Seventh annual event benefits Food for Thought Outreach
Nov. 4, 2022 Special to 30A Food & Wine
ROSEMARY BEACH – Restaurant Paradis is proud to present its seventh annual Prohibition Repeal Wine Dinner, presented by 30A Luxury Vacations, on Saturday, Dec. 10, benefitting Food for Thought Outreach.
Beginning at 6:30 p.m., guests are invited to delight in a cocktail hour featuring a specialty cocktail made with Distillery 98’s Dune Laker vodka served in a commemorative glass, courtesy of Buddy’s Seafood. Attendees will then be whisked away to the main dining room for a Gatsby, Prohibition-era inspired evening.
Guests will experience a special, four-course meal presented by Driftwood Wine and Spirits, Rosemary Beach Realty, SoWal House, and Swiftly Catered, paired with wines by Vineyard Brands. Prepared by Paradis’ award-winning chef, Mark Eichin and his culinary team, each course will feature the local produce, fresh Gulf seafood, and fine meats that Paradis is known for. Throughout the night, attendees will be surrounded by live music, sponsored by Inlet Beach Real Estate, and photographed by Jennifer Filippone, courtesy of 30A Cottages.
Proceeds from the evening will be donated to Food for Thought Outreach, a local 501(c)3 organization that works to bridge the meal gap in the lives of food insecure children in Walton and Okaloosa counties and empower them to get the most out of their education.
The restaurant will be closed for the private event and transformed into an elegant event space that emulates the Prohibition era. In keeping with the night’s theme, guests are encouraged to dress in 1930s, Gatsby-theme attire. There are a limited number of tickets available for $200 per person that includes all food, beverage, and gratuity. Tickets can be purchased online at www.restaurantparadis.com.
SANDESTIN – This Thanksgiving, locals and travelers visiting the Emerald Coast can remove the holiday stress from their plate, leaving room for extra turkey and mashed potatoes. Guests of Ovide, the ground-floor restaurant at Sandestin’s Hotel Effie, can choose from two chef-driven holiday meals for the whole family:
Thanksgiving Brunch at Ovide
Perfect for hotel guests and locals, skip the clean-up and dine in at Ovide, Hotel Effie’s in-house restaurant. Ovide, the restaurant by award-winning celebrity chef and 2-time James Beard nominee, Hugh Acheson, is offering a feast of roasted turkey, cornbread stuffing, savory gravy, Effie’s iconic homemade biscuits and much more.
This experience includes a seafood buffet alongside a family-style dinner, including starters, salads, entrees, sides, and delicious desserts to taste. Brunch is available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for $65 per person and $30 for children under 12. Make reservations here or call 850-351-3030 by Nov. 18.
Thanksgiving Fall Dinner
Leave your cooking utensils at home and enjoy an elegant home-cooked meal at Ovide with all the flavor and none of the stress. This elevated Thanksgiving dinner features a three-course meal with an array of all your favorite fall classics. Ovide’s chic, well-appointed interior and sophisticated ambiance is the perfect setting for a heart-warming meal with loved ones. Make reservations here or call 850-351-3030 by Nov. 18.
Hotel Effie is located at 1 Grand Sandestin Blvd., in Miramar Beach.
The meal will include three courses for $48. The first course is a choice of lobster bisque or shaved Brussels sprout salad. The second course will be a turkey plate with oven-roasted and spice-injected turkey with gravy, oyster dressing, Too Too’s corn soufflé, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole with pecans and marshmallows, and mayhaw-cranberry sauce. The third course will be a choice of bananas foster bread pudding, wood-fired pumpkin pie or pistachio creme brulee.
There will also be an a la carte menu from which to order. Guests can order only the adult turkey plate by itself for $37 as well. Down Island will have a full kids menu or a kids turkey plate for $15. Call or text 850-586-3015 for reservations. Walk-ins are also welcome if available.
