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Chef Frank Szymanski

Chef Spotlight: Frank Szymanski, Emeril’s Coastal

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By Michelle Farnham
June 13, 2022

SANDESTIN – With a dining empire to run, Chef Emeril Lagasse relies on Chef de Cuisine Frank Szymanski to hold down the fort at Emeril’s Coastal. Chef Frank stepped out of the kitchen long enough to grab a cup of coffee and answer a few questions.

Chef Frank Szymanski
Chef Frank Szymanski
You’ve been at Coastal almost five years now. Share your resume.

I had previously been the chef de cuisine out of the company as well as sous chef for Chef Emeril at NOLA and Emeril’s Gulf Coast Fish House that was in Gulfport, Miss. I had history with Emeril’s, so when I found out they were doing something in this area, I was pretty excited to come down here. I no longer wished to live in New Orleans, and when I heard they were doing something by the beach, I said, ‘I’m in!’ ‘Do you want to know what it is?’ ‘Nope! As long as I’m at the beach!’

What sent you on the road to a culinary career?

I turn 40 this year. I started cooking almost 26 years ago, and people ask how that’s possible, and I say it’s because I started when I was 14. I had a job at a little mom and pop place in Pass Christian, Miss., and they paid me in a little bit of money and lot of food, and that’s how they got around the rules for the first year. You can’t get around that nowadays. We’ve had some younger staff and you have to give them certain breaks and there are things they can’t do, and I think, ‘When I was 14, they had me on the slicer, everything dangerous I could do, I was doing.’

I was a marine biology major years ago and made the transition. I was a chef at a restaurant in Gulfport, Miss., going to USM, when Katrina hit. No school, no job, everything kind of started over. I was in my 20s, almost done with my degree, and I said, ‘I’m going to go to culinary school’ and I went to Johnson & Wales.

Describe your culinary inspiration

I’m from Long Beach, Miss., spent a lot of time in New Orleans – both eating and working – so that’s played a very strong influence in the way I cook. I love Southern food, taking comfort foods and making them a little more refined, but where they still invoke a memory. I love when you eat something, smell something, and it produces a memory. I strive for that.

What is it like to lead an Emeril Lagasse kitchen?

A lot of people ask if it’s stressful working for Chef Emeril, and the answer’s no. It’s exciting. He gives me the opportunity to do what I want, as he does with all his chefs at his different restaurants. We want to make each restaurant different and put our own personal touch on it, so he allows us to have creative freedom. We’re special here because he’s here all the time since he lives here, and it’s a help. His knowledge, the way he teaches the cooks, it’s so nice having him in the house. The cooks actually miss him when he’s not here. The vibe is a little different when he’s in the house, the customers are excited because they can see him. But we work like he’s here no matter what.

What does a typical day look like?

For a restaurant that only does dinner and Sunday brunch, we’re here a long time before the doors ever open. Usually I open at 7 a.m., we start checking in orders, I talk to seafood purveyors and they tell me what they’ve got coming in. I look at the books for the night to see how many customers we have coming in and start creating the menu for the night. We do a lot of whole fish preparations and that’s a fun thing for me in the morning, to find the fish that I’m going to serve that night.

After that, I walk around tasting things. Once we get through the morning, the cooks start coming in between 1 and 2, setting up their stations, getting their mise en place together. Sous Chef Tommy Wachter and I start deciding who’s going to make what that night and go over it with the cooks. Usually Tommy, myself or Chef Emeril will make the specials with them, walk them through the dish, so when it’s service time, they’re ready. I’m so lucky to have the staff that I have. Since we’ve re-opened, we’ve retained most of our staff, which is tough to do in this environment. Whether we’re short-handed or not, they get the job done every day.

We have a fairly short service, we open at 4:30 and go until 9, 9:30 on Fridays and Saturdays. We’re busy enough that even seating at 9:30, we’re still cooking until 10:30 every night. In the summertime we get out of here at 1 in the morning and we do it all again the next day. A typical day here is pretty long, but we all have each other’s backs. On a normal dinner shift, we’ll have 12 people in the kitchen, plus Chef Tommy and myself. That goes up in the summertime. We’re a pretty tight-knit crew and it takes a lot to produce the kind of food we’re producing.

