If you were lucky enough to visit the little Pineapple Kitchen storefront on Lena Road, you were in on one of the Bradenton area’s best-kept local secrets.
It wasn't the kind of place you stumbled into. Tucked into a commercial strip off the beaten path in Lakewood Ranch, it survived almost entirely on word of mouth. People who found it knew they had found something special, and they kept coming back.
They came for the jalapeño bacon jam and the pretzel bites. They came for the murder mystery dinners, where Mike would ham it up in character while Jenny kept the whole production running. They came with their kids for cooking classes. And some came just to experience the hospitality that Mike and Jenny Schenk (and sometimes, if you were lucky, their golden retriever, Georgia) brought to the table every day.
That chapter is closing. And while it’s bittersweet, what's coming next is considerably bigger.
A pretzel bite and a big idea
The Schenks launched Pineapple Kitchen in 2019 as a product-based business built around what they call “easy entertaining.”
“We originally started as a small product-based business with a storefront,” Mike says. “We hosted tastings and open houses. It was a very personal way to introduce people to what we were creating.”
Their first product was a soft pretzel bite with dip that eventually made it into more than 300 stores across the country. Just months after moving into the location that was meant to be a production facility, the pandemic hit, and everything changed.
This could have been the end, but like many business owners, they made it through by getting creative. Over the years, the tasting room, culinary theater, mystery dinners, charcuterie classes, and kids’ cooking program all launched from inside that Lena Road location.
“Everything started under one roof,” Jenny says. “Food, experiences, and education.”
As they continued to grow and expand, Mike and Jenny started to explore new opportunities, and it became clear that it was time for a change.
Pineapple Kitchen’s Lena Road location closed in February. Not because it was slowing down, but because three new pieces were already falling into place.
“We were literally running ourselves into the ground having to do things almost every day just to get people there,” Mike says. “We outgrew the space,” Jenny adds. “It wasn’t the right location, and it restricted how much we could expand. Closing it was a strategic decision to move forward.”
Three moves, all at once
The incredibly popular murder mystery dinners now operate under Pineapple Kitchen Mysteries, with a new home at the Courtyard by Marriott Sarasota University Town Center. The move gives the shows more room and opens the door for larger events, private bookings, country clubs, and community groups.
Pineapple Kitchen Kids, their culinary education program for kids ages 7 to 13, is now running through State College of Florida on three campuses: Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton, and Venice.
SCF licenses the curriculum and handles the execution, which gives access to more local families. And as much as families may miss Mr. Mike and Miss Jenny leading every class, the shift gives the Schenks room to focus on the thing that started all of this.
The products.
From Lena Road to Amazon Prime
“We’re preparing to launch our products nationally,” Mike says. “What started locally is now being built to reach homes across the country.”
Pineapple Kitchen’s jalapeño bacon jam is expected to launch on Amazon first. Hot bread and butter pickles are planned with it, and a third item may join the first round.
Everything will ship through Amazon fulfillment, which means Prime delivery once the products are live. The people who used to drive to Lena Road to stock up will soon be able to add Pineapple Kitchen to their carts. Plus, it’ll be easy to share the goodness with friends and family across the country.
The Schenks are building the Amazon shop around easy entertaining, with products, serving ideas, and eventually, more ways to help people pull together a good spread without making hosting feel like a full-time job.
“This community helped us build this,” Mike says. “Now we’re ready to take it to the next level.”
Still here, still local
Going national does not mean Pineapple Kitchen is leaving Manatee County behind.
Mike and Jenny still plan to bring products to local events, support local nonprofits, and continue their “easy entertaining” segment on Suncoast View. Their next appearance is scheduled for the Friday before Memorial Day.
While each part of the business now operates under its own platform, the vision is still connected.
“We’re building one brand, Pineapple Kitchen,” Jenny says. “Everything connects back to bringing people together.”
The original Pineapple Kitchen was special because of the people behind it. Those people are still here, but now with a lot more room to grow.
Keep up with all the latest updates by following Pineapple Kitchen's Facebook page.
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