Food & Drink Issue
FOOD + BEVERAGE
EXPLORE THE EXCLUSIVE: WINE & DINE EXPERIENCES AT SANDESTIN GOLF & BEACH RESORT
Restaurants across the Panhandle trust us for their Point-of-Sale needs!
October: Food & Drink Issue
Welcome fall! With the changing seasons comes a change in what we are craving, and with fall that often means comfort food. October is our most delectable issue of the year, filled with some of our favorite dishes and beverages around town.
There is definitely an art to creating a flavorful dish that not only satisfies our taste buds but evokes memories. The aroma of certain spices and foods can bring us right back to our childhood, which can be incredibly powerful and comforting.
For this exciting issue, we had the pleasure of sitting down with the food and beverage director, Vasil Penchev, at Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort, and learned about their new exclusive wine dinners. We also chatted with Eliseo Gutierrez, Owner of Pepito’s Mexican Restaurant, and heard his vision for an elevated Mexican culinary experience. We tasted some delicious macarons and Cozonac bread from Elisabeta Jenkins of The Macaron Chef, check out her story for the recipe! Finally, we spoke with Mike Anderson and his team at Elite Cabinet Designs to see what features are trending in kitchen renovations.
Food brings us all together, and whether we are sharing a meal with loved ones or enjoying a night out on the town, the time spent while enjoying food is invaluable.
As always, thanks for reading, and we’ll see you around town!
CARMEN IONASCU, PUBLISHER @DESTINCITYLIFESTYLE
October 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
Galina Wells Photography, Shanna Perret with Davista Photography
Corporate Team
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Steven Schowengerdt
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Matthew Perry
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HR Janeane Thompson
AD DESIGNER Rachel Otto
LAYOUT DESIGNER Antanette Ray
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1. DCL Publisher Carmen Ionascu and Gulia Metcalf of Pink and Blue Avenue Children’s Clothing Boutique. 2: Carmen Ionascu with Jessie Orbovich, owner of Slay Rose wine, and her young niece. 3: DCL Publisher and Trenton Bainbridge Managing Director of ECTC. 4: Joceley Durette, Shelli Chinlund and Greg Durette at the DCL August Cover Celebration. 5: Michiko Ksung, Carmen Ionascu and Joshep Ksung at the DCL August Cover Celebration. 6: Shelli Chinlund with friends at the DCL August Cover Celebration. 7: Shelli Chinlund of Charcuterie by Shelli preparing the feast at the DCL August Cover Celebration. Photography by Galina Wells Photography
The Exclusive EXPLORE
Wine & Dine Experiences at Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort
ARTICLE BY SAVANNAH VASQUEZ
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GALINA WELLS PHOTOGRAPHY
Elegant, Elevated, and Exclusive, are three words to describe the new food and beverage scene at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. Sandestin, renowned as the premier Resort in Northwest Florida, is now offering first-of-itskind wine locker memberships and social memberships to the exclusive Burnt Pine Golf Club.
“Everything that you’ve heard about food and beverage, throw it out the window,” said Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort Executive Director of Food & Beverage Vasil Penchev. “Every wine dinner around is the same thing; a long table with everyone sitting together eating a plated meal. What we are doing is about the experience; our wine dinners will touch all five senses.”
Penchev explained that the first wine dinner he and his team are planning for Burnt Pine will be a Caymus Wine Dinner on October 5th; a seven-course gourmet experience with wine pairings, open to Burnt Pine club members. The dinner is so prestigious that the Vice President, National Sales of Caymus Wines will lead the tasting.
“We are going to build a ‘stage’ where the wine connoisseur will walk. There will be a chef’s station live-action area where the chef will cook in front of everyone,” Vasil said. “There will be a Japanese-style yakitori station, and we will prepare pasta in a 2x2-foot parmesan wheel. With all of these touch points, the diners will see and smell their food before they taste it and each course will be paired with wines selected to perfectly accompany each dish.”
