Explore Issue
ENTERTAINMENT
LUXURY CRUISING WITH HOLLOWAY YACHT CHARTERS
JulyExplore Issue
We live in a beautiful part of the United States of America, and many times I take for granted just what our area has to offer. With our unique quartz white sand beaches and our emerald clear waters, we really do live in paradise.
This issue, we are focusing on exploring. Whether that be a new location or your own backyard. In this issue, we have collected some of the area's experts in local activities, restaurants and experiences. You will meet Ryan Holloway and his crew of captains that can take you out on a luxury yacht, a fishing trip or a day at Crab Island. We will introduce you to Wayne Anderson, who has perfected recipes and relaxation vibes at Cabana Cafe'. Next, we will take you out on the water again parasailing and Jet Skiing with Jason Schilder of Xtreme H2O. Finally, we will show you the most streamlined way to book all of your activities in Destin with Greg Fisher of Tripshock.
Of course adventures and exploration don't have to be something big and crazy. It can be as simple as playing a card game with friends on the patio, trying a new beach access or going out to find a new ice cream place you've never been to before.
Our hope is that this issue encourages you to make room for exploration. To prioritize time away from the regular schedule of life. To lose yourself in a book at the beach or listening to live music in a new cafe'. To book that trip you’ve been thinking about, and to make time for the things that matter most to you, but often come last on the calendar. Here's to more exploring and more adventuring this summer!
CARMEN IONASCU, PUBLISHER @DESTINCITYLIFESTYLE
July 2024
PUBLISHER
Carmen Ionascu | Carmen.Ionascu@citylifestyle.com
MANAGING EDITOR
Josh Foster | josh.foster@citylifestyle.com
EDITORIAL COORDINATOR
Savannah Vasquez savannah.vasquez@citylifestyle.com
ACCOUNT MANAGER
Melanie Gray | melanie.gray@citylifestyle.com
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Shanna Perret of Davista Photography, Robert Young of Forever Young Images
Corporate Team
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Steven Schowengerdt
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Matthew Perry
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HR Janeane Thompson
AD DESIGNER Rachel Collins
LAYOUT DESIGNER Antanette Ray
inside the issue
Where
Holloway Yacht Charters
Streamline
city scene
1: Pamela Wellborn, Owner of Market 30A, and Chef Alan Baltazar. 2: Julia Dorminy Vijacka, Owner of Gypsy Garage, and the Publisher. 3: Sally Foster, Owner of Flex Fitness, Tilly Souriyaseng, Deborah Wells, Millie Milagros. 4: Laura Bommarito, Owner of Home at Ease: Interiors & Design Services, and friend. 5: Evgeniya Stetsenko, Marketing Director for Renovation Flooring and Elite Cabinet Designs, and Corina Lambert. 6: Shelli Chinlund, Owner Charcuterie by Shelli, and friend. 7: Mary Cornelison, Jennifer Katalinic, Debbie West Photography by Shanna Perret of Davista Photography
Fort Walton Beach
Where Opportunity Meets Luxury
ARTICLE BY SAVANNAH VASQUEZ | PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHANNA PERRET WITH DAVISTA PHOTOGRAPHY
Holloway Yacht Charters Adds Extravagance to the Emerald Coast
Ryan Holloway knows a good opportunity when he sees one. With the success of his luxury yacht rental aboard the 75-foot yacht Propensity, Ryan saw a demand and met it by adding three more yachts, two power catamarans and a fishing charter under his charter company, Holloway Yacht Charters.
“I’m usually of the nature that I don’t try to grow too quickly, so I usually try to build and grow slowly, but the need and opportunity was there, so I couldn’t wait, I had to get rolling on it,” Ryan said.
In fact, Ryan said that when other boat owners saw his success, they approached him to manage their yachts under his charter; thus entered the 60-foot Neptunus, the 55-foot Fairline and the 52-foot Sea Ray yachts.
"I’m very picky about which yachts I will have in my fleet, they have to meet certain quality standards for us to consider them,” Ryan said. “Every single booking gets the Holloway Yacht touch.”
The Holloway Yacht Charters' standard is to offer customers a luxury experience that makes them so comfortable that they do not have to ask for anything. Every yacht booking comes with complimentary food service and can be upgraded to include a private chef, Jet Ski rentals, and many other additional services. In addition to yacht services, every charter comes with a captain and crew.
When he's not working on the yacht business, Ryan can be found working in his new industry of real estate. With experience consulting and selling yachts, he said that it just made sense to add homes and properties to the mix as well. When Ryan sees an opportunity, he goes for it.
“It’s something I decided to do on the side about a year ago,” Ryan said of Real Estate. "I’ve always liked making people happy and giving them their dream.”
Family is important to Ryan, and it is reflected in his logo, as the font was chosen to match the one used by his late father John Holloway. The double-u in the company logo is from the original Holloway family crest and the Holloway Financial Solutions company logo.