Tell us about your namesake dish, Frank’s Honey Butter Fried Chicken.

When I’m off work, I eat a lot of simple foods: tacos, pizza, fried chicken. A few years ago, a table asked me to make fried chicken, so I did and they loved it. They asked for it again, then another table, and it became this thing if you called a day ahead, you could get Frank’s fried chicken. During truffle season, I’d come out and shave truffles on it, and it became this very special thing. At least once or twice a week, someone was coming in for it, and we’d do different sides with it, just having fun with it.

When we re-opened and were trying to come up with a chicken dish, Chef Emeril said, ‘Just do your fried chicken! It will give people from out of town the opportunity to get it.’ We started and it sells very well. We do a 24-hour brine with a buttermilk wash with a ‘very secret’ spice blend in the flour. We drizzle a little honey butter on the top, and if someone wants truffles, we’ll do that too. It’s pretty yummy.

What is your favorite thing on the menu to cook?

That’s tough. It’s whatever I’m cooking at the moment, but I get excited about our fish dishes. We always have at least three Gulf fish that we can do different preparations: a grouper, snapper, swordfish, cobia, wahoo done broiled, seared in a cast iron skillet, grilled, fried. Each one has different sets with sauces and sides. I get excited changing up the sets, like a grilled set with a salsa verde with capers and soft herbs, local vegetables and a saffron orzo. The fish are the same year-round, but switching things up because of the season, when it’s cold outside some Brussels sprouts or sweet potatoes or parsnips, those are exciting changes.

How was Emeril’s Carnivale du Vin in November?

All Emeril’s chefs from around the country go each year. In 2020 with Covid, we did a virtual event, and it just wasn’t the same, so this was the first year back. I had fun. I bought a beautiful 130-pound bluefin tuna loin, Osetra caviar, sea urchin, and made lobster oil with tarragon and smoked paprika, micro pickled vegetables. It was a very, very good dish and represented what we do here: super-fresh uni, beautiful caviar, a beautiful piece of fish. I don’t want to smother things with cream sauces – I love butter, it has its place – but we want to let the seafood speak for itself.

What do you like to do on your day off?

I love to fish, believe it or not. A lot of the fish we serve here are fish I like to catch in my own time. I try to get out 10, 15 times a year, at least. I grew up fishing on the Gulf Coast, I did a lot of in-shore fishing. As I got older, I started making more trips off-shore. Anything I can do that involves water, I’m in.

Other than that, I love movies. I was excited when the theater next door opened back up. A lot of times if I open and I get to sneak out of here at a decent hour, I’ll run next door and watch a movie. I love to read, but I try to do as much outdoor stuff as I can because I’m inside here so much.

Emeril Lagasse

Emeril’s Coastal: A seafood experience

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By Michelle Farnham
May 21, 2022

SANDESTIN – Since opening nearly five years ago, Chef Emeril Lagasse’s Sandestin restaurant has rolled with the tide, you might say. When the world-famous chef made the decision to temporarily close the doors to all his restaurants during the thick of the pandemic, he and his staff used that time to rework and re-imagine. The former Emeril’s Coastal Italian became Emeril’s Coastal, they switched to a dinner service with Sunday brunch, and the tastes of the sea became the kitchen’s main focus.

“We have always wanted to be seafood-centric at Coastal,” Lagasse explained. “The pandemic gave us an opportunity to regroup and rethink the menu, dropping the ‘Italian’ and focusing more on the advantages of being on the coast with the Gulf of Mexico in our backyard.”

With Lagasse and his chef de cuisine Frank Szymanski both being coastal kids by birth, and with a gulf full of fresh seafood at their disposal, the transition was a natural one.

“We have the opportunity to create dishes with the freshest seafood available and Chef Frank has done an incredible job with the seafood concept and seafood specials. When you dine at Emeril’s Coastal, you are going to have ‘a seafood experience,’ enjoying the freshest and most creative seafood dishes,” he said. “The guests have given very positive feedback.”