From 6 to 10 p.m., the restaurant will be transformed with festive holiday décor for the annual evening event. Attendees will be greeted upon arrival with complimentary valet sponsored by Corcoran Reverie along with a glass of champagne. Inside, they’ll enjoy passed heavy hors d’oeuvres, a dinner buffet, and a cash bar sponsored by Foundation Title and Escrow Series, LLC. There will be music by DJ Wub Control sponsored by Centennial Bank, along with a commemorative Epic Photo Co. photo booth sponsored by McNeese Title Company. Guests are encouraged to dress in evening attire, black tie optional.
The event will boast a large silent auction featuring items from various local businesses, as well as a generous raffle package from Hotel Effie, with all proceeds benefiting Caring and Sharing of South Walton’s efforts to provide food and financial assistance to local area families and individuals in need. In 2021, the annual Christmas Charity Ball raised over $35,000 through ticket sales, donations, raffle tickets, and auction sales. For area businesses interested in silent auction donation, please contact Jessica Bracken at jessica@proffittpr.com.
“We look forward to this event every year and we know a lot of our regular customers and loyal patrons do too,” said Café Thirty-A owner, Harriet Crommelin. “We invite everyone to join us to kick off the holiday season and give back to those who need it most in our local community. The holidays can be tough for a lot of people so we hope this event will bring relief to a lot of those families.”
Cafe Thirty-A is located at 3899 E. Co. Hwy. 30A. Ticket prices will be $125 per person with 100 percent of the ticket sales and auction proceeds benefiting Caring and Sharing of South Walton. Funds raised from ticket sales will go directly to providing neighbors in need with access to food, financial assistance, mental health counseling, case management, and connection to other community resources. Tickets can be purchased online at www.cafethirtya.com.
GRAYTON BEACH – Grace Pizza and Shakes will host a grand opening celebration on Saturday, Oct. 29 at their newest restaurant, located in the old Pickle Factory at 38 Clayton Lane in Grayton Beach.
Founded in 2021 by Adrian Hembree and Vincent Nandlal in Alvin, Texas, Grace is the story of their mission and values expressed through the art of food, leadership, and serving others. The name “Grace” comes from a time when both Hembree and Nandlal faced hardships in their personal lives, and turned to their faith for grace, leadership, and love.
Nandlal and his father long knew that they wanted to open a pizza restaurant but didn’t have the knowledge or expertise of the business. They turned to their friend Adrian Hembree, who they had become close with through community service work including Hurricane Harvey relief, the Pearland Police Officer Benefit, and volunteering after the Santa Fe School Shooting. Due to their close bond, Hembree decided not only to advise on the business but partner with Nandlal to bring the concept to life. They both share the same passion and idea that food, a love for people, and serving others brings people together. Today, their goal is to extend Grace to the community, one slice of pizza, or one fun shake, at a time.
“Adrian had an idea for a pizza concept but wanted to shake it up with something different,” Nandlal said. “I love the milkshake idea, so I was able to help Adrian put together an over-the-top menu, and with his many years of restaurant experience and my passion for creativity, we were able to create this cool, unique concept.”
After vacationing to 30A for decades, both Hembree and Nandlal knew they wanted to open a business in the area to have a more concrete connection to the community and be in the area full-time. The decision became clearer when a friend let them know a restaurant space would soon become available and that they should take the opportunity to expand.
“We prayed and God told us to go for it, so we made an offer and the rest is history,” said Nandlal. “The Grace concept is perfect for locals and visitors because it brings a family friendly, cool environment that everyone will love, no matter what age you are. We are so beyond blessed and grateful to be here.”
Grace Pizza and Shakes 30A offers a wide variety of hand-crafted pizzas, salads, local craft beers, and over-the-top ice cream shakes, including their signature 30A Cake Explosion, made with locally sourced baked items. Their founding principles are based off the old proverb, “To each, his own,” meaning that none of their pizzas are the same and each is unique in flavor.
