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Alfie Oakes, Seed to Table follows on from January 6th, Black Lives Matter, MAGA

by November 11, 2024

What is Seed to Table? It’s a Florida grocery store like you’ve never seen before, with multiple restaurants, bars and live entertainment. It’s also a MAGA clubhouse.

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“Welcome to the happiest place in the universe.” That’s the message not to be missed at Seed to Table, a grocery store, restaurant, bar and entertainment venue in Naples, Florida.

As shoppers walk by, it’s hard not to notice the beautifully arranged fresh produce or the numerous signs for tacos, sushi or “from scratch” specialties available at the deli.

But in addition to its upscale grocery store and community feel — the owner recently hosted a food and drink pre-landfall party for Hurricane Milton — Seed to Table has a reputation as a pro-Trump and “Make America Great Again” center . Large American flags can be seen throughout the market.

Seed to Table hosted protests against COVID-19 masks, George Floyd and Black Lives Matter. The store gained national attention during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

And the driving force behind Seed to Table and Oakes Farms, owner Alfie Oakes of Naples, is as polarizing a figure in Southwest Florida as his namesake company.

Here’s what we know about Seed to Table, Oakes Farms and Alfie Oakes.

What is Seed to Table? Where is Seed to Table in Florida?

Its website states: “Seed to Table is a grocery store like you’ve never seen before, with multiple restaurants, bars, live entertainment seven nights a week and more. The store is located in Naples, Florida.” The news online? “Welcome to the happiest place in the universe.”

The 75,000-square-foot farmer’s market-inspired store in North Naples features fresh produce from Oakes Farms.

When is Seed to Table open? What are Seed to Table’s opening hours in Naples, Florida?

Seed to Table, 4835 Immokalee Road, Naples, is also home to Hops and Vines, the wine bar and beer bar open 6 to 10 p.m. Evening specials from the kitchen range, with a current offering such as Braveheart Filet Mignon and Grilled Veal Lamb Chop or Lumina Rack of Lamb, served with homemade mac and cheese and roasted seasonal vegetables.

Seed to Table is open Sunday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 7 a.m. to midnight.

Hops and Vines, the upstairs bar, is open until 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

Mike Ellis, executive chef of Seed to Table and consultant to The 239 at Mercato, previously worked at Charlie Palmer Steak in Washington, DC, as sous chef to celebrity chef Bryan Voltaggio in 2004. A year later, Ellis moved to Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen as executive sous Head of the star chef Michael Voltaggio, he took over the management of the kitchen, which was awarded a Michelin star. Bryan Voltaggio and Michael Voltaggio have a long history on Top Chef – the brothers competed during their season, with Michael Voltaggio winning the season finale. Bryan Voltaggio took part in the “Top Chef” universe two more times and became a finalist both times. The Voltaggio brothers have also appeared on various Food Network cooking competition shows or appeared themselves on shows such as “Young and Hungry” on Freeform.

Oakes opened Seed to Table in 2019. Call 239-310-7333 or visit seedstotablemarket.com.

Who is Alfie Oakes? The Naples, Florida-based Seed to Table farmer and store owner has been named the “MAGA Grocery King of Southwest Florida.”

Alfie Oakes is a Florida farmer and owner of the upscale grocery/entertainment venue Seed to Table. Oakes Farms, one of South Florida’s largest agricultural companies, employs approximately 3,500 people. His empire includes fields, shops, packing houses and even a boutique. The flagship is Seed to Table, a $30 million grocery store that goes far beyond just produce and includes a bakery, butcher shop and event venue.

Oakes is also known as a MAGA Trump supporter whose venue has been used for Trump events.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, residents of Lee County and Collier County, Florida, knew Oakes. At the time, he made headlines as an anti-vaccination activist because he spoke out about George Floyd and Black Lives Matter and filed an anti-mask lawsuit in his hometown. Oakes also arranged bus rides to the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, for the insurrection – or what he called “the most peaceful and beautiful demonstration of well over a million people I have ever seen,” according to the Naples Daily News, a newspaper of the USA TODAY Network.

David Silverberg, a political pundit in Naples, Florida, and former editor-in-chief of The Hill, described Alfie Oakes as “our mini-Trump” in a 2022 Mother Jones story and called him the “MAGA food king of Southwest Florida.” .

Although Alfie Oakes has not run for government office, he holds the elected position as Republican State Commissioner of Collier County.

Protests, MAGA Trump events at Seed to Table in Florida: George Floyd, Black Lives Matter hoax comments, COVID-19 masks

Since Seed to Table opened in 2019, the upscale grocery store and event venue has been in the spotlight. Just as COVID-19 was on the rise, owner Alfie Oakes made headlines after telling Naples Daily News columnist Phil Fernandez that the coronavirus disease was fake and blasted Collier County, Florida, for its mask mandate in court.

Throughout the pandemic, Oakes opposed COVID-era mask mandates, disdained the Black Lives Matter movement and helped promote pro-Trump local candidates to posts ranging from school board to fire commissioner. Oakes also funded two buses carrying Trump supporters that traveled to Washington, DC on January 6, 2021, the day of the insurrection at the US Capitol.

Here is a summary of notable events or protests at or near Seed to Table in Naples, Florida:

  • Demonstrators showed up to protest Alfie Oakes’ 2020 Facebook creed against the Black Lives Matter movement, which he called a hoax, and George Floyd, a Black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis, whom he called ” “disgraceful career criminal”.
  • Schools in Lee County, Florida, severed ties with Oakes, and he took them to court, arguing that the termination of his three-year, $6 million contract was a breach of contract and a violation of his free speech rights under the First Constitutional amendment.
  • According to a report in the Naples Daily News, Alfie Oakes has spoken out against 5G cell towers and municipal fluoridation, which he sees as a globalist strategy to oppress the population. “If you don’t believe that this is the intent to dumb us down and maintain control over the people of this country, then I don’t think you’re paying attention… We don’t trust the white coats anymore,” he said.
  • In 2021, he footed the bill for two busloads of Trump supporters who drove to Washington, D.C. on January 6 to take part in what he called “the most peaceful and beautiful demonstration of well over a million people I have ever seen.” Oakes later called it.
  • In 2021, part-time resident, rocker, gun enthusiast and COVID skeptic Ted Nugent appeared on Seed to Table before testing positive for COVID a week later. Naples Congressman Byron Donalds is a frequent guest on Seed to Table.
  • The following year, in 2022, all seven “Alfie’s Freedom Picks” easily won their seats in the Collier County, Florida election.
  • In 2024, entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy appeared at Seed to Table for lunch.

Contributor: Diana Biederman, Naples Daily News

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