TIM ATEN KNOWS

Question: Wondering if you know what’s going on with Red’s Pizza on Davis Boulevard?

– Michelle McCausland, Naples East

A: Red’s Pizzeria took a twisted turn onto Davis Boulevard in East Naples.

After serving as a local pizzeria for nearly 50 years, the Red space at Davis Plaza will reopen on Monday, October 4 as Twisted Cheesery, a new local restaurant with variations of artisan grilled cheese sandwiches dominating its menu.

The contemporary grilled cheese concept shows that “a good sandwich is a work of art and grilled cheese is our canvas,†according to Twisted Cheesery owners Calvin Joiner and Mike Voorhis. The duo, who also teamed up last year to create Twisted Sheep Pizza and Brew, a local artisan pizzeria on the East Trail, are back with another twisted and over-the-top concept.

Before Red’s closed a few months ago, Mr. Joiner operated the pizzeria for 11 years. When he bought the pizzeria at 22, he was at least the eighth owner. The pizzeria was previously Gino’s for about seven years and Roma Pizza for over 30 years before that, starting in 1972.

“It was good to change. It was time to rearrange it and start again, â€Mr. Joiner said. He also previously operated Red’s Pizza On Wheels food truck and met Mr Voorhis while operating Smith’s Organic food truck in Celebration Park. Chef Voorhis also ran the Neapolitan kitchens at Lake Park Diner and Bevy.

“We’re a pretty good team of crazy people,†Mr. Voorhis said.

They knew they wanted a change of Red’s and try something a little different from the ordinary and unique, so they came up with a new comfort food idea with a culinary twist. “We had so much success with Twisted Sheep over there and it was spinning pizza and it was too close to try to make another Twisted Sheep, so we just wanted to try and do things more differently, so we did it. closed and decided to refresh everything, â€Voorhis said.

Twisted Cheesery Mac Daddy Grilled Cheese, top, features macaroni and cheese. Their menu includes salads, as well as soups and appetizers to accompany their grilled cheese creations.

Their Twisted Cheesery will have a dozen creative options for grilled cheese sandwiches, such as Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese. By far their Buffalo Chicken Pizza is the top selling item at Twisted Sheep, so they expect their Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese to be very popular at Twisted Cheesery. The sandwich will feature fried chicken mixed with garlic buffalo sauce, cheddar cheese, provolone, ranch buttermilk, arugula and tomato on sourdough bread.

Other grilled cheese creations will be filled with macaroni and cheese, meatloaf, or ingredients commonly found in club and Cuban sandwiches, Italian subs, and even French onion soup. A variety of cheeses will also be used.

Handhelds will feature fun names like Mac Daddy, Italian Stallion, In Da Club, California Dreamin ‘, and Cuban Missile Crisis. Southern Cow has chili cheese, candied bacon jam, provolone and aged cheddar, hot honey, chopped burger and arugula on sourdough.

Twisted Cheesery, which opens October 4 in East Naples, is co-owned by Michael Voorhis, left, and Calvin Joiner, also co-owner of Twisted Sheep Pizza & Beer. NOT

“We were really, really excited to see what sells and what doesn’t,†Mr. Joiner said. “I think it’s one of those dishes that you can really do a lot of fusion with. I think there are endless possibilities. This is another reason why we wanted to do it. It’s exciting for us. We can always change the menu constantly and we don’t have to do the same. Sometimes you go to work and it’s the same. We try to get out of that and keep it fresh. “

In addition to grilled cheese, the Twisted Cheesery’s menu will feature soups, salads, and entrees, such as fried pickles, loaded tators, mozzarella sticks, and Buffalo macaroni and cheese. The new restaurant has some indoor seating, but the portability of its menu items is perfect for take out and lunch delivery. “At least for the start, we’ll try to only have lunch,†Voorhis said.

Of course, the dynamic duo are already planning the next big move. They hope to open a Twisted Sheep Pizza store in the North Naples area soon.

Twisted Cheesery, 2795 Davis Blvd., is open 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and closed on Sunday. Call 239-417-4466 or visit twistedcheesery.com.

Restaurant losses in Q3

Since the July 1 halftime report, a few more local restaurants have opened and a few more have closed in the third quarter of the year. The losses have been particularly poignant due to unique circumstances for long-established restaurants. Here’s a quick rundown.

We lost two local favorites after losing lawsuits. The Parrot Bar & Grill was evicted on September 8 after losing a lawsuit in Collier County to extend its lease for five years. The Parrot has been in operation for more than 10 years on the Naples Quayside promenade.

Gustitos Peruvian Bakery & Cafe closed permanently on August 31 after operating for almost a decade at Bed Bath & Beyond Plaza in North Naples. A court case concerning an advance of funds to a merchant froze the company’s accounts and forced the family business to close without notice.

Vesuvio’s Pizza closed on September 19 after nearly 40 years in the park of Naples, but the local pizzeria will reopen in a new location in Naples this fall. Vesuvio’s moves 10 km south to 2555 Tamiami Trail N., which is also home to Gulfcoast Inn, Fujiyama, and Harold’s Place. The new Vesuvio’s Pizza will replace Club Sushi, which closed on September 5 at the Gulfcoast Inn.

Readers were also surprised to see the Burger King demolished in September in Freedom Square, near the corner of US 41 East and Collier Boulevard. A new BK with two order lanes, fewer dining areas and fewer parking spaces will replace it. ??

– “Tim Aten Knows†is published weekly in Naples Florida Weekly. Mr. Aten is editor-in-chief of Gulfshore Business magazine. Email your questions to [email protected]. Follow @TimAtenKnows on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.