Introducing the prestigious captains of Holloway Yacht Charters:
“I usually try to build and grow slowly, but the need and opportunity was there; I couldn’t wait, I had to get rolling on it.”
JON TATROE
Jon became a licensed captain three years ago following his 21-year service in the U.S. Coast Guard. During his military career, Jon drove boats and cutters, so captaining yachts has come quite naturally to him.
“My favorite part about being on the water is the sense of freedom and connection to nature that it brings,” Jon said. “I have always had a deep love for the ocean, and I feel incredibly grateful to have been able to turn that passion into a career.”
When not working, Jon enjoys spending time with his family and exploring the Destin area.
LANCE SEMON
Captain Lance Semon hails from Houston, Texas and said he was born with salt water in his veins.
“My momma was the one who sparked my passion for becoming a captain,” Lance said. “After my first Royal Caribbean cruise. I knew that I wanted to be that captain one day.”
Lance says he loves providing new experiences to his clients. From discovering marine wildlife to enjoying the Gulf lifestyle, Lance loves to share the beauty of the Emerald Coast with his customers.
In his free time, Lance says you can find him spearfishing or taking his dog Harper on boat cruises.
“I’m very picky about which yachts I have in my fleet, they have to meet certain quality standards for us to consider them,” Ryan said.
MATTHEW DAVIS
Matt Davis is a fourth-generation Destin family boat captain. His great, great, great, great grandfather, Leonard Destin was a founding father of the City of Destin and was a renowned boat captain. Matt started his boating career on the family boat as a deckhand and decided post-college that captaining was his true passion.
“I went to FSU for physical therapy, but started deckhanding on my family’s boat the Anastasia to pay for my books,” Matt said. “Once I returned from college I had already gained enough sea time to obtain my 100-ton master’s license.”
A Destinite on his father’s side and a Chicagoan on his mother’s, Matt said when he has spare time you will find him rooting on the Cubs at Wrigley Field every chance he gets.
BLAKE REYNOLDS
Blake Reynolds grew up fishing. Born and raised in the Mississippi Delta, Blake spent as much time as he could out on the water.
“I owe it all to a fellow named Steve Hadley,” Blake said. “He’s the one who set the hook! He started taking me when I was in the fifth grade, that summer I won my first youth tournament. Ever since that day, I was addicted to fishing; It’s my life, it’s my passion. When you love what you do, it never becomes a job.”
Blake said he loves the Gulf because it brings peace and beauty to the world around him.
“I enjoy the beauty that God created all around me, it puts my mind at ease.”
Matthew Davis
Blake Reynolds
Stress Free Vacation
ARTICLE BY SAVANNAH VASQUEZ | PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED
STREAMLINE ACTIVITY BOOKING WITH TRIPSHOCK
““I take a lot of pride in my ability to help water sport businesses grow and reach their potential,” Greg said.
Vacation; Does that word bring up thoughts of relaxation and fun long days in the sun, or does it bring up the stress of booking tours, finding the best prices and worrying if the activities will live up to the hype? Greg Fisher of Tripshock developed the idea of a streamlined online booking service back in 2009, with the thought that he could do away with vacation stress and give vacationers the Destin experience of their dreams.
“We’ve built Tripshock by partnering with different activity operators like a one-stop-shop website where you can book all the things you want to do while on vacation,” Greg said. “Over the years, we have grown it and currently we are in 25 different markets, with Destin being our number one.”
Greg and his business partner Alex Benko make a good team, as Greg handles the sales and business-to-business side of things while Alex takes care of website development and technical projects.
CONTINUED >
Greg Fisher
Greg lives in Destin with his wife Christine and two children, Amelia and Everett. Over the past 15 years, Greg said he has developed a lot of friendships with business operators in the Destin area. Although businesses now have their own online booking websites available, many still prefer Tripshock for its ease of customer use and visibility on the platform.
“We built a software program called Waverez that operators can use to manage their business and accept online bookings directly,” Greg said. “It also integrates into Tripshock so we can help them get new customers and power their online presence.”
With everything from pontoon rentals and wave runners to Big Kahunas Water Adventure Park and the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park, Tripshock really has something for everyone. With a focus on water activities, Tripshock gives customers the confidence of booking excursions that are vetted and priced fairly.
“We have a best-price guarantee, we make sure you are getting the same, if not better price for everything we sell,” Greg said. “We also have a comparison engine so you can see everything there is to do and compare and contrast the different options to see which one best fits your needs.”
Greg also has a love for sharing his knowledge in the boating business with others, and does so through his podcast, “The Awkward Watersport Guys,” which he co-hosts with Destin entrepreneur and captain, Kevin O’Neil.
“We talk about issues in the boating industry, mainly in the commercial and boat rental side,” Greg said. “We have been producing it for about three years now and have about 150 episodes.”
