White Sands

I finished working in Destin, Florida. I've been on both the East and West Coast of Florida and have enjoyed them immensely. Now I’ve had a chance to work on the North Coast lovingly called, The Redneck Riviera.

I just did a wonderful party for Alabama Power. Guests included a group of 40 CEO's, other power company officials, and their spouses. The event took place at the Watercolor Inn, a wonderful hotel with a great staff. Executive Sous Chef Brian Murray did a super job putting together the entire menu. Everybody had a great time!

I wish I would have had the opportunity to relax and enjoy the coast. The resort is a little bit isolated and the weather was slightly stormy during the time that I was there. There are beautiful white sand beaches - maybe the whitest sand I've ever seen. The sand is made up of Appalachian quartz that comes from the mountains. The surf itself is tremendous. I suppose that’s why they call it the Emerald Coast.

I was introduced to a species of shrimp I had not seen before called North Florida Hoppers. They are in season from the middle of March through May. Florida Hoppers are like chameleons; their color varies depending on the sand of the area in which they live. One of the things that makes the Hoppers distinctive from other shrimp is that they develop a red spot about the size of a small pea on the side of their shell when they mature. Florida Hoppers are very flavorful and tender – in a word, delicious. We used them on our red curried sweet potato soup. They were very well received.

Right now I’m happy that I’m not cooking for my fellow passengers who are waiting for our flight out of ATL. Upon arriving to our initial assigned boarding gate, we found out that our gate had been reassigned. However, on our way to the new gate the employee behind the loudspeaker blared out yet another set of directions to go to a completely different gate. I think this is the first time that I’ve witnessed passengers fly their own soda cups as a sign of protest and frustration. I’m going back “home” now, if you will, back to the Greenbrier for a couple of days. Since I last worked there, I’ve only had a chance to see some of my old friends, maybe once or twice, in the last 12 or 13 years. I’m truly looking forward to visiting again.