IN THE KITCHEN
with Chef Doug Vernon at ELA’S BLU WATER GRILLE BY CHRISTY BARONI
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PHOTO BY ROB KAUFMAN
Thinking back a year ago, we were just getting back to normal after Hurricane Matthew shook up our island home. Along with changing the landscape of the island, Matthew also blew in change for Ela’s Blu Water Grille by introducing Chef Doug Vernon to us. Chef Doug has been an islander since 2016 and made his debut here on the island by opening Ela’s Blu Water Grille back up after Hurricane Matthew blew through. He came to the island to care for his wife, Kelly, after her diagnosis of breast cancer. You’ll be pleased to know that they celebrated her One Year Cancer Free in September! Chef Doug has been in the kitchen since he was 13 years old. Growing up in the small town of Hickory, NC he needed a job and started washing dishes in a local steakhouse. Fast forward to his early 30’s where he had stayed with this group through 8 concepts and iterations of their restaurant group. He remembers watching the owners and executive chefs create a vision for what would be next and then make that vision a reality. His connection with this group took him everywhere from Vail, CO to San Francisco, CA. He ended up attending culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu in San Francisco. It brought a smile to his face to recount that he had spent 2 decades in the kitchen before getting a formal education. While working with a high profile international chef he was encouraged to pursue this step to broaden his knowledge of not just the back of house kitchen side, but also to fully understand the business side as well. This included learning kitchen legal, marketing, inventory management, and staffing challenges. What he enjoys most about being in the kitchen is that no two days are alike. One thing he especially enjoys about Ela’s is that it reminds him of his early days in San Francisco, where the Chef would walk down to Fisherman’s Wharf to find what fish was brought in that morning. It solidified a commitment to using the freshest catch he can. He points to the dock downstairs at Shelter Cove Marina and smiles that he can head right there to see what the fresh catch will be today. While the fan favorite on the menu is the scallops, his personal favorite item from the Ela’s menu is the grouper. He loves that the grouper on your plate was swimming in the ocean last night. And while he loves to prepare these seafood dishes for Ela’s patrons, he confesses that at heart he’s still a steak guy. When he’s not here at Ela’s he loves to spend time grilling simple cuts like a ribeye paired with a baked potato, or a pan seared filet with some garlic mashed potatoes. In closing, he reflected back on what he’d tell that 13 year old kid washing dishes, daydreaming of an Executive Chef role in the future. “If this is really what you want, be willing to work the long and hard hours. Being a chef is career, yes, but it’s also a lifestyle.” Be sure to swing by Ela’s to enjoy his latest creations, along with the best view on the island!
ELA’S BLU WATER GRILLE | One Shelter Cove Lane | (843) 785-3030 | www.elasgrille.com 20
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