St. Petersburg

New in St. Petersburg: Carúpano Kitchen Coming Soon

Here's the latest pop-up to hatch brick-and-mortar plans in St. Petersburg.

Logo from Carúpano Kitchen's website

SAINT PETERSBURG, FL – Carúpano Kitchen, a Venezuelan comfort food concept from owner Andrea Osorio with her mother, Diann Cedeño, and wife Lauren Haley, is targeting a mid-November opening at 1040 4th St North, Saint Petersburg, FL 33701.

The announcement follows nearly a year of successfully popping up in the community while being based in a shared commercial kitchen space in St. Pete. Osorio shared the plans with Business Debut in a phone interview.

What to Expect

Carúpano Kitchen centers on Venezuelan comfort food, with a specialty in arepas. “Our food is meant to be hearty, filling, but also healthy,” Osorio said.

Fillings in the arepas include plantains and vegetables, along with slow-cooked meats and chicken. The menu is built around fresh ingredients and small-batch cooking.

Soups also play a key role. Osorio highlighted their beef soup, called sancocho, made with root vegetables such as yuca and malanga, plus plantains, corn on the cob, and soft chunks of beef. Chicken soup is another staple.

"One of the biggest compliments that we get is, 'This reminds me of home. This reminds me of my grandma’s cooking. This reminds me of my aunt’s cooking.'" Osorio shared.

The team plans to continue offering options for guests who follow gluten-free, vegan, or meat-focused diets.

The new space will operate as a small counter-service restaurant with a focus on production. Osorio said the team plans to continue doing pop-ups and large markets across St. Petersburg, so the brick-and-mortar kitchen will serve as a hub for that work.

Guest seating will be limited. “We’re probably going to have three tables, maybe four max."

Carúpano Kitchen will offer both dine-in and takeout. Guests will be able to grab food to stay or pick up meals to go.

Ownership Story

Osorio spent more than a decade in the corporate world in software sales before turning to food full time. “Cooking for friends and hosting people and sharing Venezuelan cuisine was always a big passion of mine,” she reported. “I learned through watching the women in my family run their kitchens like my mother, my grandmom, my aunt,” Osorio said.

A layoff from the tech sector in 2025 triggered a reassessment. During her career break Osorio spent more time cooking and talking with her family about long-discussed restaurant dreams.

Osorio and Cedeño launched Carúpano Kitchen in a shared facility called The Foodie Labs in St. Petersburg. They signed a one-year lease and treated it as a test for their recipes and concept.

“People’s reaction and perception was so positive from the get-go that we were in shock that people loved it as much as we did,” Osorio shared with Business Debut.

They built the brand with a combination of the shared kitchen, pop-ups, and market appearances. Osorio said that her wife, Lauren Haley is now joining as a third partner as they move into their own brick-and-mortar space.

Opening Timeline

Osorio said the team is targeting a mid-November opening. She noted that permits and inspections could affect the exact date, so the official opening day is still to be announced.

Until the new restaurant opens, Carúpano Kitchen will continue serving from The Foodie Labs. “People can still come eat our food at Foodie Labs while we get this place open,” Osorio said.