Community members, guests, and children are invited to the locally owned and operated restaurant from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29 to commemorate the official grand opening and taste some of the restaurant’s most popular fare. The Halloween-themed event will offer samples of various pizza pies and shakes, along with craft cocktails from Distillery 98, craft brews from Grayton Beer Company and the Lewis Bear Company, along with sips of Good Clean Wine. Attendees are encouraged to wear costumes and the best costume will be awarded a special prize. There will also be live music from Nashville-based recording artist, Cole Degges, along with kids face painting and a DJ later in the evening.
Proceeds from the event will benefit the Ohana Institute, a non-profit, private, exploratory, and innovative school serving middle and high school students. The school operates year-round on a flexible calendar that emphasizes project-based learning and combines both theoretical and real-world experiences for students through an engaging and broad array of subjects.
The new Grace Pizza and Shakes 30a is 1,000 square feet with an intimate dining area along with a plethora of outdoor seating options. The new restaurant has created 30 to 40 jobs in the community and since their soft opening in May 2022, they have partnered with several local businesses and organizations to give back to the community.
To learn more about Grace Pizza and Shakes 30A, visit www.gracepizzaandshakes.com and follow their social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook.
WATERCOLOR – Tickets to the Harvest Wine & Food Festival were a hot commodity, as entrance to all four of the weekend’s events – a pair of wine dinners, Saturday’s grand tasting and Sunday’s brunch – were all sold out.
Chef Nick Brothers represented Swiftly Catered at the sixth annual grand tasting, serving tuna poke cups and tuna wonton chips, as well as Chef Kyle Swift’s famous gluten-free puddle cookies. This was Brothers’ first time at the Harvest Festival, and he was impressed with everything he saw.
“We’ve got a great spot right here at the end, it’s the first place people stop by, and they keep coming back! They love our food,” Brothers said.
Yellowfin poke sesame cups offered from Swiftly Catered.
Atlanta-based Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q returned to the anchor spot, delighting ticket-holders with entire plates full of saucy meats. Also available for nibbles was cheese from Sweet Grass Dairy, chocolate truffles from The Perfect Pig, humus and baba ghanoush from Mano’s Authentic Healthy Foods, and a trio of cookies from Jonesing 4 Cookies, to name a few.
Of course no wine festival would be complete with out the wine, with bottles ranging from rose to riesling and everything in between.
The Frenzy Sauvignon Blanc 2021 was available for tasting.
Ashli and Doug Cohen of Salt Wine Company had their product at two tables, as they are also the supplier for the 30A Wine label. At her table, Ashli had bottles of their 2021 Greetings Pinot Gris, as well as five Pinot Noirs.
“They’re like our children, you know, you love them all,” Ashli said with a laugh. “We produce these wines off of vineyards that we control from bud break to bottle, so everything is estate. It has been a very successful day for us, and we’re happy to be one of the few winemakers represented here today.
Among those bottles was the Carter’s Lot Pinot Noir, which is made in partnership with Wine World owner and local wine festival legend Chan Cox.
“This is named after Chan’s grandson Carter, so it’s a private label for Chan,” explained Doug, also pointing to the Chef’s Table Pinot Noir. “This wine has a special connection to this festival. Twenty-four dollars per case sold of this wine goes to Northwest Florida children’s charities, and this is the only place you can buy this wine retail around the country. Otherwise it’s just a restaurant wine, but because of the donation to charity, we allow Chan to sell it here.”
To add a little variety to the mix, Harvest Wine Festival also hosts a beer garden – including Beach Camp Brewery, Third Planet Brewery, and Oyster City Brewing Company – as well as a selection of spirits, like Dune Laker Vodka, Cathead Distillery, and industry newcomer Mom Water, a carbonation-free flavored vodka water.
The VIP tent offered tastes of the 2020 El Diablo Chardonnay from Senses Wines.