Nightly specials include a fresh catch like snapper, grouper or swordfish.

Both chefs are proud of their whole fish preparations, which are as much a feast for the eyes as the palate. Lagasse also pointed to the nightly special blackboard – which features a fresh catch like snapper, grouper or swordfish – and Bob Doyle’s Maryland Style Crab Cake, served with lemon butter and shoestring potatoes.

“We try to keep our menu pretty seasonal and our menu constantly evolves from one week to another,” explained Szymanski. “We print menus in-house so if mussels aren’t available, for example, we’ll do a dish with clams instead. We have so many repeat customers and they don’t want to eat the same thing every time, so we’ve got to keep it moving.”

Although there is a fine dining vibe at Coastal, they don’t take themselves too seriously. Halloween saw the waitstaff dressed in costumes, and special occasions are celebrated with freshly spun cotton candy and a festive flair.

Oysters are served your choice of three ways.

Platters of oysters are celebrated three ways: raw with mignonette, chargrilled with Parmesan or baked with brie and bacon, or enjoy them over house-made spaghetti with garlic and cream.

“My team and I work hard every day to be the best restaurant with the freshest product,” Lagasse said. “We have some amazing local purveyors who provide us with the best seafood to provide our customers an experience that we are proud of.”

Those with a hearty appetite can tuck into the 22-ounce bone-in prime ribeye, or for lighter fare, EJ’s Chop Salad with avocado, sweet corn and bacon is named for the famed chef’s son, EJ, currently studying to be a chef himself.

Salmon
Salmon bagel, anyone?

The party continues behind the bar, featuring house-made extracts and specialty cocktails. The staff is poppin’ bottles during Sunday brunch, including bottomless mimosas, frozen Lushies, alongside midday nosh favorites like Meril’s Eggs Benedict, lobster Benedict or the fried oyster omelet.

A special take-out menu allows diners to enjoy the tastes of Coastal on the go, including apps, entrees, sides, a kid’s menu and desserts.

Life outside the kitchen

Lagasse is certainly known for more than the plates of food he produces; he’s a philanthropist at heart.

“This year, we are celebrating 20 years of the Emeril Lagasse Foundation,” he added. “We are looking forward to continuing to provide capital and programmatic support to organizations across the nation through our Community Grants Program and our signature program, Emeril’s Culinary Garden and Teaching Kitchen.”

After missing out on several of their live events last year, Lagasse and his wife Alden were thrilled to be able to get back to the business of charity. The Carnivale du Vin returned in November in New Orleans; the Line, Vine & Dine in Fort Lauderdale in February; with more events populating the famous chef’s upcoming calendar.

“Alden and I are looking forward to coming back together in person for the Emeril Lagasse Foundation’s Spring fundraising events like the Chi Chi Miguel Fundraising Weekend here in Santa Rosa Beach,” he said. “Line, Vine & Dine and Chi Chi Miguel support incredible local charities in the Florida communities and we are so grateful for the continued generosity of the donors, sponsors and friends who make them possible.”

In between events and trips to check in on his eight other restaurants, look for Lagasse, Szymanski and their team on the line at Coastal, serving up that fresh coastal fare!

Emeril’s Coastal is located at 435 Grand Boulevard in Miramar Beach. Open 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 4 to 9:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and for Sunday brunch 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Reservations are accepted; visit them online at www.emerilsrestaurants.com or call 850-608-7040.

Emeril Frank fish

Emeril’s Coastal: Riding a new wave

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July 1, 2021
By Michelle Farnham

SANDESTIN – Sometimes necessity is the mother of invention. Such was the case with Emeril Lagasse’s newest restaurant right here on the Emerald Coast. While the pandemic forced the temporary closure of Emeril’s Coastal Italian last summer, he and his staff were busy re-imagining the Grand Boulevard eatery.

When the doors reopened in August, guests found a revamped dining room and a new menu, with a renewed focus on seafood. Lagasse and his chef de cuisine, Frank Szymanski, let the ingredients take the lead, creating dishes they themselves want to eat.

