Flavor

Clambakes come in all shapes and sizes, but adding ingredients like lobster, corn, potatoes, and sausage is delish!

ULTIMATE Clambake

It wouldn’t be summer without a clambake, and you don’t have to cook it yourself unless you want to. “Our clambakes have live Maine lobsters, clams, mussels, potatoes, corn, and andouille sausage,” says Bob Thesz, general manager and corporate executive chef at New England Fish Market and Restaurant. “They’re available in our Jensen Beach and Palm City restaurants, and customers can order from the market as well. We put all the ingredients into a large can, which you take home and just place on your grill.” Popular seasonings include Old Bay, Creole, garlic butter, and beer; prices fluctuate according to the daily market cost of lobster. Says Thesz: “For me, the joy of a clambake is putting it on a picnic table, spreading it out on a tray, and enjoying it with family and friends.” n e w e n g l a n d fi s h . n e t — M a r k S p i v a k

Clockwise from top left: Denise Castronovo pours white chocolate into molds; creamed chocolate honey; coconut rum truffles. Opposite page: Castronovo with Mamo Camilo, spiritual leader of the Arhuaco indigenous people in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta region of Colombia, one of the areas from which she sources her cacao.

COURTESY OF DENISE CASTRONOVO

Natural WONDER

AT CASTRONOVO CHOCOLATE, THE CACAO BEAN REIGNS SUPREME

by MARK SPIVAK

When Denise Castronovo was in high school, she made a commitment to do meaningful work for the environment. Many years later, after graduate studies in ecology and a stint at her own consulting firm, she stumbled on chocolate.

“Around 2008, I tried some of the cacao nibs that were coming out at the time, and I realized that was where chocolate came from,” she says. “No one in Florida was doing bean-to-bar chocolate—companies were adding flavorings to chocolate bars but not paying attention to the raw materials. They seemed to think that all chocolate was the same.”

She founded Castronovo Chocolate in 2012 and has won more than 100 international awards since then.

Like coffee, beer, and spirits, chocolate has recently attained an aura of connoisseurship, and Castronovo is focused on elevating the product in the gourmet market.

The process of converting cacao beans to chocolate bars takes slightly over a week. Castronovo believes that “each bean has its own story” and sources her product from brokers and farmers in Latin and South America. The beans arrive already fermented and dried; they are roasted and the husks removed before being placed in a stone grinder for five days. After being tempered, the chocolate

Serving the Treasure Coast over 35 years

GYORGY PAPP COURTESY OF DENISE CASTRONOVO

is ready to be formed into bars, truffles, and specialty items.

“Many people think chocolate is fattening, but our customers don’t gobble down a whole bar at once,” says Castronovo. “They tend to be nibblers, like people who sip fine wine. Our chocolate is more satisfying, and the flavor stays in your mouth for minutes afterward.”

Her specialty—and one of her most popular items—is dark milk chocolate. Her versions are infused with at least 60 percent cacao and have the sugar level of traditional dark chocolate. Customers may choose Colombian Tumaco or Sierra Nevada, or Lost City from Honduras flavored with fleur de sel (flower of salt).

Castronovo Chocolate is available at the Stuart retail store on Colorado Avenue, online, or from gourmet retail partners around the country. The ripple effects of the business model are far-reaching: By purchasing rare, heirloom beans, Castronovo is helping to protect genetic varieties of cacao. Farmers are paid directly, earning between three and five times what they would get from a commodity exchange. And by obtaining beans grown in rain forests, she is also fulfilling her high school pledge. 555 S. Colorado Ave. Suite103, Stuart; castronovochocolate.com; 772.521.1699

Supreme Meats & Gourmet Market Est. 1985

“A Cut Above the Rest” (772) 283.7567

2026 S.E. Federal Highway • Stuart, Florida 34994

MAKE YOUR NEXT EVENT A CHEF’S TABLE EVENT. We offer full service catering offsite or onsite in our restaurant. Large events or small intimate dinner parties, we do it all!

2313 SE Ocean Boulevard • Stuart, FL 34996 772.287.5599 • ChefsTableStuart.com Monday-Saturday Lunch: 11am - 3pm • Dinner: 5pm - 9pm

WES STEWART

ICE, ICE, BABY

A REFRESHING TREAT IN PORT ST. LUCIE THAT HELPS SAVE LIVES IN HAITI

If you buy an Italian ice at ROK & WTR, you get more than a refreshing treat. You also help people in Haiti gain access to clean drinking water.