VIPs were treated to samples from Booker Vineyard, Tarpon Cellars, Reynolds Family Winery and Penta Tequila, among others, as well as premium bites from Henderson Beach Resort, Blue Mabel Restaurant, Soleil and The Citizen.
Local residents Rex and Julie Barrentine were back for their second Harvest Fest, and were specifically seeking out Italian wines.
“We absolutely love this event. It’s very well laid out, and today my favorite has been the Good Clean Wine,” Julie said, pointing to Table 27 which was pouring Toscano Bianco, Cabernet Sauvignon and Synchronized Swimming Rose, which touted its organic grapes, low sugar and no added sulfites.
The sold-out Grand Tasting was held Oct. 15.
Harvest Wine Festival is put on by the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation, raising money for Northwest Florida children’s charities. The foundation’s next major event is the wine auction weekend, slated for April 28 to 30, 2023, in conjunction with the South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival.
Sea Market: Smoked Scottish salmon with passion fruit
InDyne: Grilled bacon-wrapped Gulf shrimp
Healing Paws For Warriors: Korean brisket burnt end with pickled veg
Food For Thought: Meatballs
K’Eggs Over Easy: Texas Twinkies
Sea Market, K’Eggs Over Easy, Healing Paws big winners
By Michelle Farnham Oct. 17, 2022
MIRAMAR BEACH – Seascape Towne Centre was smoking Oct. 15, as hungry taste-testers had their fill – and then some – at the eighth annual Eggs on the Beach grilling competition.
Event organizer and Bay Breeze Patio owner Susan Kiley was all smiles, basking in what she called “chamber of commerce weather” as she watched the EggFest unfold, trusty clipboard in hand.
“We have 20 cook teams. New this year, Knob Creek is sampling a lineup of cocktail drinks and Abita Beer is sampling beers in our beer garden,” Kiley pointed out. “The raffle is probably the best raffle we’ve ever had, but I have to say – by far – this is the best food year I have ever seen. The food has been unbelievable.”
Cook teams are competing for prizes, including Best Knob Creek Bite, deemed to have most effectively utilized the Kentucky bourbon; Best Non-Profit Team; and the highly coveted Taster’s Choice, which allows attendees to vote via ticket system.
For the Judges’ Choice category, five honorary judges sampled food from each team, determining the winner based on such categories as taste and appearance. This year’s panel included Texas barbecue legend Chef John O’Neil, Chef Al Massa of Brotula’s Seafood House, private chef Kali Davis, Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood GM Mike McIntosh, and freelance food writer Abigail Abesamis Demarest.
Chef John O’Neil take his turn at the Big Green Egg.
O’Neil – who has a house here on the bay – even got called into duty, filling in after a member of the Food For Thought cook team had an emergency.
He was elbow-deep in beef, creating a dish he called “How Do You Do Your Wagyu?” using Honor Wagyu from Dallas, including beef bacon, New York strip and flat steak. His secret ingredient was his homemade non-alcoholic coffee syrup barbecue sauce, combined with Knob Creek to make a candy glaze. He topped everything off with his own Dude Food Fire spice blend.
When it comes to judging duty, O’Neil said he was really looking for depth of flavor.
“Anyone can grill, but if you have access to 15 hours of cooking, it had better taste deep,” O’Neil said. “Taste is 50 percent, but what did you do for creativity, what did you do to run with an idea, what did you do for visual aesthetic?”
Compared to the traditional Texas barbecue he’s accustomed to, O’Neil noticed beach barbecuers liked to incorporate a lot more tropical fruit, salt, and more heat, the latter he attributed to the area’s New Orleans influence.
Mind If I Smoke: Pork belly burn ends with Breezy’s Biscuit and mac & cheese.
Pete Goldman of Breezy’s Biscuits teamed up with “G-Stack” and “A-Stack” on the Mind If I Smoke? team. Together they created pork belly burnt ends with Knob Creek maple bourbon glaze, served with sweet sliced pickles, smoked mac and cheese, accompanied with one of Goldman’s hatch green chili cheddar biscuits.