“I have always loved seafood and have a connection to cooking with seafood since I was a kid,” Lagasse admitted. “I’ve always felt the food tastes better when you have a connection and appreciation for the ingredients.”

With the Gulf Coast in their backyard, their list of potential local suppliers is as impressive as it was extensive – something Lagasse has believed in throughout his career.

“There are so many hard-working and reliable local purveyors who source these ingredients with care and attention, and I wanted to support what they are doing because it’s so important,” he said. “We are lucky to have such fresh seafood and vegetation in our area that it would be foolish not to use what’s right here and available to us.”

Seafood Emeril

New to the table

So what might you find on the menu at Emeril’s Coastal? Chef pointed out the Fresh Catch section as a fine example of the local seafood his team brings in daily.

“You can get your fish prepared one of four ways: Grilled with sea salt, lemon-garlic infused olive oil and local root vegetables; fried with cocktail sauces, tartar and blue crab hushpuppies; broiled with lemon, fumet butter and bay laurel; or cast-iron preparation with essence, Creole meuniere and a cheddar grit cake,” he explained.

He also recommends the miso orange-glazed wild caught salmon.

“It has some international flavors to accompany it, including my daughter’s Kimchi which she and her husband Andy make locally, and it’s so good,” Lagasse added.

Hometown foodies might recognize other local purveyors including Black Bear Bread Co. of Grayton Beach, Shane Cochran Honey from Santa Rosa Beach, and Louisiana Lagniappe Inc. and Destin Ice Seafood Market in Destin.

Coastal fans will still find some old favorites on the revised menu, including the Fettuccine Nero, Pineapple Upside-down Cornbread, house-made ice creams and sorbets, and the fabled Olive Oil Cake.

Lagasse and Szymanski like to switch things up from time to time with their seasonal meals. 2020 saw the return of their eight-course Feast of the Seven Fishes, Trufflemania, A Night in France, and A Night in Portugal, in addition to holiday meals and nightly specials.

An extensive wine list joins the Dessert Cocktails and Nightcaps menus, ensuring you have a beverage to pair with every plate. From the Grown Up Abita Root Beer Float, to a 1.5-ounce pour of Remy Martin Louis XIII or a bottle of Colgin IX Estate ‘14, there’s something to suit every palate.

Sandwich Emeril

Seaside inspiration

In addition to outfitting the kitchen with some new equipment to support the menu adjustments, the dining room itself saw a refresh as well. Lagasse capitalized on this opportunity to do a housekeeping and renovation project.

“My wife Alden helped with switching out some of the art to reflect a more seafood-driven motif,” Lagasse said. “We love the space and didn’t want to change much, just made tweaks and got to do some projects that are difficult to execute.”

The adjoining outdoor patio has proved even more popular than normal since the reopening. The space is outfitted with fans, umbrellas, misters, and heaters.

On occasion, you might even see Lagasse’s son EJ behind the pass, home from culinary school at his father’s alma mater, Johnson and Wales. Lagasse insists he never pushed his son into the industry, but is proud to see him working hard at ensuring the family’s dining empire has a long and delectable future ahead.

Emeril’s Coastal is located at 435 Grand Boulevard, Miramar Beach, and is open from 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday (9:30 on Friday and Saturday), and Sunday brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reach them by phone at 850-608-7040, or visit emerilsrestaurants.com/emerils-coastal/

Emeril

Emeril cooks up big news at Seaside

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Lagasse Foundation grants $500K to Seaside School at Taste of the Race

By Michelle Farnham

Emeril Lagasse wants to get down to the meat and potatoes of education – literally. The famed chef stole the show at the fourth annual Taste of the Race fundraiser and culinary event March 2, announcing the Emeril Lagasse Foundation would be presenting a $500,000 grant to the Seaside School Foundation.

