Chef Ferrell Alvarez's restaurant group to open new concept at Water Street Tampa
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jul 12, 2022

Proper House Group, the restaurant company co-owned by chef Ferrell Alvarez, will open a new restaurant in Water Street Tampa.

Ash, a restaurant with “focused yet fun and playful cuisine with Italian undertones,” will open on the ground floor of apartment tower Asher, developer Strategic Property Partners said Tuesday. SPP is controlled by Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik and Cascade Investment LLC, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’ investment fund.

Proper House Group is the parent company of Gallito Taqueria and Dang Dude, both of which have locations in Sparkman Wharf, the southern anchor of the Water Street Tampa district. Its flagship restaurant, Rooster & the Till in Seminole Heights, recently received a Bib Gourmand award from the Florida Michelin Guide. It also owns Nebraska Mini Mart, a burger joint in Seminole Heights.

Ash will be 2,400 square feet with a 1,000-square-foot patio. It is slated to open in spring 2023. Houston-based interior design studio Gin Design Group and Tampa-based graphic design studio Pep Rally Inc. are collaborating on the restaurant’s design and branding, SPP said.

Restaurants occupy the majority of retail space in the first phase of Water Street Tampa. French restaurant Boulon Brasserie will open there later this year, and Predalina, a Mediterranean concept from Tampa’s Casper family, will open in early 2023. Several other restaurants are also under construction there, and the district is home to Publix GreenWise Market, which emphasizes to-go meals and prepared foods.

“Proper House Group and Chef Ferrell Alvarez are industry veterans with a proven track record,” Lee Schaffler, chief portfolio officer for SPP, said in a statement. “Their concepts at Sparkman Wharf and in Seminole Heights are incredibly successful, so we look forward to watching them captivate the Water Street Tampa community as the district establishes itself as the city’s go-to dining destination.”

Alvarez’s partners in Proper House Group include Ty Rodriguez and Chon Nguyen.

“As partners of SPP with two current concepts at Sparkman Wharf, being able to bring Ash to fruition in Water Street Tampa is very humbling for us,” Alvarez said in a statement. “We look forward to sharing the company of the district’s other restaurants and can’t wait to be a part of something special in our city. Our guests can expect to experience the same creative passion that has made Rooster & the Till such a special place in Seminole Heights.”