New Cape Coral restaurant 'one of the chillest places around'

I didn’t know much about it at all.

But that was about it.

Until I met Cole Peacock.

He’s a pioneer in the cannabis industry, cofounder of Caloosahatchee Cannabis and 3C Investments and on the state’s hemp/cannabis advisory board.

And he’s also the founder of Seed & Bean.

One of the most important things to know about it is that, first and foremost, it’s a restaurant.

“This is a regular restaurant,” said Peacock, a fifth-generation Floridian whose family moved to Fort Myers when he was in middle school. “We serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s clean, natural, organic food, crafted by an executive chef.”

Seed & Bean Market founder Cole Peacock is a pioneer in the cannabis industry.

It’s an open, bright and inviting 2,800-square-foot restaurant to be exact. It has a modern feel to it with wood tones and shades of green sharing the spotlight with a colorful, eye-catching mural complete with a burrowing owl and other critters.

Low and high tops, plus half booths, are well spaced out in the comfortable dining room. The large indoor/outdoor bar with a full liquor license (and serving the only federally approved hemp beer in the nation) is a favorite gathering spot. More seating can be found on the outdoor patio, too.

It’s a relaxing, fun and family-friendly atmosphere

Seed & Bean Market is known for its coffee.

“It’s one of the chillest places around,” Peacock said. “We really want people to feel at home here, to be welcome.”

Welcome to Cape Coral

Peacock said he liked what he saw on the South Cape dining scene.

“The culinary advances in Cape Coral were something that we noticed,” he said. “We were encouraged to come here. The previous city manager kept telling me they needed something like this here.”

And what exactly is it?

Well, Seed and Bean is a place where you can get bacon Brussels sprout hash (oh, that sweet potato hash!) or a Cuban sandwich with ham, mojo pork, mayo, Swiss and two scrambled eggs for breakfast (which is available all day), a spinach goat cheese salad with an award-winning warm bacon vinaigrette or a turkey avocado panini featuring layers of guac, mayo, roasted red peppers and Swiss. Come for dinner and try the blackened redfish over smoked gouda grits (!!!) or the chef-favorite seared scallops over sauteed spinach.

“Not one thing is cooked in grease, and we’re proud of that,” Peacock said. “We don’t use any grease. You won’t find any grease traps in the kitchen.”

Spinach goat cheese salad is served with a lovely warm bacon vinaigrette at Seed & Bean Market in Cape Coral.

What you will find is a huge industrial air fryer.

“It’s massive,” Peacock said. “We had to source it out.”

It did wonders for avocado fries (panko and corn flake-crusted avocado slices served with a spicy mayo) that we’ll order again and again.

They’re just one of the appetizers on the extensive, but not overwhelming, menu which features more breakfast staples, salads, soups, handhelds and seafood, pasta, chicken, pork and beef options.

Seed & Bean Market's Cape Coral location is its third and largest to date.

It started with a healthy diet and coffee

In 2003, Peacock said he and his wife switched to an organic diet.

“At the time, there were limited options,” he said. “I feel this is a model for that concept. It’s a nice balance of food, coffee shop, higher-end dining and bar.”

And he felt The Cove was a perfect spot for it.

“It’s pretty great being in this area, in this residential unit,” Peacock said. “You can get your coffee in the morning, then come back for a beer and dinner at night.”

We loved the avocado fries at Seed & Bean Market in Cape Coral.

And plenty of people have been doing just that.

When the first Seed & Bean Market opened in 2018 in downtown Fort Myers (there’s another one in Venice, too), it quickly became known for its coffee.

The same thing happened in Cape Coral.

“We have our own coffee, our own blend,” Peacock said. “It’s a local product. Anytime we can source locally, we do. It’s good, quality coffee. People will come in and grab a bag of it to go, too.”

Each Seed & Bean Market has a unique mural. This one is in the new Cape Coral location.

They can also enhance their coffee, food and any other beverage — smoothies, mocktails, cocktails and protein shakes — for that matter.

“Customers have the option,” Peacock said. “We can add CBD or you can add THC to your food or beverage. We won’t infuse it with anything unless you specifically ask us to.”

About half the customers do, he said.

“When you add CBD (in liquid extract) to coffee in the morning, it’s for the wellness aspect of it,” he said.

And while CBD won’t get you high, “THC will impact you differently.”

And if you’re not sure?

“We have an educational component here,” Peacock said. “You can get an education with your cup of coffee. We have CBD and cannabis educators on staff. We explain that the cannabis plant is a wellness plant and you extract CBD for specific purposes. We explain the wellness benefits. We talk about how THC is going to impact differently. We explain what a milligram count is. We explain it all.”

And everything they have and sell there is legal and regulated under the Federal Farm Bill.