Emeril Lagasse
L to R Jim Richard of Word of Mouth Restaurant Group, Emeril Lagasse, Jim Shirley of The Great Southern Cafe

That money will be earmarked for the implementation of a new culinary-based curriculum, one the foundation worked with some of the top curriculum designers in the country to create. Plans also call for the creation of the 1,800-square-foot Emeril Lagasse Culinary Kitchen and Schoolyard Garden at Seaside Neighborhood School, as well as three additional classroom buildings and a performing arts center. Additionally, Seaside Neighborhood School – ranked No. 8 among Florida charter schools – will finally be able to expand to the elementary grades.

“It’s wonderful to be a local and support the local scene of what we’re doing – not only as restaurateurs and chefs. I’ve experienced (Seaside Neighborhood School) with two children. This is a very, very special place,” Lagasse said.

Brian Kish, president of the ELF, stressed the importance of refocusing students’ outlook toward food.

“These kids are going to know where their food comes from, they’re going to appreciate the food, they’re going to understand how hard it is to grow and prepare food,” Kish said. “They’re going to eat healthy and share conversation around a kitchen table again.”

Rick Helfand, chairman of the Seaside School Foundation Board, is pleased to see the long-awaited goal of adding younger grades finally coming to fruition.

“This is an amazing opportunity for the Seaside School. We’re adding grades K through 4. We’ll have a K through 12 probably in the next year-and-a-half or so. We should start construction in the next four or five months,” Helfand explained.

Event co-chair and local restaurateur Jim Shirley revealed that the foundation has been raising money to build out the elementary school as part of a grassroots effort.

Emeril and Jim Shirley
Chef Jim Shirley, sharing the stage with Seaside Neighborhood School students, said he thinks the charter can build a curriculum model that could spread all over the country.

“We’re three-quarters of the way there, underground and within our group. Now we’re publicly announcing that we are fundraising for this school,” Shirley said. “Emeril has this incredible vision for a culinary garden and teaching kitchen. We’re going to build one here and combine that incredible idea of everything that’s culinary is science, is history, is reading, writing, it’s math, it’s everything. Everything about cooking is education.”

Lagasse feels this shift of focus is an excellent lesson in practical learning.

“When you think about cooking, it’s more than just turning on a stove and putting in ingredients,” Lagasse explained. “What are those ingredients? Where do they come from? The equivalent of math to that: a cup, a quarter, a pound, an ounce, a tablespoon. Not only the mathematical part of that, but the educational part of that, the resource part of that. These children have a great opportunity, and when you talk to these kids, they’re super-excited about what’s happening.”

As part of the fundraising effort, longtime Seaside restaurant owner Dave Rauschkolb and Kish hosted a Raise the Paddle, seeing large monetary donations coming in from the likes of Spell Restaurant Group, Bud & Alley’s, Amavida Coffee, George and Ann Hartley, Geoff Chick, Dan Buckner, and Word of Mouth Restaurant Group, to name a few. Rauschkolb and Jim Richard offered dinners at their restaurants, Bud & Alley’s and Trebeaché, respectively, to higher-level donors.

Don’t forget dinner!

The smell of food wafting around the giant tent on Seaside’s Lyceum Lawn quickly reminded attendees of the 30-plus vendors waiting to dish up everything from Restaurant Paradis’s red snapper, cobia and grouper ceviche over a fried plantain chip; to Seagar’s New York strip loin with mushroom and madeira jus. amici 30A Italian Kitchen had both dinner and dessert covered, with warm Italian greens, Amy’s Meatballs, and chocolate chip and salted caramel popcorn cannoli.

Booth No. 1 held an extra-special exhibition when – for the first time – Seaside Neighborhood School students were on hand to present the ultimate in farm-to-table cuisine.

“We have made some dips with ingredients from our school garden and we’re here serving up some dip!” explained eighth-grader Emma Salinas. “This is our cold yogurt and cheese dip,” she said, gesturing to the tray in front of her.

“It’s Emeril’s recipe,” added classmate Knoxye Grinstead, as she stood next to sixth-grader Kingston Mixson and a platter of spinach dip with pita chips. “All the recipes are from Emeril’s cookbook for kids.”

