Downtown Jensen Beach restaurant pressured to cancel drag shows has now closed

Laurie K. Blandford, Treasure Coast Newspapers
Updated ·1 min read

A downtown Jensen Beach restaurant that featured drag shows has closed.

Cork'd Wine Bar on Jensen Beach Boulevard closed this month after less than a year. It opened in July 2022 in the former location of We Be Jammin, between The Goose Pub and Kirk's Dive & Surf shop.

Owner Jeremy Barnes declined to comment on why he closed.

Chef Red Bellamy’s dish during the Treasure Coast Master Chef competition at the Indian River State College Mueller Campus on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Bellamy’s dish was comprised of pork tenderloin served with burnt miso butterscotch, confit potatoes and arugula salad. Four top chefs presented their signature entrees to guests and judges concluding with an award ceremony presented by Thomas Miller, the Treasure Coast Foodie. The competition partnered with Indian River State College’s hospitality and culinary program students, where a portion of the proceeds were donated to the student scholarship fund.

Cork'd had a popular monthly drag brunch, but stopped last year because Barnes felt pressured by the Jensen Beach community to cancel, he previously told TCPalm. People sent complaints to the Jensen Beach Chamber of Commerce, which made their way to his landlord, he said.

"We fought it to a point, but ultimately I had to choose to lose my lease or the shows," Barnes had said. "It was a very emotional time for me to have to choose.

"We definitely support the drag-gay-transgender community," he had said. "Jensen Beach, we love; however, they were not supportive."

Dominique Taylor performs at Cork’d Wine Bar in Jensen Beach on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022, during a drag queen brunch hosted by Dominique Taylor with Melissa St. John, Citris and Serenity-Jade Paris. The brunch is one Sunday each month from noon to 4 p.m. and features a full brunch menu and an option for bottomless mimosas.
Dominique Taylor performs at Cork’d Wine Bar in Jensen Beach on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022, during a drag queen brunch hosted by Dominique Taylor with Melissa St. John, Citris and Serenity-Jade Paris. The brunch is one Sunday each month from noon to 4 p.m. and features a full brunch menu and an option for bottomless mimosas.

When Cork'd opened, it also had nightly live performances and events, such as a saxophonist, "buck a shuck" oysters and a DJ every Friday.

The restaurant's lounge featured a wine, beer and sake bar, as well as a scratch kitchen. Sunday brunch featured $25 bottomless mimosas.

Barnes also owned the Lux Arcade, registered as Game Kings Investments, in Port St. Lucie, according to state documents, but the Florida Gaming Control Commission forced him to close the business in May.

Laurie K. Blandford is TCPalm's entertainment reporter and columnist dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Follow her on Twitter @TCPalmLaurie and Facebook @TCPalmLaurie. Email her at laurie.blandford@tcpalm.com. Sign up for her What To Do in 772 weekly newsletter at profile.tcpalm.com/newsletters/manage.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Cork'd Wine Bar in Jensen Beach closes after canceling drag shows