Pastry Art Bakery Cafe

1512 Main Street, Sarasota, Florida 34236

941.955.7545

About Us

John Andersen, Owner

 

In the early 1980’s, John, along with a high school friend, decided to travel throughout the U.S. in search of opportunity. After 3 months of sleeping in a self-customized cargo van and getting down to their last few dollars they headed for the warmth and beauty of Southwest Florida. 

John's first job was stocking shelves at the local Kmart. Within a couple of years he was managing 4 specialty retail stores in Daytona Beach. Wanting to get out of retail and return to the West coast of Florida he was offered a waiter position at the beautiful Sandbar Restaurant on Anna Maria Island. After spending a year or so as a waiter (not a very good one), John and his new friend David, whom he met at the Sandbar, decided that they wanted to experience more of what the world had to offer. So, they each agreed to sell all of their possessions and leave Florida. 

John & David spent the better part of the next year traveling and working throughout America and Western Europe, “It was during this time that I began to realize the true value of friendship and that great memories are created by meeting wonderful people. It’s not about where you travel to; it’s about the people you encounter during your journey.” 

After returning to the States, John accepted a position as waiter/captain in a 4-star restaurant at a Ski resort in the Colorado Rockies.

A year later in 1989, John returned to Florida and began managing a restaurant on Longboat Key. A year later, he was offered the position of Food and Beverage director of The Royal Marine Room atop Sarasota 1 tower.

In 1991, he left the restaurant industry to start his own dessert distribution Company called United Bakeries. Later that same year he purchased 1/2 ownership of Pastry Art Bakery in Bradenton. “Pastry Art was on the verge of bankruptcy and I needed a production facility at the time,” John Explains. In 1997, he opened his own Pastry Art Bakery & Cafe, on Main Street in Sarasota. In 2001, John acquired sole ownership of the Bradenton location, remodeled the bakery, and sold it one year later.

Pastry Art Bakery & Café has not only become a great success as a bakery, but is now considered by many to be Sarasota’s finest coffee house! By the Fall of 2006, Pastry Art will be moving into their new location, one space east of their current location. “Our original bakery was designed to handle up to 300 customers per day, and we have been serving over 500 per day for the past 3 years! We desperately needed more customer area.”

Early in 2004, John was made aware of an unsightly bar in the 1300 block of Main Street being put up for sale. Although the bar had a reputation for being unsavory, John always liked the location and it’s potential. He met with the bar owner the very next day. Within 5 minutes he had negotiated the deal. He and his crew spent 7 months rehabilitating the old 1920’s row house and that December opened Cru Bistro & Wine Bar. John has a great love for wine and he wanted to share his passion with as many new friends as possible. Cru is fast becoming Sarasota’s neighborhood Bistro & Wine Bar. “I wanted to offer Sarasota a place to enjoy innovative cuisine and extraordinary wine without all the pretension. Wine just adds something special to your life and only those that discover it can truly understand its glory.