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Lola Coastal Italian Certified Master Chef Tom Catherall Brings Coastal Italian Dishes to 30-A b y Te s s F a r m e r
Freshness and real, whole food ingredients are the cornerstone of all menu items at Lola.
Mural by Leigh Smith Catherall
A fter building an empire of chef-driven restaurants in Atlanta, Tom Catherall planned on a retirement on the Emerald Coast spending his days sport fishing and taking in the slower pace. That turned out to be short lived, because in 2020, just as restaurant operations were being restricted, Catherall was signing a lease on the former Acme Oysters restaurant space in Seacrest Beach. A certified master chef, Catherall’s Here to Serve Restaurants group was the successful hos- pitality umbrella for 12 unique restaurant concepts. His classic chef-driven restaurant em- pire thrived in the 90s through 2015 as fun, swanky hot spots where Asian, Spanish, and Southern ingredients came together in fusions of flavor and technique. Cuisine ranged from steak, seafood, and sushi to Spanish tapas, with 15 locations in the Atlanta area, which he operated from 1996 until he sold the group in October 2014. After his brief retirement, Catherall re-entered the restaurant scene in February 2016. He opened Lola Coastal Italian in June 2020 and outfitted the restaurant to serve fresh gulf seafood and homemade pizza to hungry beachgoers… who returned in droves after the beaches reopened. His entrepreneurial spirit inspired him to establish TC Brands, a popular, innovative Atlanta hospitality company that established his reputation as a pacesetter among the area’s restaurateurs. Now Catherall is bringing his talents to his second home in the Santa Rosa Beach community. He also is the only certified master chef on the gulf and one of 67 in the country. He’s been cooking for 50 years now and has a funny story about how he got started. “Growing up in Newcas- tle, in northeast England, I wanted to be a motor
“I am happy to say more consumers today are eating with a sustainable focus,” he says. “Since the pandem- ic, most of us have been cooking more than ever at home. My hope is that we learn to forgo processed foods and make good
Grab & Go Bar
choices like buying fresh fruits and vegetables and visit- ing local farmer’s markets, seafood markets and butcher shops.” Chef Catherall has assembled a top-notch team, in- cluding managing partner Andrew Paparella, and Layla Lejla serving up innovative cocktails made with fresh juices. The location also allows the space to host bache- lorette parties and private events. “It’s taken off since day one,” says Chef. “During spring break week, we were making 130 pizzas a day.” Guests can also choose from grab-and-go items in the cooler case including salads and house made dressings, meatballs, peel and eat shrimp, curry chicken salad, hummus, deviled eggs, and all the charcuterie fixings… not to mention fresh baked key lime pie and tiramisu. Lola Coastal Italian is located at 10343 East County Highway 30-A in Seacrest Beach. Open for dinner Monday through Thursday 5-9 p.m. and Friday- Saturday 5-10 p.m. To-go orders accepted by calling (850) 541-9440. Menus available at lovelola30a.com.
Seacreat Entrance
mechanic, but my mother would have none of it. She signed me up to be a chef apprentice. It was a four- year program and I worked with some of the best Eu- ropean chefs.” His commitment is to bring chef-inspired menus that are both innovative and fresh, offering some of his best culinary work serving the residents and visitors to the area. Freshness and real, whole food ingredients are the cornerstone of all menu items at Lola. The pizza dough is made each day from Italian flour, fresh toppings including Italian meats and sauce made with San Marzano tomatoes then cooked in a wood-fired oven. All the seafood is fresh, of course, brought in from local gulf fishermen. “You won’t find salmon here… I have never cooked a frozen fish in my life. If you want good meat, you go to a butcher. It’s what I thought everyone did until I came to the States. That’s where I saw my first ‘meat in a box’ and I was not impressed,” adds Chef.
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