MUSEUM CAFE

10466 W Yulee Drive
Homosassa, Florida 34448
Tel:  352-628-1081

The Museum Cafe is located on the way into Old Homosassa near the entrance to the Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historic State Park.

You will see the sign identifying a one story structure on the left side of the road as the Old Mill House Gallery and Printing Museum.

This building in the quiet part of town houses not only the gallery and museum, but a great little restaurant too.

When you enter the cafe, it doesn't look at all like a museum. The museum and galleries are in separate rooms off to the left of the dining area.

The restaurant section of the building is bright and cheerful with lots of windows and specializes in lunch items.

Museum Cafe, Homosassa

The restaurant and museum owner is Jim "Boe" Anderson and the restaurant manager is Carmen.

The menu has a Spanish/Cuban theme with black beans and yellow rice, Spanish bean soup, deviled crab, guava pastries, cafe con leche and various wines and beers.

Their most popular item is the Cuban Sandwich.

They also have salads and one of the most popular is Boe's Bean Salad. That's a garden salad topped with black and garbanzo beans and rice.

They also have collard greens on the menu along with Caldo Gallego, a Spanish white bean soup that originated in Galicia.

Museum Cafe, Homosassa

My lunch was great. I had the special: a small Cuban sandwich with a bowl of Spanish Bean Soup.

As an extra, I had a stuffed potato. The potato is hollowed out, filled with ground pork and then deep fried. It was delicious.

I followed up with a cup of coffee. Service was prompt and courteous and the background guitar music was just the perfect volume and tempo to make the lunch relaxing.

Jim "Boe" Anderson and Carmen, Museum Cafe, Homosassa

James "Boe" Anderson is a fourth generation Floridian who is a man for all seasons.

He started a career in the printing business in 1971 and when digital technology began taking over the printing trade, he decided to preserve the history of the letterpress trade by starting a museum.

This restaurant is in a separate part of the building now known as the Olde Mill House Gallery and Printing Museum.

Jim also is active in the local art scene and established the Homosassa Frame and Art Gallery in the building.

Jim showed me around the museum. It was an interesting tour with a lot of informative artifacts.

Jim teaches students from graphic design schools in the museum and conducts various workshops on art techniques.

He is also a musician who plays with the band Cool Corporate Cats. Among his music fans and friends he is known as "BoeCat", and has released 3 albums.

He encourages and mentors other musicians and founded the Nature Coast Friends of Blues. The cafe is host to several music series.

The day I had lunch the entertainer was classical guitarist P.D. Smith from Williston.

Pete Smith is well known in Florida music circles and is a guitar instructor who also has a masters degree in music and a doctor's degree in humanities. He has recorded several albums and written books on jazz and blues.

Museum Cafe is open Monday through Saturday from 1000 am to 300 pm.