Recently renovated, the Burnt Pine Clubhouse features an upgraded bar, stylish furnishings and climate-controlled wine lockers. When installing the wine lockers, the team at Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort aspired to build only the best.
"We invested in state-of-the-art, climate-controlled wine lockers because we wanted to offer something unique that no one else in the area provides,” Vasil said. "The best way to store wine is horizontally, thus protecting the cork."
The 64 wine lockers hold 6 bottles each and are first come first served for Burnt Pine members. Members can purchase bottles from the extensive wine list at Burnt Pine and can then be served without a corkage fee, upon request.
“We set out to elevate the Burnt Pine Clubhouse into a luxurious dining destination with a vibrant, interactive social atmosphere,” said April Sarver, Director of Marketing for Sandestin Resort. “It was time to expand and transform to create new wine experiences, pristine wine lockers and an elevated menu.”
These elevated dining experiences are not exclusive to Burnt Pine and Beach Club members.
When Hotel Effie Sandestin opened its doors in February 2021, fine dining at Ovide opened along with it. An elegant, culinary adventure, Ovide brings together classic Gulf Coast flavors and southern culinary traditions.
“At Ovide, every bite delivers an extraordinary flavor experience,” said Tanya Rauch, Director of Marketing for Hotel Effie. “The menu embraces Southern culinary traditions and favorites, so you'll find comfort foods like our pork chop, deviled eggs, and of course Grandma Effie's biscuits. Our deviled eggs feature smoked salmon, and you'll find premium ingredients like fennel sausage in our shrimp & grits. Effie's biscuits are Grandma's recipe, so we've left that one alone. What sets Ovide apart is the way these dishes are prepared for a truly fine dining experience."
Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort offers six club opportunities spanning from its most exclusive - The Elite Membership of Sandestin, to the recently renovated and prestigious Beach Club, as well as a Golf, Fitness and Tennis Club. Across the resort, one thing remains the same, members enjoy elevated experiences from food and beverage to golf and beach.
“Like a color palette, food, wine and spirits are all based on personal preference,” Vasil said. “Our approach is to serve good food and southern classics using fresh ingredients that are paired with quality wines and alcoholic beverages. We value and accentuate our relationships with our wine distributors by offering luxurious food and beverage experiences to our customers across the entire resort.”
ELITE KITCHEN DESIGNS
ARTICLE BY SAVANNAH VASQUEZ
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHANNA PERRET OF DAVISTA PHOTOGRAPHY
Feather Nolan Talks Trending Kitchen Features
Renovations, new builds, vacation home upgrades and reimagined spaces, these are all perfect opportunities to visit the new showroom of Elite Cabinet Designs. Newly opened in May of this year, the showroom is much more than a sample room, it is a chance to experience what elevated home design looks like.
“We were trying to create an inspirational place where people could experience being in a home instead of just looking at samples,” said Elite Cabinet Designs Owner Mike Anderson. “We have a living room, a fully functioning kitchen, a modern kitchen and even a master bathroom. We also have an outdoor living space to showcase our sister company, Renovation Flooring's, tiles, pavers, turf and other offerings.”
When asked what room is usually the first to be renovated, Design Consultant Feather Nolan said without question, the kitchen. She emphasized the importance of designing a kitchen to fit the specific needs of each client.
“Overall, we help clients factor in the function of the kitchen and how each person in the home is going to utilize the area,” Feather said. “If you are a chef, you have different needs than if it is a vacation home. Functionality of the kitchen then starts dictating the design and we integrate the design elements from there.”
The kitchens on display in Elite Cabinet Designs' new showroom in Miramar Beach showcase a multitude of design inspirations such as a sleek modern design, and a mixture of purposeful color and texture to give the look and feel of the luxury design their teams can achieve.
“I designed our showroom kitchen with a focus on coastal sophistication,” Feather said. “Being in this Emerald Coast area, we wanted to show a coastal theme, but in an elevated way, so that clients will come in and have a little bit of a wow factor.”
