Mahana Fresh Offers Fresh And Delicious Meals In A Bowl!

Yes, the poké bowl phenomenon is in full swing in the Tampa Bay area and New Tampa’s newest entry into the market is a small Tampa Bay area-based chain that has taken our area by storm.

Mahana Fresh, located in the plaza next to Glory Days Grill on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. just north of the I-75 exit (one exit south of S.R. 56), had been busy and its popularity was growing from the day that it opened until that day in March when restaurants across the state were shut down to dine-in service across Florida.

Even so, local franchisee Ryan Mortti, who has been part of the restaurant scene in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel for a dozen years, even though he’s only 26 (do the math), says that while business at Mahana Fresh definitely tailed off when all restaurants were only allowed to do takeout and delivery for eight weeks, “We were actually positioned pretty well to stay open and retain our staff during that time.”

Ryan, who started working at the McDonald’s on BBD in front of the Publix-anchored New Tampa Center shopping plaza at age 14 (he later became the general manager at both that location and at the busiest of all local McDonald’s on S.R. 56, in front of the Tampa Premium Outlets), says that he had been open just long enough for people to understand that Mahana Fresh’s system already had minimal client contact, “so we also retained a lot of our customers during the shutdown.”

How It Works…

At Mahana Fresh, which displays all of its offerings in large bowls and tubs behind a glass counter (photo above), you start by choosing a bowl size (Big Mahana, Mahana or Lil Mahana) and your base —  basmati rice blend, cauliflower rice, coconut rice, “Forbidden” rice (we can’t give away why it’s called that), spinach salad, the popular sweet potato noodles and my favorite, the kale crunch salad. “People love the sweet potato noodles,” Mortti says, “but you can even combine bases. I never have the exact same bowl twice.”

If you’ve yet to try Mahana Fresh on BBD at I-75, you owe it to yourself to try an ahi tuna or other bowl!

I really love the veggies at Mahana Fresh, especially the garlicky cilantro green beans, sesame ginger broccoli and the honey sriracha Brussels sprouts, although Jannah’s favorites are the cubed, roasted sweet potatoes and Ryan says the #1 seller is probably the Buffalo-style cauliflower. 

And, the available proteins you can choose from (or combine) include my favorite grilled steak and spicy ahi tuna (which both set you back $1.50 extra for each per bowl, but they’re worth it), roasted tofu and three kinds of chicken — BBQ, semi-spicy Key West and Jannah’s favorite teriyaki.

Our editor recommends trying all of the sauces and “add-ons” at Mahana Fresh.

It’s hard for us to not get multiple sauces (we always order them on the side), because they’re all great. My favorite is probably the semi-spicy citrus ginger, while Jannah’s is probably the cilantro vinaigrette. I also love the creamy wasabi.

Then, there also are add-ons, which do come with a nominal extra charge — from roasted almonds and feta or parmesan cheese for 50 cents per bowl extra each or avocado and my favorite Mediterranean-style tomatoes for $1.50 per item each. The tomatoes are marinated in a Greek- or Italian-style dressing and add a burst of flavor to an already tasty bowl. 

And, even though some items cost extra, the starting prices for the three bowl sizes are only $6.99, $8.29 or $9.99 and quite honestly, with all you get, even the Lil Mahana is a legitimate meal, especially with any of the add-ons.

Changing Course

So, how did Mortti go from being a McDonald’s manager to the owner of a poké bowl place?

“McDonald’s was great for and to me,” he says, “and, as I was accumulating enough money to consider opening my own place, I talked to a friend of mine who had just purchased the right to open a Mahana Fresh franchise in Brandon and this location actually opened before his did.”

He adds that, “I also felt that more and more people are trying to eat healthier these days and once I tried the original Mahana Fresh (located in Bradenton), I knew this was the right concept at the right time.”

Mortti also notes that the fact he also is a general contractor (who owns his own Elite Construction Services) who was allowed by Mahana Fresh’s corporate entity to build out his own space was another reason he took the shot with the new concept.

“I’ve seen what does and doesn’t work at other restaurants and knew how I wanted to build out the kitchen and the interior space. I’ve really been happy with the way everything turned out, too.”

Pour Your Own Beer?

Yes, pour your own beer.

“I really love the way we sell beer here,” Mortii says.

