d i n i n g
Fun Dining in WaterColor FOOW combines fresh, locally inspired cuisine with stunning gulf views b y Te s s F a r m e r
Our staff cooks with love and that also sums up how we are able to succeed, making 90 percent of our items in house.
Heirloom Tomato Toastº
Matt Moore
F OOW (formerly Fish Out of Water) has long been synonymous with fresh, locally inspired cuisine that celebrates Florida’s best. From its brand-new dining room and focus on a locally sourced menu, to its spectacular waterfront views and coastal-casual atmosphere, FOOW serves up an authentic taste of the gulf in an ambiance that embodies the WaterColor spirit. Opened in June 2018 as a new dining concept showcasing a more coastal-casual menu, FOOW (pronounced “foo”) is located at the AAA Four Diamond and Forbes Four-Star rated WaterColor Inn & Resort. Since its opening, FOOW has received a AAA Three Diamond rating, Florida Trend’s “Golden Spoon Award”, and a Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor. I caught up with FOOW’s Director of Food & Beverage/Executive Chef Matt Moore, to find out more about what influences his menu and makes FOOW one of the top places to dine on 30-A. Named “Chef of the Year” in 2017 by the American Culinary Federation, Chef Moore has more than a decade of experience leading acclaimed food and beverage programs at luxury properties. Prior to joining FOOW, Moore was executive chef at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, Pennsylvania. What influences the types of dishes you bring to the table? We are driven by the coast and influenced by our southern roots in terms of where we are located and what grows seasonally. We have sourced everything from lettuces to wagyu beef as close to our region as possible. We have a broker who retrieves produce from five stops on the way to the Panhandle from Louisiana and brings us a fresh arsenal of options twice a week, only two days out of the ground at most. Local, regional, and Southern-
our guests’ faces when they take the first sip or taste the first bite. They laugh, converse, and sing to the live music. Then when the guests leave I enjoy having them tap me on the shoulder to tell me about their amazing experience…That’s what FOOW represents. What is your team’s best asset? Energy and cultural diversity is what sets
Photos courtesy of St. Joe Hospitality
based purveyors include Raines Farms Wagyu Beef, Covey Rise Farms,
our team apart. We invite students from all over the world to work with us — from three months to over a year in some instances. The respect we have for each other in the kitchen directly translates to always succeeding in both food and service. Our cooks and service staff become friends and lifelong colleagues. Our staff cooks with love and that also sums up how we are able to succeed, making 90 percent of our items in house. FOOW is open to the public daily. Their happy hour, from 3-6 p.m., is not to be missed for live music (seasonally, from 6–9 p.m.) and sunset views while sipping on one of the restaurant’s inventive Rum Diary cocktails. They can also accommodate private parties in a more intimate dining setting by the restaurant’s wine cellar. For more information, go to www.foow30a.com or follow them at www.instagram.com/foow30a and www.facebook.com/FOOW30a. FOOW does not accept reservations. Open daily from 11:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. Seasonal hours: Sept. 9 - Jan. 1 (Tuesday-Sunday, 11:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.); Jan. 2-16 & Jan. 21 - Feb. 12 (Closed); Feb. 13 - March 1 (Tuesday-Sunday, 11:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.) FOOWBar: Open daily: 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. Happy Hour: 3 – 6 p.m. Seasonal hours: Closed Mondays; daily from 11:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Two Dog Farms, JV Produce Brokers, Wheeler Farms, Water Street Seafood, Inland Seafood, and Destin Ice Seafood Market. What’s your favorite FOOW dish and why? My Chef de Cuisine and I stand behind all of the menu, but I think I’m most proud of the new addition, the FOOW toasts. It’s funny we started this journey making sourdough in-house asking ourselves whether or not we could sustain that type of bread in such a small facility and limited bakery resources. We soon decided it was worth the result and just figured out the logistics. We offer four different toasts, from a play on tomato bruschetta with a local sweet grass dairy cheese, to gulf shrimp and avocado, pimento cheese (can’t get more southern than that), and lastly a Benton’s Ham and collard toast, which is amazing! What would you like a guest to take away from their dining experience? FOOW is southern hospitality at its best. We want you to feel like you’re at an old-school café where you see familiar faces and you never worry about what to wear. We invite flip flops and guests directly off the beach, yet we keep the integrity of what we stand for. As a service team and culinary staff, we just want to see the smiles on
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