Photos courtesy of Michelle Farnham

Emeril Lagasse

Emeril’s Coastal Italian Restaurant Opens in Grand Boulevard at Sandestin Town Center Late Spring 2017

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Special to 30aFoodandWine.com courtesy of Grand Boulevard at Sandestin

Emeril’s Coastal Italian Restaurant Opens in Grand Boulevard at Sandestin Town Center Late Spring 2017

Chef Emeril Lagasse’s new restaurant to offer a combination of modern Italian cuisines with local fresh Gulf seafood.

Miramar Beach, Fla. (Mar. 30, 2017) – When legendary chef Emeril Lagasse decides to open a new restaurant, it’s a momentous occasion and people sit up and take notice. The award-winning restauranteur, cookbook author and television star has announced the opening of his newest restaurant, Emeril’s Coastal Italian, which opens in Grand Boulevard late Spring 2017. Lagasse’s newest restaurant joins the collection of premium restaurants based in the popular Town Center, located in the prestigious beach communities of South Walton, along the Gulf Coast of Northwest Florida.

“Grand Boulevard is a unique location and we can’t wait to be part of the many offerings and businesses here. I’ve had a long appreciation and love for this part of Florida. We are thrilled to partner with the Howard Group and become more involved with the local community,” said Lagasse.

Chef Emeril is hands-on with his restaurants and personally created the new restaurant concept. He and his restaurant team have written, tested and developed the menu and recipes, including the research of local purveyors and experimenting with local ingredients.

Emeril’s Coastal Italian combines the rich and diverse tradition of Italian cuisine with the bountiful variety of nearby fresh Gulf seafood and local ingredients.

“I plan to put my own spin or interpretation on many traditional dishes but also explore some unique offerings that highlight the amazing local ingredients that we have at our fingertips here. You can expect to find a wide array of dishes on this menu that expand beyond your traditional Italian restaurant.” said Lagasse.

Opening a restaurant in Miramar beach has been of interest to the Lagasse’s for some time. Chef Emeril is an avid fisherman and has been fishing in the gulf waters for years. He and his wife Alden Lagasse are active members of the community and call the Gulf Coast their home base.

“Part of the appeal of opening in Miramar Beach and at Grand Boulevard is the proximity to my home and the ability for my whole family to be involved. My children have grown up in our restaurants and we are really looking forward to having this property so close, it’s practically in our backyard,” said Lagasse.

Lovelace Interiors have been selected as the Interior Design Firm in collaboration with Lovelace design associate, Alden Lagasse. Susan Lovelace, ASID, NCIDQ certified and has owned the esteemed Interior Design Firm in Miramar Beach since 1992. The design concept is an earthy mix of textures that create a coastal and casual feeling, with an elegant touch. Susan and Alden describe it as a collaboration between cuisine and design elements that enhance the experience of dining. They are striving to make Emeril’s Coastal Italian something that is elevated beyond the ordinary and a complimentary fit to the many superb establishments located at the Town Center.

Keith Howard, President and CEO of Howard Group commented, “I admire the fact that Emeril and his family have been much appreciated and recognized local patrons of the Town Center for many years. Rarely, if ever, do we as developers have the opportunity to work alongside such a world-renowned chef who is also the owner and operator of this newly created Coastal Italian concept. We welcome Emeril and his family to our ever-growing Grand Boulevard Town Center, joining our many other premier dining, shopping and entertainment venues.”

Grand Boulevard is centrally located in the popular and affluent vacation community of South Walton, in Northwest Florida. With 13 restaurants and eateries located in the Town Center, Grand Boulevard attracts a large number of the permanent population as well as second home owners and the area’s many visitors who enjoy the shopping, dining, hotels and entertainment offered within the Town Center.

Emeril’s Coastal Italian restaurant is located at 435 Grand Boulevard, Suite 104, next door to the Town Center cinema.

About Grand Boulevard
Grand Boulevard is the shop, dine, play and stay Town Center located on Northwest Florida’s Beaches. Based on the prominent mixed-use architectural model, Grand Boulevard offers a dynamic lifestyle experience with convenient access to a multitude of exclusive shopping and dining options, entertainment, professional services, corporate offices and lodging. Grand Boulevard is a Howard Group and Merchants Retail Partners property. For more information, please call (850) 837-3099 or visit www.grandboulevard.com.