Feather designed the main showroom kitchen with soft warm wood features and cool blue accents in the base cabinets to bring in an ocean feel. She then finished the project with painted white oak cabinetry to add texture, reminiscent of our white sand beaches. It is this attention to detail that gives Elite Cabinet Designs showroom an elevated and luxurious feeling.
Other trending features in kitchen design include innovative storage solutions such as sliding pantries and pull-out cabinets that allow for maximal usage of space with a seamless modern look.
“I definitely think utilizing storage space in creative eye-appealing ways is on-trend in kitchen design right now,” Feather said. “One of the favorite features that we offer is our base corner unit that I call the cloud mechanism. Instead of a traditional blind, our cloud-shaped drawer comes completely out of the unit and fits back in seamlessly so that customers can utilize the full storage area of the corner cabinet.”
As customers walk through the showroom, Feather said they are often surprised at the many innovative upgrades and functionality of space that Elite Cabinet Designs offers. From dog bathing stations in the laundry room to backlit Cambria quartz countertops, Elite Cabinet Designs is true to its name when it comes to any home renovation project.
“Typically, our customers end up wanting to upgrade the whole house,” Feather said. “Once they start working with us on one project, they start to see how it truly elevates their entire living space. With our new showroom, we want to evoke creative inspiration in our clients to begin their renovation journey with us."
MAKING THE Macaron Chef
ARTICLE BY SAVANNAH VASQUEZ PHOTOGRAPHY CONTRIBUTED
The first macaron that Elisabeta Jenkins of The Macaron Chef ever tasted was one she made herself. A self-taught chef, Elisabeta was inspired to try the French dessert when she saw colorful photos of them on a calendar.
“I remember sitting at my desk and looking at the calendar and the picture had macarons on it, and I thought, ‘Ok, I’m going to make those desserts!’” Elisabeta said.
Elisabeta, who hails from Romania, grew up with a strong knowledge of cooking with fresh ingredients. When she moved to the United States 20 years ago, she made the decision to change her career and follow her passion of serving quality, unique foods and desserts.
“Being raised in Romania, we did a lot of baking, cooking, raising and growing of both food and animals,” Elisabeta said. “It was very easy for me to put that knowledge to work here.”
“ I REMEBER SITTING AT MY DESK AND looking AT THE CALENDAR AND THE PICTURE HAD macarons on it, AND I THOUGHT, ‘OK, I’m going to MAKE THOSE DESSERTS!’” Elisabeta said
After working for 15 years as a chef for Embassy Suites, doing everything from orchestrating breakfast, lunch and dinner for guests to running the back-of-house operations, Elisabeta launched her own bakery, The Macaron Chef, in 2014.
“In the beginning, I was a cottage bakery, but in 2018, I opened my first brickand-mortar bakery in Fort Walton Beach, partnering up with Chef Jason Jenkins," Elisabeta said.
In 2022, The Macaron Chef opened a Destin location, offering desserts from macarons and tarts, to cake pops and custom cakes. The bakery also offers breakfast and lunch as well as coffee, tea, and even a gift shop run by business partner, Helene Choi.
“We have warm sandwiches and our signature layered cakes covered with macarons on top. And of course, I always have macarons in both classic flavors and unique combinations, such as blackberry lemonade, vanilla chai and lavender.”
In addition to the bakery, Elisabeta and her friend and business partner, Sabina Zunguze, founded The Destin Farmer’s Market this past April. As a small business bakery, Elisabeta explained that Farmer’s Markets have always helped her get the word out about her business.
“I’ve been going to farmer’s markets all this time, that is how I grow my business,” Elisabeta said. “Now I manage a farmer’s market. We have vegetable farmers, fresh eggs, arts and crafts, candles, food trucks and more. It’s growing and growing and becoming very popular.”
