Even before learning about the Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Restaurants programs Abigail and Brendan Rogan were committed to sustainability and ensuring their dream coffee shop and cafe was mindful of single use plastics and polystyrene. “We’re at a marina, we wanted to make sure the things we were ... using on a day-to-day basis were good for our environment” said Abigail in a recent interview for the local newspaper TC Palm.
Gilbert's Coffee Bar is an homage to the yacht clubs of seasons past, with a stunning mermaid tail bar, local nautical charts doubling as wallpaper and a location that simply cannot be beat. Gilbert’s is located at the Sunset Bay Marina & Anchorage in Stuart, Florida and the cafe overlooks the St. Lucie River. They serve delicious homemade pop-tarts, breakfast cakes and seasonal avocado toasts. After 5:00pm the shop transitions to beer, wine and instagram worthy charcuterie boards.
The Rogans committed to ensuring most menu items are locally sourced and support local farms with a focus on the healthy. “I wanted to create a really inclusive menu that shows people how delicious real food can be, “when you have really good ingredients, the food’s going to taste good” Abigail Rogan remarked to the TC Palm.
In 2019, Gilbert’s hosted one of two Surfrider “Drilling is Killing” events, targeted at getting local elected officials to meet constituents and learn more about the detrimental effects of offshore drilling in Florida. “The event was a huge success no doubt in part due to this stunning location, we were incredibly grateful to Gilbert’s for hosting us.” commented Marilu Flores, Regional Manager for Surfrider in Florida.