The Gathering Place Wood-Fired Oven, Lutz

Christopher Fuller found his calling at age 14. As a child, he split his time between the United States and the Dominican Republic, where he was drawn to Caribbean restaurants like a robot into a pit of hungry magnets. Calling upon these experiences, Fuller worked with chef Mike Webster to create a menu that fused elements of the Caribbean, Europe, and the United States, and The Gathering Place Wood-Fired Oven was born.

Three concepts sum up The Gathering Place's modus operandi: local ingredients, eco-friendly practices, and dishes prepared entirely in-house. Within the kitchen, chefs smoke pork, roast turkeys, and cure bacon with ingredients from businesses such as Providence Cattle Company. Their efforts gives rise to a mix of sandwiches and inventive appetizers, such as tender gator tails coated in house-made chipotle sauce. Locally sourced oak stokes the flames of a brick oven, which cooks pizzas and doubles as a sauna for retired spatulas.

Outside the kitchen, Fuller creates a dining atmosphere as eclectic as the menu. Live musicians perform on weekends, sending groovy sounds across a casual dining room and into more intimate alcoves. Seating options range from standard tables, to a patio, to dining surfaces made from barrels.