Business & Tech

Brandon Cork and Olive Wine Bar and Cafe Re-Opens at Plaza Bella

The Cork and Olive Wine Bar and Cafe, formerly at the Brandon Crossroads shopping center, has re-opened in Valrico, at the Plaza Bella shopping center in Bloomingdale.

 

The Cork and Olive Wine Bar and Cafe is closed for business at the Brandon Crossroads shopping center but newly opened at the Plaza Bella shopping center at the corner of Bloomingdale Avenue and Bell Shoals Road.

At the Bloomingdale location, in between The Cheddar Biscuit and Cork and Olive was busy with customers Friday, Jan. 25, when owner Jane Studstill took a moment to talk about her decision to move to Plaza Bella.

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"We just liked the location," she said. "It's a lot easier to get to and a lot easier to notice. We're right in the main drag and there's lots of good restaurants around us carrying good food."

Indeed, Cork and Olive patrons can order out from those locations and bring their food into the wine bar and cafe to eat. Moreover, Studstill said, servers at The Cheddar Biscuit and Joel's Pizza Palace will deliver orders to Cork and Olive patrons.

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Studstill said the Cork and Olive Wine Bar and Cafe originally opened as Cork & Olive five years ago at the Brandon Crossroads shopping center at Badlands Road, off Providence Road, near the eastern entrance of the Westfield Brandon shopping mall.

Studstill said she became owner of the establishment in August 2012.

Her intent is to run a small venue, "social and quaint," with an inviting atmosphere and easy access for local customers. "You can stop in on your way home from work," she said. "You don't have far to go to get a taste of wine."

As for a night out, that, too, is a Cork and Olive offering, with activities and events regularly scheduled, including wine tastings, karaoke, paint-your wine-glass meet-ups and a Sip 'n' Dip the last Thursday of the month from 6 to 9 p.m., featuring music, hors d'oeuvres, tastings and vendors presenting and introducing new offerings.

Cork and Olive is open Friday and Saturday nights from 10 a.m to 1 a.m., with live entertainment both nights. The business also is open Sunday, noon to 9 p.m., and Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Wines offered are "from California to Oregon, to Italy, Germany, Romania, Argentina, Chile, Australia" and more, Studstill said. Prices range from $10 to $100 a bottle. Also, a customer can purchase a bottle of wine, drink a glass from it at the Cork and Olive wine bar, then have it re-corked for travel home.

To go with the wine, olive oils from Spain, Italy, Argentina, Morroco, Greece and Tunisia are offered, with the following selection of spices: Roaster Chipotle, Taste of Tuscany, Mediterranean Marsala, Island Citrus, Bayou Blend and Red Sea Fusion.


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