as dinner series and wine classes. At OWA, Foley’s family amusement park, newcomer Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen serves up traditional Southern meals and the C’est Le Vin Wine Bar & Shop offers fine wines by the glass and bottle, plus craft cocktails, to sample and purchase. If you’d rather bring the fine dining to you, Le Cordon Bleu-educated Chef David Pan of Orange Beach Concierge will serve up original four-course meals consisting of fresh ingredients from local farms. He curates unique menus for each customer, said wife and co-owner Tillie Pan, adjusting meals for dietary restrictions and the event’s theme. “We serve from two to 2,000,” Pan said. “One family had 45 people and they wanted all three meals. We did 847 meals that week. They wanted a full resort experience.” The Pans don’t recommend beach dining because sand, wind and rain can ruin a good meal. Beach cleanups also happen at sunset, not the ideal way to enjoy a fine meal, she said. “But if you want a beach ambiance at your condo, we can create that for you,” she said, adding that patios and decks work great. “We can absolutely create a romantic experience.”
Hunter Davis on the Florida Panhandle also serves as a private chef, delivering meals for two to 20 customers with his Dish and the Spoon company. He arrives at the visitor’s accommodations, prepares the meal and then cleans up afterwards so diners can relax, he said. Both companies have sample menus on their websites. UNIQUE PROPOSALS
Janell Hawkins loves making sand castles — and we’re not talking something your baby brother created. Hawkins spends hours building sand forms that transform into masterpieces, much like sculptures created from marble, she said. Most of her business revolves around group classes in which she leads others into building their dream castle. But sometimes, she builds sand artwork for proposals. “We have done 25 proposals down here,” Hawkins said. Recently, she was hired to create the castle from “Beauty and the Beast” to provide the backdrop for a man’s proposal to his girlfriend. “It had ‘Will you marry me?’ on it,” Hawkins explained. “And he brought out a rose.” Hawkins films the process with time-lapse photography,
GULF SNORKELING DOLPHIN TOUR