ARTICLE BY SAVANNAH VASQUEZ
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHANNA PERRET WITH DAVISTA PHOTOGRAPHY
the Water Life On
JASON SCHILDER SHARES HIS LOVE FOR EVERYTHING H2O
Jason Schilder of Xtreme H2O has built his life around his love for being on the water. An avid surfer and Fort Walton Beach native, Jason was born and raised at the beach. When he became working age, his first inclination was to find something that would keep him right where he loved to be.
“I just wanted to do something I enjoyed so it didn't feel like work,” Jason said. “My first job on the water was back in the ‘90s, I worked renting jet skis on Okaloosa Island. We used to pull barges out to the sea wall full of Jet Skis and people would pull off the side of the road and rent a Jet Ski right there. It was a good time while it lasted.”
From there, Jason started his own company in 2004 on Scenic Hwy. 98 renting wave runners to beachgoers behind Sea Oats Motel.
“We were on the beach for four years, out there having a good time renting Jet Skis out, no worries in the world,” Jason said. “We weren’t really making much money, just having fun.”
In 2008, Jason got the chance to open a location on the Destin Harbor off of Calhoun Drive thanks to his friend Chris White. Chris offered Jason a spot to rent out of and Jason had access to the calmer waters of the harbor and the popularity of Crab Island.
Two years later Jason’s life changed forever when his brother passed away, then, like a one-two-punch, he found out he was going to have a daughter.
“That was a hard period in my life, but my daughter helped me focus on what was really important,” Jason said. “The year she was born, I created a website and overnight we went from minimal traffic and bookings to ‘Oh wow our lives are changed!’”
Jason said that before that time he had no idea how to market his business, but getting online at the beginning of internet marketing really was the winning ticket. He said there was not a huge presence for water sport businesses online at the time so Xtreme H2O stood out.
Today, Jason has three locations in Destin offering pontoon and waverunner rentals, parasailing excursions and daily tours on the party boat, Island Runner. Looking towards the future, Jason already has two new locations underway the first at Gilligan’s in Destin and the second at his very own stomping grounds in Fort Walton Beach.
“I have been three years in planning the marina in Fort Walton Beach,” Jason said. “It will be on the Santa Rosa Sound Behind Ali’s Bistro. I used to live in the house that is now Magnolia Grill. They moved the house over and I bought the waterfront piece. It’s kind of weird how the world works. I’m building a marina in the land I grew up on.”
Cabana Cafe
A Resort Restaurant with a local heart
ARTICLE CONTRIBUTED
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBERT YOUNG-FOREVER YOUNG IMAGES
Wayne Anderson of Cabana Cafe moved to the Destin area as a young boy in 1976, when his father was serving in the U.S. Air Force. One of his earliest memories of moving here includes going out for the first time in a small boat under the Destin Bridge and out through the East Pass and catching a Spanish Mackerel.
“It was a wonderful place to grow up, there was always such a sense of community even back then in the early days,” Wayne said.
That sense of community Wayne felt back then continues to this day and is the bedrock that guides him in all his charitable endeavors. One of his proudest achievements is serving as the President of Emerald Coast Community Cares Foundation whose motto is: ‘Locals helping Locals.’
“In the last three years, we have given back to locals in need both with direct donations and through gifts to other local non-profit charities,” Wayne said. “We have covered things like travel for medical treatments, rent after surgeries and met many other needs.”
Even joining the U.S. Air Force at age 18 couldn’t get him away from his favorite place in the world. After basic training, Wayne found himself assigned to Eglin Air Force Base, right back at home.
“I joined the military to see the world and instead saw Texas and Florida,” Anderson laughingly said. “But I was ecstatic to be back home and serve out my military career here at Eglin.”
After leaving the military, Wayne began working at Harry T’s Lighthouse restaurant for the next 12 years where he quickly rose up the management ranks to become the assistant general manager.
He then moved on to the Lucky Snapper, where he became the general manager and worked for seven years. During this time Wayne also opened Wayne’s Doghouse in 1991, the first venue at Crab Island to provide food and live music. The original sign now hangs proudly in the bar of Cabana Café.
When the time came to open his own restaurant, Wayne jumped at the chance and Cabana Café opened on January 1, 2008. Wayne credits his success to the support of his mentors; Dan Empson and Peter Bos from Harry T’s Lighthouse and Tom Rice and Wayne Lewis from Lucky Snapper.
Cabana Café is open seven days a week in the Ariel Dunes Building of Seascape Resort. Cabana Cafe is known for Wayne’s use of freshly made ingredients, over-the-top pizzas and live music seven days a week.
“I look forward to providing good food and great music for locals and tourists alike for many years to come,” Wayne said.
“It was a wonderful place to grow up, there was always such a sense of community even back then in the early days,” Wayne said.
