shoogie boogies.

i like to think that i'm a pretty good sarasota tour guide. for several years, i worked at a local magazine whose sole purpose is to highlight the lovely things about this city on the gulf, and even now that i don't anymore, i still like to think i get about and about a good deal.

so when my aunt linn, who's been visiting from scranton, pennsylvania, told me she found the cutest cafe ever -- one that i'd never heard of -- i was a little wary.

turns out, though, that she was right. the garden cafe at shoogie boogies is, hands-down, the most delightful little place i've ever been in sarasota. it serves light fare -- i had a quinoa bowl and a pear-and-walnut salad; aunt linn had quiche -- and sells the most beautifully packaged products, everything from soap to tea to wine to little trinkets for the home. plus, even better, there's a whole room devoted to dessert.

kathryn kittinger, shoogie boogies' owner, is a photographer who also sells her work in the space, and it's just lovely, as well. you can read the story of how shoogie boogies came to get its unique name here, and find out more about the cafe and garden here. and seriously, if you're in sarasota, seek it out. it's worth discovering for yourself.

photos by me; see more here.