Longboaters catch up while supporting local eateries

By Dana Kampa
| 7:45 a.m. June 15, 2026

More than 40 residents attended Christ Church of Longboat Key's first summer lunch meetup at Pork Belly's Eatery & Catering Co., a new high turnout for the event.

Longboat Key
Neighbors

Longboat Key residents took the time to reconnect, chow down on house-smoked meats and support a local family-owned business at Christ Church of Longboat Key's first summer lunch of the season.

Planner Judy Ebrahim said the June 10 meetup at Pork Belly's Eatery & Catering Co. had the highest attendance of any of their summer lunches, with 40-some people filling the dining room.

Owners Kae and Eddie Meek opened the restaurant in Bradenton in February 2025. Although the menu highlights their smoked brisket, pulled pork and other barbecued foods, the restaurant dishes up a variety of all-American breakfast, lunch and dinner items.

Christ Church of Longboat Key Rev. Julia Piermont asks who is new at the church's first summer lunch of the season held a Pork Belly's Eatery & Catering Co.

The family-owned restaurant opened in February 2025 and dishes up American cuisine, including house-smoked meats.

Rev. Julia Piermont said the summer lunches are always a good opportunity for parishioners to catch up with one another amid all the seasonal travel.

She said those who missed this meetup can mark their calendars for July 5, when the church will host an indoor/outdoor picnic celebrating the country's 250th anniversary. Those interested in helping plan or run the picnic can contact the church office at 6400 Gulf of Mexico Drive or by calling 941-383-8833.

The next summer lunch is scheduled for noon at Lo' Key Island Grille, 5620 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Sign up at the church's activity table.

author

Dana Kampa

Dana Kampa is the Longboat Key neighbors reporter for the Observer. She first ventured into journalism in her home state of Wisconsin, going on to report community stories everywhere from the snowy mountains of Washington State to the sunny shores of the Caribbean. She has been a writer and photographer for more than a decade, covering what matters most to readers.