This was Goldman’s first EggFest, and he was blown away.
“I think this is an amazing event! The turnout is probably 10 times what I expected!” Goldman said. “Food is what drives this city – as well as the beach – and we’re brining Georgia, we’re bringing Tennessee, we’re bringing Florida flavors right here.”
Across the complex, the Smoke on the Bay team included Jimmy Powell and Keith Landry, who were first-time attendees in 2021 and decided to enter as a cook team this year with their authentic Cuban pork with beans and rice.
Landry said the dish was inspired by a dinner served at a Cuban friend’s house. Starting with a pork roast, they marinated it in a spice rub, slow-cooked it for 15 hours, made a mojo sauce using freshly-squeezed oranges, and a side of Cuban beans and rice.
“My friend made this dish and I thought it was the best pork I’d ever eaten,” Landry explained. “We’ve been making this for at least 25 years. The dish just lends itself to being cooked on the Big Green Egg. When you’re smoking it, you’re doing it low and slow, and that’s the idea.”
Eggs on the Beach has both good food and good causes. Proceeds benefit The Fisher House of the Emerald Coast and Food for Thought, and has raised well over $200,000 since its inception.
Chef Gio Filippone checks out the growing vote jar at the Eggstrahs table.
CONTEST WINNERS
Judges’ Choice
1. Sea Market 2. InDyne 3. Brock Pest Control
Best Knob Creek Bite
1. K’eggs Over Easy 2. Brock Pest Control 3. Sea Market
Best Non-Profit Pick
1. Healing Paws For Warriors: Blue Mountain Bakery 2. The Eggstrahs: South Walton Academy 3. Food For Thought
Children’s charities benefit from festival proceeds
MIRAMAR BEACH – The annual South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival donated $40,000 to Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation on Aug. 31, to support 17 children’s charities in Northwest Florida. The charity wine festival, founded by Chan Cox of Wine World, designates DCWAF as the sole recipient of the net proceeds of the event. More than 4,500 people attended the 2022 festival.
“Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation is honored to be the beneficiary of South Walton Beaches Wine and Food Festival. As the festival continues to grow, so does its generous contribution to our mission of helping children in need in Northwest Florida. This donation will make a positive impact in the lives of many, and it is a privilege to work side by side to make a difference for kids who need so much” said Karah Fridley-Young, president of DCWAF.
The Destin Charity Wine Auction main event was held during the festival and raised $3.8 million for the charitable organizations to address hunger, homelessness, abuse, and physical and mental challenges for thousands of children in Northwest Florida communities.
South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival took place April 21 to 24, at Grand Boulevard at Sandestin. Several hundred wines, poured by dozens of noted national and international wine celebrities, highlighted the festival. The Savor South Walton Culinary Village and Tasting Seminars presented by featured celebrities were showcased.
Festival founding partners include Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation, Visit South Walton Tourist Development Council, Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association and Visit Florida, Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa, Wine World of Northwest Florida and Grand Boulevard at Sandestin. Hyatt Place Sandestin at Grand Boulevard, Courtyard by Marriott Sandestin at Grand Boulevard and Residence Inn by Marriott Sandestin at Grand Boulevard are the official lodging partners of the festival. Rowland Publishing Inc. is the Official Media Sponsor of the festival.
Special culinary guests included Chef Scott Plumley, culinary director, The Craft Bar, The Wine Bar, and South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival; Chef Yoshie Eddings, Harbor Docks; Jim Shirley Enterprises, winner of Perfect in South Walton Grand Champion Executive Chef, The Bay, Great Southern Café; Chef Princeton McDonald, Barefoot’s Beachside Bar & Grill; Rinske Working Cows Dairy, Slocomb, Ala., and Publix Super Market.