When Seth Ray and his partner, Kevin Harrigan, founded the store in Port St. Lucie last January, Ray was seeking a business to support his nonprofit, Go.Build.Love. The pair didn’t know much about Italian ice, but they proved to be quick studies. They attended Ice Cream Boot Camp in Tampa, purchased an Emery Thompson batch freezer, and developed a set of proprietary recipes.

ROK & WTR features 18 flavors of Italian ice daily, rotated from 60 available options. The most popular (and Ray’s personal favorite) is Cotton Candy, although seasonal flavors such as Key Lime Pie and Apple Cider are crowd-pleasers. All ices are made fresh every day from natural flavors.

Ray’s true passion, however, was awakened on a trip to Haiti several years ago. “It was my first time out of the country, and I had never seen poverty like that before,” he says. “Almost 80 percent of illnesses in a place like Haiti are caused by contaminated water, so there was a need for clean water as well as a spiritual need.”

His organization installs microfiber filters in homes, provides anti-parasitic medicine along with a Bible, and follows up on families regularly. ROK & WTR also gives back to the local community here in Florida by providing Italian ice to hospitals, police, and first responders, living up to their motto of “doing good one frozen treat at a time.” 828 SE Becker Road, Port St. Lucie; rokandwtrfrozentreatco.com; 772.877.2870 —Mark Spivak

A Selection of Area Restaurants

AMERICAN

2ND STREET BISTRO

This lively bistro, located in historic downtown Fort Pierce, highlights local produce in its delicious dishes. The extensive beer list features a brew to complement every meal and satisfy everyone’s taste buds. 122 N. 2nd St., Fort

Pierce; 2ndstreetbistro.com; 772.293.9191 DISTRICT TABLE & BAR

Chef Jason Stocks presents his creative take on everything from dry-aged burgers to sourdough pizza in a contemporary dining space. Sustainability is also a focus:

All oyster shells are recycled to rebuild local reefs and oyster beds. 4665 SE Dixie

Hwy., Stuart; districttableandbar.com; 772.324.8357 HARRY AND THE NATIVES

This longstanding family business in Hobe Sound offers a selection of traditional

American favorites and a casual atmosphere. 11910 SE Federal Hwy., Hobe Sound; harryandthenatives.com; 772.546.3061 OASIS DINER

Quaint and cozy diner offering a variety of breakfast, lunch, and brunch items. 901 U.S.Hwy. 1, Fort Pierce; oasis-diner-restaurant.business.site; 772.828.3302 PALM CITY GRILL

Seafood, pizza, and burgers coexist at this understated, pub-style corner eatery with a following as large as its menu. 3208 SW Martin Downs Blvd., Palm City; thepalmcitygrill.com; 772.220.4745 PHILLY DOWN SOUTH CAFE

Discover an array of Philly cheesesteaks, salads, burgers, and seafood at the café inside the Elliott Museum, under owner Jim Leary. 825 NE Ocean Blvd., Stuart; hsmc-fl.com/philly-down-south-cafe; 772.225.1961 SPRITZ CITY BISTRO

Upscale American bistro featuring tapas and small plates. 61 SW Osceola St.,

Stuart; spritzcitybistro.com; 772.320.9100 SUNRISE CITY CAFE

Located in the heart of downtown historical Fort Pierce, Sunrise City Cafe serves breakfast and lunch with a hometown feel. 204 Orange Ave., Fort Pierce; sunrisecitycafe.com; 772.242.1833 THE CRAFTED KEG

Where growlers, affordable bites, and beer flights unite. This brew pub, located inside a former grocery store, serves a wide selection of craft beer, wine, and soda along with typical bar foods, flatbreads, specials, and customizable meat and cheese platters. 555 S. Colorado Ave., Stuart; thecraftedkegstuart.com; 772.600.8218 VINE AND BARLEY

Quench your thirst with a pour of wine or a pint of beer (there are more than 20 of each to choose from) and stay for the tasty sampling of bites like cheese plates, local-made fish dip, and “brat dogs” wrapped in rosemary dough. 301 SW St. Lucie Ave., Stuart; vineandbarleystuart.com; 772.781.1717

ASIAN

ASIAN CHAO

Mix and match Chinese entrées, sushi, and sides from the buffet-style counter takeout. Choose from a variety of classic dishes like orange chicken, lo mein, and