The way it works is that if you want to enjoy any of the up to eight beers on tap (from Mich Ultra to Shocktop to microbrews like Brew Bus “You’re My Boy Blue” and Coppertail Free Dive) when you pay for your meal, you are given a card that you then use at Mahana Fresh’s “Pour Your Own” station, put your card and glass in the proper spot and you’ve got a great compliment to any delicious bowl.

Speaking of delicious, the gluten-free chocolate chip and snickerdoodle cookies at Mahana Fresh are excellent; although I’ve yet to try the zucchini brownie.

Mahana Fresh New Tampa is located at 17512 Doña Michelle Dr.. It is open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. every day. The phone number is (727) 238-9967. For more information, visit MahanaFresh.com and search for the New Tampa location. You also can use the code “mahana20” to receive 20% off your online order.   

The Owners Of Island Fin Poké Co. Say Healthy Eating Is Here To Stay!

I first met Jeff and Brenda Sproat — the owners of the brand new Island Fin Poké Co. located on the New Tampa side of County Line Rd. (next to LA Fitness) — when Jeff and I both coached our sons in what used to be called the New Tampa Little League (NTLL) at what is now called the North East Sports Complex/Eber Baseball fields off Cross Creek Blvd. Jeff was generally one of the calmer, more disciplined coaching dads in the NTLL at the time. I…wasn’t.

Even so, Jeff and I pretty much always got along and Brenda was always smiling and friendly, even after a tough game for either team.

I hadn’t spoken at all with the Sproats, except for the few times we’d run into each other at a local restaurant or store, since those Little League days, before Brenda called to tell me about their new business venture. She was excited that Island Fin was getting ready to open — they were maybe three months off at the time — and said she was hoping I could  help them promote their new eatery to residents on both sides of the county line.

“Have you ever had a poké bowl?,” she asked me. And I answered that not only did I enjoy the still-emerging (at least in this part of Florida) “quick casual” poké bowl concept, sushi-grade tuna has, for more than two decades — and likely always will be — an important  part of my life. And, the fact, as Brenda was quick to point out, that Island Fin Poké Co. is so much more than just tuna poké couldn’t possibly be a bad thing.

First, A Little History…

According to IslandFinPoke.com, the Island Fin Poké Co. can trace its roots back to when founders Mark Setterington was the GM and Paul Reas was the bar manager at the Bahama Breeze in Orlando in 2004.

Mark moved to Las Vegas in 2007 to “do his own thing” while Paul stayed at Bahama Breeze. The two remained close friends, but it wasn’t until August of 2016, after Paul quit his job at Bahama Breeze, that the two started working on a concept together. Their objectives were to come up with a concept with incredible food and remarkable service that would be super easy to replicate. 

Mark was running ten restaurants in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, but the website says his Las Vegas kitchen became “ground zero” for poké. They experimented with sauces, which they felt were important in order for Island Fin to distinguish itself from its competitors in what was already a growing field.

“I really think the sauces are the biggest thing that sets us apart,” Brenda says. “All of the sauces are homemade — and gluten-free, by the way — and each one is a little different, but they’re honestly all delicious. We’ve only been open for a few weeks but we have people coming back again and again to try a new sauce or keep using the same sauce.”

Island Fin’s website also touts the fact that the concept features the freshest, locally sourced ingredients, farm-to-fork freshness and some unique proteins, including octopus. 

Jeff and Brenda brought in a familiar face — their son Jason (a darn good ballplayer, as was his brother Adam) — to manage the location, since they no longer live in this area themselves. But, no matter who serves you when you visit, the employees are all friendly, knowledgeable and most people who dine in are in-and-out in just a few minutes.

“The bowls and everything we sell are at a great price point,” says Jeff, ever the business side of the biz. “And the food, honestly, is outstanding.

So, How Does It Work?

As with most quick casual poké bowl places, you start at one end of a line and tell your “technician” what you want to add as you assemble your bowl.

You start with a base — white or brown rice, mixed field greens or you can combine them. You then add your well-marinated poké protein — from salmon, octopus, chicken, Spam, tofu or my favorites — ahi and spicy ahi tuna. Combos are OK, too. 

Crab Bowl.