About Emeril Lagasse
Chef Emeril Lagasse is the chef/proprietor of 13 restaurants in New Orleans, Las Vegas, Orlando and Bethlehem, PA. As a national TV personality, he has hosted more than 2,000 shows on the Food Network, and is the food correspondent for ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Lagasse has appeared as a guest judge in four seasons of Bravo’s hit food series, “Top Chef,” was named a co-host for the tenth season of the “Rachael Ray Show,” and in January 2016, he entered his fourth season of “Emeril’s Florida” on the Cooking Channel. In September 2016, Amazon launched an original series featuring Lagasse called “Eat the World with Emeril Lagasse.” Lagasse is the best-selling author of 19 cookbooks, the latest, Essential Emeril: Favorite Recipes and Hard-Won Wisdom from My Life in the Kitchen, was released in October 2015. In 2002, Emeril established the Emeril Lagasse Foundation to support children’s educational programs that inspire and mentor young people through the culinary arts, nutrition, healthy eating, and important life skills. To date, the Foundation has donated more than $7 million to community organizations in New Orleans, Las Vegas and on the Gulf Coast. Please visit emerilsrestaurants.com for more info.

CONTACTS
For Grand Boulevard
Stacey Brady, Director of Marketing and Communications Grand Boulevard at Sandestin
850.837.3099 ext. 203
stacey@grandboulevard.com

Ready Set Eat

On your mark, get set, eat! – Emeril’s Taste of the Race!

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On your mark, get set, eat!

Emeril Lagasse headlines Taste of the Race culinary event on 30A

Food Network star announces Grand Boulevard restaurant will be “coastal Italian”

By Michelle Farnham
March 9th, 2017

Carb-loading before a big race is a ritual for many seasoned runners. At the Taste of the Race event – the precursor to the Seaside School Half Marathon & 5K Run – athletes get to “pregame” with the likes of world-famous chef Emeril Lagasse and the top culinary players in the South Walton food scene.

The Friday night food event sold out with over 750 tickets issued, as did the race, with proceeds benefiting the Seaside School Foundation, the organization which helps fund Seaside Neighborhood School.
As residents of the area, Chef Lagasse and his wife Alden – who is on the board – have two children currently attending Seaside. It’s that drive as a father and neighbor that inspires the famous chef to lend his time and talents to the cause.
“As a resident of the community, I just want to see things evolve at Seaside,” Lagasse said. “It’s amazing for the community. I mean, I wish I could come to school here!”

More than dine-and-dash

Alicia Butler, executive director of the Seaside School Foundation, said money raised over the entire race weekend goes to supplement state funding, and is used for technology, music, arts and the gardening program.
With the help of the Lagasses, school executives, Seaside founder Robert Davis, and local chefs, the pre-race meal has evolved over the years from a simple pasta dinner to one of the great food and beverage events on the coast.
“There’s so much love here it’s unbelievable, and it gives people a taste of the panhandle,” Lagasse pointed out. “You know what? We have so much talent here, we have so much great food and great chefs and restaurants, but nobody knows about them. To be able to tie that in with the school – to make the community even better – makes me really happy.”
Butler credited the work of many for the event’s success.
“It’s really become a community event,” Butler said. “Everybody volunteers their time and services, and staff members of all these organizations volunteer, too. It’s just amazing how the community comes together for this event.”
A lucky few attended a VIP reception with event co-chairs Lagasse, Chef Jim Shirley, and Chef Jim Richard. Foodies will know Shirley from his restaurants, including The Great Southern Café, 45 Central, The Meltdown on 30A, The Baytowne Melt, and The Bay, while Richard has brought local diners Stinky’s Fish Camp and Trebeaché.
Shirley and chefs Michael Mix (The Bay) and Tim Plowick (The Great Southern Café) served up a twist on Ya Ya Pizza and Faux Ya Ya, respectively.
“When it comes to the Seaside school, “I’m all in,” Shirley said. “I’m on the school board and it’s a group I cherish. As a merchant of Seaside, I really love having the kids here.”
Alongside Trebeaché Chef David Cunningham, Richard was dishing out a Louisiana Crawfish and Tasso Ragout with Potato Gratin. Like Lagasse, he has two kids in the Seaside schools, and couldn’t be more proud of the way the charter has evolved.
“I’ve lived in a lot of places and it really is unparalleled,” he said of the school. “Supporting this school, supporting the community is really important for all of our businesses, for everyone who lives here. You can’t say enough about it.”
Richard had easily the youngest sous chef on his line, in Seaside Neighborhood School sixth-grader George Bailey. Bailey said his duties for the evening included “a little bit of cooking, but a lot of helping out, serving, giving food to people and smiling.”
Bailey admitted cooking is just a hobby for him; he has his sights set on becoming a stock broker, a career that will be bolstered by his love of math and a challenging curriculum at Seaside.
“It’s the most wonderful school; it pushes you. It has a great environment and the teachers are amazing,” Bailey said of SNS.

