The owners of Krazy Kup have announced they’ve purchased another building in historic downtown with plans to create a trendy pizzeria.
Historic downtown will soon have a new cornerstone thanks to Frank and Wenda Trunzo. The owners of the beloved Krazy Kup announced on June 21 they have purchased a new building and plan to open a “performance pizzeria.”
The duo will use their unique skills to renovate the building at 201 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., jus
t steps away from their award-winning coffee house. It seems bringing historic buildings back to life will now be part of their legacy.
“This will be a metamorphosis, much like Krazy Kup was when we first bought it,” Frank Trunzo said. “It’s a hidden gem. Like Michelangelo said, ‘I have to find what’s inside.’”
Years ago when his family was searching for the perfect quaint building to reform into their cozy and eccentric coffee house he said they had looked at the building at 201 before ending up at their current location at 101 E. J. Arden Mays Blvd. Their new acquisition has a long history with the community and has been the home of everything ranging from a fishing and sporting goods store to a dance hall.
Frank Trunzo said he was hit with the vision of creating one of the trendiest pizza joints in the Bay. He envisions dramatic black stripes standing out against the yellow paint, Edison lights bringing a soft glow to the tables, rustic tables nestled throughout the main hall and a counter full of authentic Italian pizza that will offer both dinner and a show.
The counter will stretch along the left side of the room, he said, with professional pizza chefs kneading the soft dough and performing impressive tosses out in plain view of the customers. To the front of the room will be a long stage, where he plans to bring some of the finest entertainment in the area to perform for special events at the establishment.
“Having a musical family, it has always been important to us to bring good, quality performances to Plant City,” Frank Trunzo said. “But we’re not going to be strictly music, we’re going to be entertainment. We’ll feature some of Plant City’s finest talents and we’ll hopefully bring bands back that at one time where huge but that may not be performing much anymore. We’ll have doo-wop, bluegrass, comedians, it will always be G-rated because everything we do is family-friendly. I see the whole thing.”
The Trunzos have developed the reputation in Plant City of being avant-garde pioneers. When they began refurbishing Krazy Kup they used Frank Trunzo’s background as an award-winning auctioneer and Wenda Trunzo’s vision and experience to craft one of the most unique establishments in Tampa Bay.
Over the past several years they’ve become a staple in the community and have won Reader’s Choice Best Coffee for five years running, the Best of Plant City City Beautification award, the Best of Plant City Entrepreneur of the Year award and were the 2018 Business of the Year.
They have owned multiple businesses over the course of their lives and never start a new one without doing immense research. When they decided to open a coffee house he and Wenda Trunzo went to practically every coffee farm in Hawaii to find the perfect bean to sell in their beverages. Frank Trunzo said that same dedication will be used while they search for the perfect recipe to use for their Italian pizzas.
This isn’t a spur of the moment decision, his family has been planning this restaurant for years. As their
ideas slowly fell into place they began waiting for the perfect opportunity to transition their dreams into reality. They have already toured nearly all of the popular establishments in the Tampa Bay area and plan to make Plant City a culinary destination that people will travel from all over to enjoy.
Much is still in the planning phase, however, he said he believes they will have both a brick oven and conventional ovens cooking the pizzas. The counter will serve as means for simple and fast take-away meals as well as for preparing for dine-in customers.
The restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner most days of the week, including the weekend. Frank Trunzo jokes the motto will be “Pizza, wine, beer and cheer served here.” He said if all goes perfectly, they may be able to open in 12 to 18 months. They are building it out on their own, much like they did with Krazy Kup, so that timeline may be slightly delayed as renovations get underway.
It’s a daunting task, but one the Trunzos are ready to begin.
“It’s our legacy,” Frank Trunzo said. “It’s contributing to the community. We believe in Plant City and this is the last historic commercial building downtown. That’s the end of it right there. We feel like we’re a cornerstone. We’re in love with the whole idea.”
