About Us

OUR MISSION

Kefi Streetside Cafe celebrates the joy in everyday life through fresh, convenient Mediterranean-inspired coffee and cuisine.

OUR VISION

To offer people who live, work, and play in downtown Bradenton a fresh, flavorful, fun cafe/catering experience unmatched in the local area. Kefi Streetside Cafe aspires to earn customer loyalty, build community and connect people and places.

OUR PROMISE

Using simple, bright ingredients presented honestly and served in a creative, casual outdoor setting, Kefi Streetside Cafe offers a place to refuel the body and revitalize the soul. Our delicious, healthful menu of food & beverages inspired by life by the Mediterranean Sea is offered for breakfast, lunch, and catering.

OUR STORY

Created by Eleni Sokos and Jason Simpson in 2021, Kefi Streetside Cafe is a unique concept to enter downtown Bradenton.

Born and raised in Bradenton, Eleni grew up spending summers with family in Greece, where she fell in love with the culture that defines her heritage. The pace of life is slower and the zest for life more vibrant. As a hospitality marketing professional Eleni finds inspiration in its history, architecture, colors, music, and flavors. It has long been a dream to reimagine those flavors back home in Florida.

Jason has spent the last decade working in the Sarasota-Manatee region’s hospitality industry, working with restaurants and bars to develop successful beverage programs. As a sales representative for leading beer distributors, Jason developed partnerships with many successful businesses to grow brand awareness regionally for the craft beer industry. He has spent hands-on time in high-volume restaurant kitchens, roles which made him realize that above all else, a high-quality product paired with excellent service will always reign supreme.

Building on their personal histories but blending innate entrepreneurial spirit with a passion to create something together that celebrates both food and experience, the concept for Kefi Streetside Cafe emerged.

#FindYourKefi

  • Founder | Co-Owner

    Having spent the better part of the last decade in the beer industry, Jason’s innate ability to connect with people and build relationships helped him increase the sales volume in his territory (Manatee & Sarasota Counties) by more than 120% for Cavalier Distributing. His beverage industry career began with Gold Coast Eagle Distributing where he cut his teeth delivering kegs and quickly worked his way up to managing his own territory (downtown Sarasota). Prior to launching Kefi Streetside Cafe, Jason dove into a back-of-house leadership role at Demetrios’, where the high volume kitchen taught him to prepare food products quickly and efficiently, and a dedicated staff appreciated his communication style and other positive management attributes.

  • Founder | Co-Owner

    Eleni is the Founder & CEO of Sokos Solutions, an award-winning boutique marketing firm that specializes in content, strategy & design. Born in 2014 as Sokos Social, our brand-focused marketing team makes waves for clients in the hospitality, tourism, nonprofit and financial sectors through creative storytelling in the digital age. Eleni was named the Manatee Young Professionals first-ever “MVP of the Year’ in 2019. Eleni has helped develop marketing programs for more than a dozen restaurant brands in the Manatee-Sarasota region. Restaurant management is in her DNA, as her family owns & operates Demetrios’ Pizza House, a Bradenton dining institution with a 45+ year legacy of success.