ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — There is a new Australian-themed brewpub set to boomerang into downtown St. Pete next month. The location is extra special for the owner, who can’t wait to sprinkle his own Australian heritage into every item on the menu.
Walking through downtown St. Pete, it’s obvious to Josh Cameron he isn’t in the outback anymore.
“I actually came from our third largest inland city and we didn’t even have 30,000 people at the time,” said Cameron. “The iconic stuff that I think Americans think of growing up in Australia, like 'Do you see kangaroos?’ We see kangaroos every day.”
Cameron always had dreams of moving to America and becoming a restauranteur, but he wasn’t sure where, until he visited St. Pete.
“You felt like a local, and I’m like straight off the boat, and I’m like, ‘If this community can make you feel like that on day one, imagine being a part of it full time,”’ said Cameron.
In 2013 he became the owner of the Oyster Bar, then followed that up with the Crafty Squirrel, but he knew something was still missing.
“And I was like, ‘I could really suck on some Aussie beer right now,’ and that’s when I decided to do an Aussie brewpub,” said Cameron.
He felt the old Lucky Dill Deli building was the perfect location.
“Actually about 120 years old and one of the interesting characteristics of it is they used to have old school hotel rooms back in the day and they still have numbers on the door and that’s exactly how it is back in Australia,” said Cameron.
They are in the process of gutting the entire inside. Cameron can’t wait to start brewing, Aussie style.
“Just using the local grains, the local malts, the local hops, kind of give it the Australian feel,” said Cameron.
Looking at the blueprints, one detail stands out. The name of the pub, ”Where’s Jubes,” is a nickname he got when he was just a kid.
“Whenever a few of your good mates turn up they’re like, 'Where’s Jubes' and they’re like, ‘I don’t know let’s track him down,’ and so when opening a brewpub I knew we had to have a unique name,” said Cameron.
He said the best part about the new pub is being able to share it with his family.
He met his wife right outside the Lucky Dill Deli just a few years earlier.
“Big shout out to those guys, love them to bits,” said Cameron.
Where’s Jubes Aussie Brew Pub is set to open this September at 277 Central Avenue, St. Pete.
