Château 13 Restaurant & Wine
Bar, a hip, new Europeanstyle
restaurant and wine bar
in Bradenton, is owner Jenn Sayko’s
baby, her second home, her long-held
dream come true. She’s thrilled with the
opportunity to share her love of Italian,
Spanish, French, and Belgian food,
wine, and beer with her customers. The
restaurant means the world to her.
Also, it means a lot to Bradenton. Château
13, which opened its dramatic, metal,
vineyard-inspired doors in early February,
is a boon to downtown’s dining scene,
offering locals and visitors, “a fun way to
travel without leaving their hometown,”
Sayko said.
It’s not just the food - expertly flavored
and beautifully presented by Executive
Chef Greg Harrison, who hails from New
England but also has southern, creole
roots that inspire his cuisine - but the
dining culture that makes Château 13
stand out.
For starters, there’s Sayko herself -
gregar i o u s , pas s i o nate, and
knowledgeable. A perfectionist who
can recommend the perfect bottle of
wine for any meal. Sayko said she “hires
on personality” because she’s willing to
teach her employees the rest.
“If you’re going to do something, do it
right,” she said (more than once.)
Sayko’s attention to detail is apparent
everywhere you look, from the obscure,
aged goat cheese imported from Holland
to the deep red leather banquettes
custom-made in Italy. From her start at
age 13 as a bus girl at an Anna Maria
restaurant, and throughout her travels
and her wine importing and restaurant
managing career, each place Sayko’s
worked - each place at which she’s dined
- gave her ideas. “If it’s going to be mine,”
Sayko said of the restaurant, “I have to
believe in every tiny little detail.”
CONTINENTAL
CULINARY CULTURE
Sayko owns Château 13 with Wim and
Mieke Lippens, longtime members of the
Bradenton hospitality industry. The couple,
Belgium natives, have owned and run the
Palmetto Riverside Bed & Breakfast for a
decade. While Sayko’s job title at Château
13 is general manager (and, she adds,
“wine girl”), she is the day-to-day force
behind the restaurant’s operation.
Every day Château 13 is open (Tuesday
through Saturday, from 5pm to 10 pm, no
reservations), Say-ko is there, alongside
chef Greg and Kathryn Findley - the
assistant manager, bartender, and “Spain
aficionado.”
Each member of the Château 13 team
provides an essential skill or talent,
without which the restaurant wouldn’t
measure up to Sayko’s high standards.
What’s more, the group is like a little
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Jenn Sayko and Executive Chef Greg Harrison