Indigenous Sarasota Closed: Alma de España Plans Its Towles Court Move

"When we were constructing the place, the contractor said, 'This fence should last at least ten years.' I was like, perfect." Steve Phelps told that story to SRQ Magazine a week after he closed Indigenous. He said he had always planned to leave while he was ahead and ended up staying "five more years than I expected."

The fence outlasted its warranty, and so did the restaurant. Indigenous opened in 2011 inside a cottage at 239 S. Links Ave. in the historic Towles Court neighborhood. Phelps announced the closing on Sept. 15, 2026. Three days later the cottage had a new chef lined up. That chef is buying the property, which means the building will stay what it has been for 15 years: a small room run by the person who cooks in it.

The Cottage Goes to Another Owner-Chef, Who Is Buying It

On Sept. 18, the Herald-Tribune reported that Elier Rodriguez, chef and owner of Alma de España, plans to move his restaurant from 1830 S. Osprey Ave. in Southside Village to Indigenous's former home on Links Avenue. Rodriguez said he is buying the property. He is not leasing a space between tenants.

Ownership matters here because of what the building has been. Sarasota Magazine called Indigenous "resolutely personal: small, idiosyncratic and guided by the seasons," and noted that it stood out in a city filling up with glossy dining rooms and restaurant groups. Alma de España runs on the same model. SRQ Magazine's October profile says Elier and Claudia Rodriguez co-own it, and Elier, who cooks there, has said it was inspired by his grandmother.

Rodriguez's plans for the cottage are modest. "We are trying to create something that is nice where people can go, have a meal, we're going to have a patio, we're going to start having live music, guitar," he told Bluewater Healthy Living. He said the music could be guitar or piano, kept quiet enough for diners to talk, and that the Spanish tapas and grill menu will stay largely the same, with changes coming gradually.

The timeline moved quickly for a downtown restaurant changeover.

The restaurant's homepage now lists its address as 239 S Links Ave and says "Grand Opening November 1, 2026." That date is the restaurant's plan, not a confirmed opening. Even so, it would leave the cottage dark for about seven weeks. In a month the Herald-Tribune described as full of major Sarasota restaurant openings and closings, that is a short gap.

What Rodriguez Brings to Links Avenue

Alma de España calls itself a Spanish tapas and wood-fired grill restaurant. It opened in Southside Village in 2025. Rodriguez's career covers more ground than its short Sarasota history suggests. His official biography says he was born in Cuba and learned to cook from his grandmother, Cacha. He moved to the United States at 19 and enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu in Atlanta, then worked at the Ritz-Carlton Atlanta, Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Picasso and Le Cirque in Las Vegas, Del Mar in Washington, D.C., Petrossian in West Hollywood, Dolce Vita in D.C., and Loquita in Santa Barbara. SRQ Magazine's October profile also traces his cooking back to Cuba and his grandmother.

Since the menu will carry over largely intact, here are the dishes local coverage has highlighted so far:

• Lamb with romesco, singled out in Sarasota Magazine's review
• Basque-style branzino, mentioned in both the review and the Herald-Tribune
• Paella de Madrid, which the review calls a house specialty
• Garlic prawns and Spanish-style octopus

The review describes Alma as a place built around sharing plates. That suits the patio Rodriguez wants to add. The cottage's outdoor space is the part of the property he named first when he explained why he is buying it.

What Stays With Phelps

The building is changing hands. The recipes are not. Phelps told SRQ that he turned down buyout offers so he could keep the rights to his signature dishes, including the truffled mushroom bisque. Sarasota Magazine's farewell named that bisque first among what it would miss, followed by the burger and the summertime sandwich nights.

So Alma's Nov. 1 opening won't bring the bisque back to Links Avenue. Phelps plans to bring it out himself:

"Keep your eyes and ears open for really fun collabs with chefs in town and opportunities to buy soup, especially around the holidays."

He also told SRQ that pop-up meals and a portable soup wagon are coming, and said the bisque "will be available to people very soon." No dates or locations have been announced yet.

The cooking was only part of what Indigenous did. Phelps was twice named a James Beard Awards semifinalist for Best Chef: South. He built the restaurant around Gulf seafood and the farmers and fishermen who supplied it. His courtyard also served as a pickup point for Grove Ladder Farm and Homestead Hydroponic Farm, and he supported growers such as Sunshine Fungi and Blumenberry Farms. His advice to SRQ readers was to "take an extra hour of your weekend and go to the farmer's market."

That work continues outside the restaurant. Phelps is an ambassador for Pine Island Redfish and a founding board member of the Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture. His Aquaculture Chef website describes a move toward travel, consulting, education, and advocacy, including a Monterey Bay Aquarium trip to Vietnam's Mekong Delta.

The Towles Court Around the Cottage

The cottage is part of a neighborhood that has been shrinking as an arts district for years. The Herald-Tribune describes Towles Court as a former artists' colony in downtown's historic Laurel Park neighborhood. In May 2025, Your Observer reported that redevelopment had largely dismantled the larger colony, while the Art Center carried on with nine working artists. In January 2026, the Herald-Tribune reported that the Towles Court courtyard, once a popular spot for live music and community events, was for sale along with a nearby home built more than a century ago.

Against that background, a chef buying the Links Avenue cottage and planning patio music keeps one of the block's longtime gathering places in use.

The Art Center has also started its season. It lists its address as 1938 Adams Lane and holds Third Friday Open Studios from 4 to 8 p.m., October through May. On the calendar, that makes this month's open studio Friday, Oct. 16. The next one, on Nov. 20, will be the first Third Friday with Alma open around the corner if the Nov. 1 date holds. The Art Center's current roster lists Helen Rosenkranz, Anne Ireland, Maggie Bosco, Susan Coyne, Peter Garon, Terry Martin, Jane Cohen, Phyllis Nathans, and Jan Bullard. It also hosts pop-up vendors and live musicians, and has named Dark Water Tie Dye, Wellhouse Water, David Miner, and the Matthew Frost Band among them.

What the Move Leaves on Osprey Avenue

Alma's move opens up a space in Southside Village, and the same street is changing in other ways. No successor has been announced for 1830 S. Osprey Ave. Down the street, The 1818 Grill at 1818 S. Osprey Ave. had its last day on Sept. 26. The owners of Legends Sports Pub, next door at 1816 S. Osprey Ave., are taking over that space.

Downtown had its own changes the same month. Sorella opened at 1532 Main St., and Baldoria opened next door at 1528 Main St. in the former Block 15 Cork & Craft space. Artisan Cheese Company closed after more than 14 years downtown. On Links Avenue, the new chef is buying the building he will cook in.

Watching a place like the Indigenous cottage change hands is part of what makes these older pockets of Sarasota distinctive. Who owns a building and how it is used shape a block for years. If you're curious about Towles Court, Laurel Park, or the historic cottages that give downtown its character, Andrea Miller would be glad to talk through what she sees in these neighborhoods. Book an appointment whenever it suits you.