Jarrett Sabatini, owner and barista at Intermezzo Coffee, stands behind the bar in white Converse, jeans and a “Make Coffee Great Again” T-shirt.
Sabatini says that out of the three weeks it’s been open, Saturday was the pop-up’s most active day. He can’t stop smiling.
Intermezzo has a clean aesthetic. Sabatini describes it as “mid-century modern.” Paired with dark wooden tables, the white walls and chairs create a calming atmosphere that’s ideal for studying or relaxing.
Sabatini graduated from USF St. Petersburg in May with a marketing degree. He works the shop from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily and said that he loves every minute of it.
“It doesn’t even feel like work,” said Sabatini. “I like that what you put in is what you get out and that I can make my own rules, and also explore and test out some ideas.”
Intermezzo is a pop-up shop, which means it will be at its current location for only three months.
The shop is located at 1111 Central Ave. across the street from Bodega and in front of Green Bench Brewery.
One of Sabatini’s goals has always been to open his own business, but it wasn’t until spring semester that he decided on coffee.
“It’s something I really admire, coffee culture and the beverage itself,” he said.
Sabatini is originally from Eustis and moved to St. Petersburg nearly three years ago for school. He decided to stay in town after graduating to open up his first business.
Before graduating, Sabatini worked at the Locale Market’s Farm Table Kitchen as the sommelier, though he described himself as the wine nerd.
He made wine lists, sold wine to tables and educated the staff. It was through learning so much about wine that he began to research coffee. Sabatini then noticed parallels between the two.
“The first thing that piqued my interest was their growing regions and how climate and elevation can affect the flavors. Whoever is making it can let it express its natural flavor or add their own.”
Sabatini chose to stay in St. Pete because he enjoys the friendly environment. He is especially fond of the Edge District.
“The path that St. Pete is on right now is insane,” said Sabatini. “Central Ave is becoming such a cool place for people to hang out. It’s very approachable and relaxed, not uppity at all.”
When Sabatini was looking to open his business, he searched for a permanent space. He decided to open a pop-up shop when he found an ideal spot that the landlord couldn’t offer for longer than three months.
“I couldn’t turn down the location,” said Sabatini.
Sabatini knows he isn’t the only coffee shop on Central, so he does things differently.
“We have cold brew on tap which I think is pretty cool; we also have a few things you can’t find anywhere else.”
Sabatini creates coffee cocktails, merging bar culture and coffee culture together. This is something that has not come to St. Petersburg or Tampa yet.
This week, Sabatini made an espresso and mint julep. The drink includes espresso, mint and club soda. He also tested out a horchata cold brew which sold out in just one hour.
