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Jay Eichelberger of Crêpes du Soleil b y M a r y We l c h
W alk around Seaside and you’ll see people laughing, listening to music, texting, and eating. They will be chowing down on fries, ice cream cones, shaved ice, smoothies, and sandwiches: grilled cheese, hot dogs, BBQ; you name it. But something was missing from the scene and Jay Eichelberger and his wife Liz, decided to fill the culinary void. Now residents and visitors can delight in a crêpe as they enjoy the outdoors, since the Eichelbergers opened Crêpes du Soleil in Airstream Row. They serve sweet crêpes with lots of Chantilly cream, or savory crêpes that could contain eggs, ham, chicken, or vegetarian options. Jay recalls, “I had spent my summers in Seaside. Liz and I really loved watching those Airstreams and thought it would be cool to do something like that. We didn’t know what it took to have one of our own but we were intrigued enough to talk to Seaside and go through the process.” “We came up with the idea of crêpes
Jay, who says he’ll have a savory crêpe for lunch (“It’s more of a meal than a snack”), wants to explore different special offerings. “I’d like to put seafood in our crêpes, a peanut butter and jelly crêpe and a pumpkin pie crêpe. If any really hit and are successful, they’ll be added to the menu.” Crêpes du Soleil opened Labor Day 2018 so this is will be their first high season. They planned on opening earlier but naturally little bumps along the way delayed the opening. First, they had to find an Airstream and then retrofit it, including taking out the shag carpet and 8-track tape player. “Totally out of the 70’s,” Jay laughs. Next came electrical wiring and
putting in the crêpe makers. Getting the liquor license and other various permits also took more time than expected. But from day one, there were people in line. “We opened on Labor Day and was extremely busy,” he says. Then another setback came with Hurricane Michael.
The Peppered Pig Crepe & Chantilly Dream Crepe with Frosé
and pitched the concept of a rotisserie with crêpes,” says Liz. “But the Seaside folks gravitated toward crêpes and wanted us to solely focus on them. I was shocked when we were approved. It was round after round of talking and applications and tastings. It was a long journey. But I think they saw that crêpes are fun with so many sweet and savory options.” There was one problem:
“It was just terrifying but it could have been worst,” Jay says. “We had just opened and we didn’t know what was going to happen. It was — and still is — devastating. There are people in Panama City and Mexico Beach still trying to get their lives together.” The couple are excited about their first full year in operations and seeing how the visitors respond to their crêpes. “It’s just
They serve sweet crêpes with lots of Chantilly cream, or savory crêpes that could contain eggs, ham, chicken, or vegetarian options.
crêpes usually are a dish that requires sitting and eating with a knife and a fork. “That was an issue,” Jay concedes. “That was the one thing we had to work on because Seaside is such a walkabout town. So, we made our crêpes in cones so that you can walk and eat. It’s easy. You can do the knife and fork thing but you can also just get one and keep on moving. Walking, to me, is what Seaside is all about.” The concept was developed with Chef Rob Masone; a chef from Charlotte with Kre8 Experiences, a catering and specialty event business; who catered the
Eichelberger wedding’s rehearsal dinner and goodbye breakfast. Jay says, “He is the culinary mastermind behind the recipes.” They offer several options but Nutella is king, especially when paired with strawberries or bananas. Liz says. “That’s more of a ‘classic’ crêpe that people think of, but we also offer lunch and breakfast crêpes. The most popular savory crêpes are Le Classique; with egg, ham and melted Swiss cheese; and the Bonjour breakfast with scrambled egg, bacon, fresh tomato and Gruyère cheese. They’re all pretty interesting and we also have frosé (frozen rosé wine) and a chocolate mousse in a crêpe.”
insane how many people come to Seaside and Airstream Row. There is so much foot traffic, you can’t beat it,” says Jay. “It’s fun and exciting and the merchants look out for each other. Seaside is an amazing community.” Crêpes du Soleil: 2215 E. Country Highway 30A, Airstream Row, Santa Rosa Beach, 32359. Open every day at 8:30 a.m. Closing times vary. Visit their website at www.crepesdusoleil.com
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