Participating restaurants included Emeril’s Coastal; Black Bear Bread Company; Everkrisp; Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Bar; Grimaldi’s Coal Brick Oven Pizzeria; Kilwin’s Chocolates, Fudge & Ice Cream; P.F. Chang’s China Bistro; Tommy Bahama’s Restaurant & Bar; The Wine Bar; Another Broken Egg Cafe; The Craft Bar; Down Island Gulf Seafood Restaurant; Cabana Café; Beach Camp Brew Pub; Roux 30A; Slick Lips Seafood & Oyster House; The Bistro at the Courtyard Marriott Sandestin.
Tasters join honorary judges to vote for favorites, support local causes
Oct. 6, 2022 Special to 30A Food & Wine
MIRAMAR BEACH – The annual Big Green Egg cooking competition, Eggs on the Beach, returns to Seascape Towne Centre on Saturday, Oct. 15. Presented by Bay Breeze Patio, the delicious competition challenges cook teams to get creative with recipes created on the Big Green Egg. In addition to competing for taster votes, cook teams will work to impress a panel of five honorary judges.
Chef John O’Neil
Visiting from Austin, Texas, is Chef John O’Neil, the legendary Texas barbecue spice creator of Dude Food Fire. He joins local judges including award-winning chef Al Massa of Brotula’s Seafood House, private chef Kali Davis, Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood GM Mike McIntosh, and freelance food writer Abigail Abesamis Demarest to judge bites from more than 20 cook teams.
Chef O’Neil attended Scottsdale Culinary Institute and worked in kitchens from Arizona to Texas with renowned chefs ranging from Chef Bernie Kantak of Cowboy Caio and Chef Nobou Fukuda of SeaSaw. He’s owned a coffee shop in Boulder, Colo.; authored teaching manuals, including Fundamentals of Stocks and Sauces; and is now producing legendary Texas barbecue rubs under his label, Dude Food Fire.
The festival will be held on the deck overlooking the pond at the Seascape Towne Centre. With the Seascape outdoor tiki bar as the centerpiece and flat screen TVs airing the top college football games, tasters walk the perimeter sampling unlimited bites. Live music, a Knob Creek tasting area, seasonal beer samples from Abita Brewery and Grayton Beer Company as well as opportunities to win prizes, including a mini-Max Big Green Egg, enhance the Eggs on the Beach experience.
Proceeds from Eggs on the Beach benefit The Fisher House of the Emerald Coast, which provides a home away from home for military families during medical treatment, and Food for Thought, which aims to fight childhood hunger and food insecurity among students in Walton and Okaloosa counties. Since its inception in 2013, Eggs on the Beach has donated more than $205,500 to local non-profits.
Eggs on the Beach will take place from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15. Tickets are $45 in advance and $55 day of the event. Learn more and purchase tickets at www.EggsontheBeach.com.
SANTA ROSA BEACH – Back Beach Barbecue and Idyll Hounds Brewing Company will host a Beer Dinner Friday, Oct. 7, featuring a collaboration of craft brews and various barbecue options, to kick off the brewing company’s 8th annual Houndfest celebration.
Beginning at 5 p.m., guests are invited to the brewery, located at 845 Serenoa Road, for a cocktail hour with light appetizers before sitting down to enjoy a four-course meal prepared by Back Beach Barbecue Pitmaster Shane Kirkland. Each curated dish will be accompanied by a specially selected beer by Idyll Hounds Brewing Company, including a sneak preview of exclusive Houndfest brews. Pitmaster Shane has created a menu featuring various specialty meats and seafood including Bulgogi pork, snapper ceviche, and beer braised oxtail. Guests will also have their choice of a homemade decadent dessert to round out the evening.
This will be the first dinner the brewery has ever hosted. It was created not only to kick off Idyll Hounds annual anniversary celebration, Houndfest, but offer guests a more intimate setting to learn more about the beers and experience them in a unique dining setting.
