JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In this week's Restaurant Report, a new restaurant opens for business on Jacksonville's Northside.
The owner, who already has a huge following, is trying a new concept.
The chef and owner of popular The Potters House Soul Food Bistro, Celestia Mobley, now wants to try out her seafood skills.
Mobley told News4Jax that people still come in asking for collard greens, but cabbage is also on the menu, as well as fresh local seafood including red snapper and Mayport shrimp.
Blue crab was on the menu on the Fourth of July. It's part of the freshness that Mobley guarantees.
"The best thing to me is Mayport shrimp just because I think that they are the best shrimp, to me, in the world. They have the sweetness that no other shrimp has," Mobley said. "Also the red snapper -- I get it fresh. It is not frozen. So once we sell out, we sell out."
For 20 years, Mobley has been cooking and managing The Potters House Soul Food. But seafood is also a natural fit.
"Before I even went there, I started a little crab shack. So it's kind of like a full circle. Now, I'm doing crabs and shrimps and different things again," she said.
Celestia's Coastal Cuisine is on the Northside -- off Dunn Avenue near Interstate 295 -- in a new plaza and a part of town that's booming.
"It's one of those areas where there are subdivisions going up all along Jacobs Way, Rolling River, that are like within a 5-mile radius," Mobley said. "So there's over 5,000 homes right in this area."
It's her fifth restaurant opening and she's ready to serve. Last week, Mobley said, their soft opening ended up being a hard opening.
"We weren't expecting it. We were expecting people to trickle in, so we have had to work out a lot of kinks and get everybody trained," she said.
Mobley also decided to serve wine and beer. She said it's a perfect spot for an adult night out or appropriate for the entire family.
"It is something where people can come bring their family, have fun and just eat good food," Mobley said. "You know, that's what I love doing, is feeding people making them happy through my food."
Celestia's Coastal Cuisine is closed on Monday, and Mobley said she's still tweaking the menu based on what customers want. But she said customers can always expect fresh local seafood -- whatever is in season.