The Destin Community Farmer’s Market meets every Sunday from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at 15003 Emerald Coast Parkway in the parking lot of Beall’s in Destin.
ROLLS
ingredients:
• 2 cups warm milk
• 2 tsp yeast
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 4 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 stick of butter (room temperature)
directions:
Mix milk, yeast, sugar, egg and baking powder and leave for 5 minutes. Next mix in all purpose flour and salt. Mix in mixer for 5 minutes.
Add butter. Mix until fluffy. Cover and let rest until doubled, about 1 hour. After 1 hour, punch to release air.
Divide into 2 loafs, and cut the loafs into small plump shape pieces, roll them in circles and put them into a buttered 13/9 pan. You can braid them as well like a breaded sweet bread. Rest for 1 hour again. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. When they are golden brown, pull them out the oven and rub the top with butter.
Cozonac Rolls
COZONAC
More Than Mexican
ARTICLE BY SAVANNAH VASQUEZ | PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHANNA PERRET OF DAVISTA PHOTOGRAPHY
Pepito’s Mexican Restaurant Brings Class and Local Flavor to Traditional Cuisine
Eliseo Gutierrez of Pepito’s Mexican Restaurant came to Destin on vacation in 1997 and decided this was the place he wanted to live. Originally from Jalisco, Mexico, Eliseo had grown up cooking and eating traditional Mexican food and noticed a need for the flavors of his roots in the Destin area.
“I always liked the kitchen,” Eliseo said of his youth. “I was always working on recipes, even today I make all of my own recipes. I have been perfecting my sauces and dishes throughout the years.”
Pepito’s Mexican Restaurant opened in Destin in 2000, and immediately became a Destin staple. Even before the doors officially opened, Eliseo said locals were there ready to support his business.
“I feel very welcome in this community,” Eliseo said. “From day one, people visited and asked when we were going to open. Then later, people always said they loved the food, the menu and everything. I am really thankful for the community.”
Wanting to incorporate the local cuisine into his offerings, Eliseo began to create dishes using local shrimp, red snapper and other seafood specialties. He explained that local seafood fits his philosophy of fresh, never frozen or canned ingredients in order for the food to maintain its best flavor and quality.
"Something I am very proud of is that all of our dishes here at Pepito's are made from scratch, from fresh ingredients because you can taste the difference," Eliseo said. "I worked for other Mexican restaurants before I opened my own, and I had a vision of how I could be different. They were focused only on traditional Mexican food, but I wanted to offer a step up from that and offer a little bit more.”
“I worked for other Mexican restaurants before I opened my own, and I had a vision of how I could be different,” Eliseo said.
for every palate. We also have a gluten-free menu and vegetarian options as well.”
Following its success in Destin, Pepito’s opened three additional restaurants, originally having two in Destin, one in Niceville in 2011, and one in Fort Walton Beach in 2015. Each location had its own flair, but each made customers and employees feel right at home.
So from day one, in addition to traditional Mexican dishes such as pozole, fajitas and corn husk tamales, Pepito’s also offers fried red snapper, rib-eye and Gulf shrimp, burgers and even shrimp spaghetti.
The most popular dishes at Pepito’s vary from season to season, but General Manager Diyana Nikolova said their queso is always a huge hit, as well as their specialty whole fried snapper and of course their fajitas and tacos.
“Everybody is welcome in Pepitos,” Diyana said. “We often get large groups here, and some of them might not be in the mood for Mexican food, so we have something
"We are like one big family," Diyana said of the atmosphere at Pepito's. "Eliseo treats everybody like family, so that trust and loyalty has led us to have employees that have been with us for more than 17 years."
Over the years, the small hometown Mexican restaurant has evolved with the times to offer a more upscale dining motif, embracing the modern look and feel of quality coastal dining.
“We are a very upscale, clean and polished Mexican restaurant,” Diyana said. “We differ from the traditional colorful look of most Mexican restaurants. Just like our food, we want to offer something a bit different and unique.”