The dish on the dishes

There were eats-a-plenty, with 21 chefs coming together to present everything from Mullet Cake with Remoulade Sauce (Grayton Seafood Co.), to the Gulf Seafood Cioppino with Cheese Toast (Fish Out of Water), to bite-sized desserts from Sweet Henrietta’s. Drinks were poured from Grayton Beer Company, Buffalo Trace and The Craft Bar.
Atlanta resident Joanie Fagan and her four girlfriends make a special trip to Seagrove every year for a girls’ weekend, centered around the Taste of the Race event.
“We love the food, and it’s even better this year,” Fagan said.
Chef Gregg Smith brought a Southern Slider from 30A newcomer Surfing Deer. The dish featured hot honey fried chicken, peach marmalade, a ginger pickle and a house-made buttermilk biscuit.
Like many under the tent on the Lyceum Lawn, Smith and Surfing Deer owners George and Ann Hartley have a vested interested in the school.
“The Hartleys have been a part of this community for many, many years. Their children went to this school, and my 24-year-old daughter went to this school in 6, 7 and 8th grade,” Smith said.
Kevin Korman, the culinary mastermind behind Roselie Dining & Seafood Bar, kept diners on their toes with his offering.
“This is a little play on shrimp and grits, but it’s reversed,” he explained. “It’s a grit fritter, and on the bottom is charred shrimp in a tomato sofrito, and then we did a sweet and spicy tomato and pepper jam.”

New restaurant on the horizon

The folks from Emeril’s Homebase have been pretty tight-lipped about the culinary master’s next venture at Grand Boulevard – his 14th eatery.

Lagasse did let it slip that his new restaurant is “going to be Italian – very coastal – not just spaghetti and meatballs … It’s going to be damn good.”

Located next to the Carmike Boulevard 10, the restaurant will feature “food graffiti” courtesy of a New Orleans mural artist.
Many of the local chefs were excited to have a name as big as Emeril Lagasse shining the spotlight on their burgeoning culinary mecca.
“It really puts us on the map as a restaurant destination,” Richard said. “You can look at our tourist development numbers, and restaurants are the number two reason people come here. For those of us who have been in the business a long time and owned restaurants, we know that he’ll raise the bar because everyone’s going to have to step up a little bit. That’s only going to make our restaurant scene better, by him being here.”
Korman thought it was no coincidence Lagasse chose South Walton for his next venture: it’s the next big thing.
“That exactly why we decided to open a restaurant here,” he said of Roselie, that opened at Inlet Beach in June of 2016. “We thought about a lot of other locations … but ultimately we decided here for that reason: it’s about to pop.”
Perhaps Shirley said it best. “Emeril’s lived here for a while and we enjoy that, and now he’s going to do his thing, that’s great. It’s on!”
To close out the evening, Lagasse joined the band Masterpiece on stage, dancing with the crowd and even saddling up behind the drum set for a song.