Next, choose your veggie mix-ins — edamame, corn, sweet onions and jalapeños. Then, you add your sauce — shoyu (soy), ponzu (citrus soy), OG (with jalapeños), Island Fin Fire (with cilantro and habañero), or Wicked Wahine (sweet and hot). I haven’t yet tried them all, but Brenda says the Island Fin Fire is the hottest. I’m currently stuck on the OG sauce. It sets a great flavor base for everything else you add…

…Because wait, there’s still more! In addition to the mix-ins, there are the following toppings — chili flakes, chili oil, crispy garlic, crispy onions, green onions, furikake (a fish-based topping), fresh pineapple and mango, cucumber, pickled and spicy pickled veggies, pineapple & mango salsa, wasabi peas, pickled ginger, seaweed salad and of course, black and white sesame seeds. For $1 more, you can add premium toppings like avocado, surimi (some call it imitation or “k”-crab), macadamia nuts or masago (salmon-family fish eggs, or roe). 

One thing I will say is that even though Island Fin also has a variety of “finishing” sauces — avocado, wasabi, togarashi (hot sauce) and Jamaican cream — I don’t really need anything else on my fresh and delicious bowl, although a lot of Island Fin’s customers love them. Feel free to try them all, if you like, and let me know if you like your bowl better with or without a finishing sauce.

I’m currently stuck on mostly spicy tuna on brown rice and field greens with edamame, corn, OG veggies, spicy and regular pickled veggies, seaweed salad and sesame seeds with OG sauce, but I will try Island Fin Fire and Wicked Wahine soon — probably before this issue reaches your mailbox. Your cost for any of these bowls? Just $11!

And, as a reward for all that healthy eating, you should finish your meal with whatever flavors of Dole Whip Island Fin is serving that day. To date, I’ve sampled the pineapple and the vanilla and although I disagreed with Jeff that the non-dairy vanilla tasted “just like frozen yogurt or soft-serve ice cream,” it doesn’t mean I don’t think it’s delicious and the cup is big enough for two to share (at least in my opinion, even though I’ve yet to share it).

“Dole Whip is the biggest thing at Disney,” Brenda says. “People have driven a long way because they heard we had it. It’s really refreshing.”

Agreed. And, although there are canned soft drinks (even La Croix sparkling water and Perrier), the only thing that could make my meal better at Island Fin is an ice cold Red Stripe or other Caribbean beer. Ah, maybe someday. 

Great Catering & Current Offers

Brenda says Island Fin has a great catering menu on the IslandFinPoke.com website and that the local location can accommodate anything from small gatherings to large PTA, sports team and even corporate parties, and she invites everyone to give the restaurant a call to discuss their options.

And, Island Fin currently has a number of great offers to get local residents to come in and try them out. 

First, Brenda’s challenging anyone who snaps a picture in front of the Acme On The Go mobile truck (which the Sproats are parking out in front of the restaurant from time to time) to post it on Island Fin’s social media to receive $3 off your poké bowl.

Speaking of the truck, all you have to do is mention the ad being displayed on the truck and you’ll receive a free Dole Whip (a $4 value!) with the purchase of any bowl. Of course, if the truck isn’t on site when you’re there, you could bring in or mention the coupon in the ad on page 43 of this issue.

And, if you stop in to Island Fin Poké anytime after 4 p.m., you’ll receive a poké bowl and a Dole Whip for only $13 (a $2 savings). 

“We really want people to give us a try,” Brenda says. “Whether you’ve never tried poké before or you’ve tried one or more others, I think there are a lot of good poké places out there, I just think ours is the best.”

“We looked at a lot of different franchises but this is a young franchise with fewer than 20 locations in only a few (seven) states, and we liked the idea of being part of something new, that was still evolving,” Jeff says. “Plus, we’re enjoying getting out in the community to talk about Island Fin.”

Brenda adds, “We also picked Island Fin because we were given a lot of freedom in the look inside our restaurant. We picked a lot of the decorative touches (like the signposts above) ourselves and we’re proud of the way the place looks. Plus, we believe that healthy eating, with fresh food, is here to stay.” 

Island Fin Poké Co. is located at 6417 E. County Line Rd., Suite 101, in New Tampa (zip code 33647), although the location’s Facebook page is “Island Fin Poke Company-Wesley Chapel.”

Brenda says, “We weren’t trying to be controversial when we picked that Facebook page. We know we’re physically in New Tampa, but we believe we’re going to be drawing customers from both sides of the county line. And now, we can’t change that Facebook page.”

Island Fin Poke Co. is open every day, 11 a.m.-9 p.m., and is available on Grubhub, with other delivery services to be added in the future. For more info, call (813) 575-8002, visit IslandFinPoke.com or see the ad (and coupon) in our latest issue.