business Owner

Jesse R.

Business Owner

Jesse Rice was the pickiest eater of any teenager kid. He worked multiple line cook positions throughout his college years at TCC studying Business, which was the first tickle of culinary in his life. His first college summer he had an opportunity to intern under a 5-​Star chef working in Franklin, TN; right south of Nashville. Lance Holcomb was the head chef of Saffire and he taught Jesse most of his fine dining etiquette. Enjoying the internship so much he went back the following summer to work under a sister restaurant called So-​Bro Café which focused mostly on mass catering. Most morning they had to wake up at 5 am to start prepping to serve 1200 people by noon. One morning in 2006 after realizing he had a pretty decent grasp on culinary for a 20 year old he went after the dream of opening a restaurant.