California rolls. 3174 NW Federal Hwy., Jensen Beach; asianchao.com; 772.692.3674 BENIHANA

Grab dinner and a show at this hibachi restaurant as tableside chefs prepare

Japanese dishes. 3602 SE Ocean Blvd., Stuart; benihana.com; 772.286.0740 CAFE BOONMA

“Boonma” means good karma and that good times and things are coming— something owner and Chef Rampai lives up to at this traditional Thai spot offering wok dishes and house specials like duck with tamarind sauce. 3720 SE

Ocean Blvd., Stuart; cafeboonma.net; 772.291.2320

EMMAN’S ASIAN GOURMET

Filipino owner/Chef Emman Eugenio creates small plates of Asian-fusion cuisine in a casual setting. 555 S. Colorado Ave. Suite 105, Stuart; facebook.com/ fusionofec; 772.888.3171 KRUA THAI RESTAURANT

Authentic Thai dishes (think: crispy duck and green curry with rice) served family-style in an eclectically themed restaurant. 3283 SE Federal Hwy., Stuart; kruathaiofstuart.com; 772.600.8114 PHO DELI

Authentic Vietnamese restaurant in a casual setting with a counter-serve option and dishes from Pho to

Bahn Mi. 466 SW Port St. Lucie Blvd., Port St. Lucie; phodelipsl.com; 772.877.2133; (second location) 1007

Seaway Drive, Fort Pierce; 772.882.9584 RAMEN HANA AND WINGS

Ramen that warms the mouth and soul. Choose between small and large plates of various ramen flavors or try the namesake wings in four flavors. 6935 Heritage Drive, Port St. Lucie; ramenhana.com; 772.444.2825

FRENCH

11 MAPLE STREET

Where French country meets Florida. 11 Maple Street offers a dining experience with fare resembling art. Chef Michael Perrin prepares his plates with some of each season’s peak items, including locally sourced produce and humanely raised meats. 3224 NE Maple Ave., Jensen Beach; elevenmaple.com; 772.334.7714

GERMAN

ETHAN’S GRILL

Chef Lenh offers an exciting menu featuring American fusion and German favorites such as potato pancakes, schnitzel, and sauerbraten. 5687 SE

Crooked Oak Ave, Hobe Sound; ethansgrill.com; 772.210.2350

THE HOFFMANN

Enjoy traditional German and American fare while relaxing at the expansive outdoor seating and barn. 3825 NE Indian River Drive, Jensen Beach; the-hoffmann.com; 772.44.3697

INDIAN

INDIA PALACE

Modern interpretation of classic Indian dishes, with creative uses of fresh ingredients. Enjoy a sampling of South Indian and Indo-Chinese specialties that pair well with oven-baked Peshawari naan stuffed with raisins, nuts, and cheese. 890 SW Federal Hwy.,

Stuart; indiapalacestuartfl.com; 772.288.6262 NAMASTE GRILL

Nepalese and Indian cuisine inside a relaxed, contemporary space in the heart of downtown

Stuart. Menu highlights range from tandoori and grilled meats to goat curry with Nepalese spices simmered in a dark stew. 2500 SE Federal Hwy.,

Stuart; namastegrillstuart.com; 772.283.5515 TAJ INDIAN

Curries steal the show at this establishment that offers a wide range of cultural favorites in addition to vegan and halal foods. 529 NW Prima Vista Blvd.,

Port St. Lucie; tajpsl.com; 772.237.4567

ITALIAN

CASA BELLA

This quaint restaurant combines northern and southern Italian cuisine under one roof. Expect big flavors and beyond satisfactory Italian dishes. 512

SW 3rd St., Stuart; casabellastuart.com; 772.223.0077 DOWNTOWN BENNY’S PIZZA

Authentic Italian fare and New York–style pizza are the specialties at Benny’s. Enjoy prepared-fresh menu items, ranging from wings and Philly cheesesteaks to salads and gyros. 2230 NE Dixie Hwy., Jensen Beach; downtownbennyspizza.com; 772.232.6422 DRIFT KITCHEN & BAR

This premier oceanfront restaurant located at

Hutchinson Shore Resort features an array of fresh seafood and Italian specialties in a contemporary space. 3793 NE Ocean Blvd., Jensen Beach; driftkitchenandbar.com; 772.405.9215