From Plant High to Harvard: True Food Kitchen's CEO marks homecoming with new Midtown location

A new casual dining concept, made popular by Oprah and founded by Dr. Andrew Weil, is opening a new location in Midtown Tampa. But for the CEO of True Food Kitchen, it’s a homecoming. 

Christine Barone went to Plant High School and lived in Tampa for seven years before going to college at Harvard University. After college, she worked at Raymond James Financial and then Starbucks, where she is credited with expanding the now-ever-growing food menu for the international coffee shop chain. 

After joining the True Food Kitchen team five years ago, Barone said she has been looking to bring the brand to Tampa and Midtown was the perfect fit. The restaurant will open at the end of the month and is the brand’s 40th location.

True Food Kitchen at Midtown has an outdoor patio eating area and plenty of indoor space, too. The food is healthy but also delicious. Barone says they start with the anti-inflammatory pyramid.

"We firmly believe that food should make you feel better, not worse, and the entire menu is based on that," Barone told FOX 13’s Charley Belcher.

She added that the restaurants change their menus four times a year to offer the freshest, in-season foods. The restaurants also offer a full bar.

Visit https://www.truefoodkitchen.com/locations/tampa/ for more.