Tableseide Cares

Sarasota is no stranger to philanthropy. Our city has numerous organizations whose sole mission is to do good, give back, and help others. But few are as accustomed to stepping up to the plate to serve our community as Tableseide Cares, the nonprofit arm of Tableseide Restaurant Group, which has literally served thousands of plates to our community already.

You probably know Tableseide Restaurant Group by their restaurant names: Libby’s, Louies, Muse, and Oak & Stone. This family-owned and -operated organization has built a legacy around hospitality, catering to our community needs as if philanthropy were a no-brainer.

“We’ve always given to the community,” says CEO Joe Seidensticker, “but creating a nonprofit allows us to have structure. Now, instead of just giving out 1,000 $25 donations around town, we can truly focus on projects that will boost the community and continue to produce revenue for those it serves forever.”

Tableseide Cares wants to set its sights on project-based focused donations that will impact areas that need it most and, most importantly, will keep those funds within that community and among its residents. Its current project, Miss Susie’s Newtown Kitchen, aims to do just that.

“Our goal is to create a great restaurant that revitalizes a community and also becomes a solid training ground and a jump-off point for future employment,” says Seidensticker. “Once an employee becomes skilled at Miss Susie’s, they can easily secure bigger positions in restaurants or go on to culinary school if they want to. This will offer opportunities to hardworking folks who may not have been given a chance otherwise.”

When asked why Tableseide does, in fact, care, Seidensticker doesn’t hesitate to earnestly say he feels he, his family, and his organization have an obligation to do good in a city that has done so much good for them. “Sarasota has supported us for so long. It’s our duty to support Sarasota in return.”

Tableseide Cares has been embracing the less fortunate in our area for years, though locals may be most familiar with a story that made headlines last year. In December 2017, Steve Seidensticker, the clan’s patriarch who passed away this past August due to advanced cancer, adopted a chronically homeless man and helped usher him into a program designed to divert misdemeanor offenders with mental illness to housing and support.

Steve Seidensticker had a passion for giving back. He liked to joke that he would give anyone a chance and would gladly “take in strays” because he, himself, used to be one. It was no secret that he wrestled with addiction throughout his 20s, but he always credited the kindness of someone who offered him a helping hand with saving his life. This fostered a deep obligation to pay it forward and to always give back.

In the 1980s, Steve began his hospitality career as a bartender at the Gasparilla Inn in Boca Grande. He quickly worked his way up to management, eventually becoming the vice president, and then CEO. If you knew Steve, the fact that he managed to move from wine pourer to head honcho comes as zero surprise. He was quick, sharp, capable, and the man could befriend any person he ever met. Many of his posthumous writeups accurately refer to him as “disarming” as he had an uncanny knack of being able to connect with anyone and everyone.

Steve was a force to be reckoned with and often admitted that, in many situations, he had “acted like an ass” (his words), yet his extraordinary ability to be authentically engaging and side-splittingly funny made him charming and bewitching in a way that very few ever will be. His unique mix of influence, intelligence and playful disposition made him unstoppable in any endeavor he valued and his tireless commitment to public service, especially in regards to the underprivileged, spanned decades as he served on many of the boards that are the backbone of Sarasota’s philanthropic offerings. He will be greatly missed by many.

Thankfully, Steve’s family shares the same desire to continue a legacy of serving those who need it most.

“We will always find causes that we can put our energy behind, from community outreach to young mothers and addiction,” says Joe Seidensticker. “It’s not just the present moment but how do we help for the long term.”

As long as folks like the Seidenstickers exist, rest assured someone cares.

If you’d like to donate to Miss Susie’s Newtown Kitchen, please send donations to Steve Seidensticker Memorial Fund to benefi t Miss Susie’s c/o Gulf Coast Community Foundation, 601 Tamiami Trail S, Venice, FL 34285; or online at gulfcoastcf.org/steve-seidensticker-memorial-fund