Category: Dining

Giovanni Filippone (Gio), executive chef at Vue on 30a, one of South Walton’s awarded Gulf front dining restaurants, will compete on Season 17 of HELL’S KITCHEN which premieres Friday, Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. CST on FOX.

Chef Gio was among those invited back on the show after nearly 10 years since his last appearance on season five. The winner of Season 17 will earn a head chef position at Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen Restaurant at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.  “This time around, I wanted to do this for my kids,” Gio said. “My kids and my wife mean the world to me and this is another opportunity of a lifetime to show them that I still have what it takes.”

Vue on 30a invites everyone to join in the celebration on Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. CST as the restaurant transforms into a multi-viewing setting to cheer on Chef Gio. The party will begin at 6 p.m. where guests are invited to order HELL’S KITCHEN inspired dishes and drinks. In addition, Chef Gio will share some of his experience working with Gordon Ramsey and what it is like to be on a nationally acclaimed reality show setting. Photographs and autographs will also be available upon request.   

Reservations for Chef Gio’s HELL’S KITCHEN premiere party on Sept. 29 are highly recommended by calling 850.267.2305. Join in the fun by using hashtag #TEAMGIO.

Giovanni was born in 1970 in Givet, France. When he was 10, he immigrated to Bayonne, NJ where he grew up. The strongest memories of his youth were always about family meal time and cooking together. “We never ate fast food and rarely ate out,” he said. Filippone learned the essentials of cooking as a teenager. Later he pursued formal training at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, completing their chef program in 1997.

Chef Filippone is currently the Executive Chef for Vue on 30a in Santa Rosa Beach. Before joining Vue on 30a, Chef Filippone’s career began at the Sheraton and Wyndam hotels where he served under experienced chefs and was able to fine-tune his skills and gain valuable experience. “When working in the hotels, I was surrounded by great talent each day which pushed me to work hard and do my absolute best,” says Filippone. “The hotel industry helped me gain a great deal of experience, helping me to confirm cooking was always what I wanted to do.”

After his five years in the hotel industry, Chef Filippone took an opportunity for an internship at Beach Walk in Destin, Fla., and moved to the Emerald Coast shortly after in 2012.

Chef has incorporated all of his experiences into a refreshed menu which blends his twist of ‘American northern cuisine-meets American southern cuisine-meets southern Italy,’ with the fresh ingredients available in the area. Dishes like Pistachio Grouper have become a favorite for guests as well as his Fruits de Mer. These menu items plus others have reinvented Vue on 30a as a notable place to dine on 30A and has gained it notoriety by Florida Travel + Life Magazine naming Vue on 30a as “Best Waterfront Dining.”

MICHAEL MCDERMOTT

LIVE@THEREP CONCERT SERIES

Honest, daring and defiant, Michael McDermott wins fans over with his consistent evolution in artistry. Michael McDermott burst onto the scene in his early 20’s with his exceptional debut, 620 W. Surf and subsequently found himself touted as Rock’s ‘Next Big Thing’.

BRING ON THE DRAMA!

IMPROV BOOTCAMP FOR KIDS!

Are your kids all about THE DRAMA? The REP’s Improv Bootcamp allows them to release some creative energy! Our staff of professional actors guide children on a journey through the imagination; creating stories and developing characters requiring quick wit and inventive thinking.

October 20th & 21st,  Charlie Mars

LIVE @ THEREP CONCERT SERIES

Charlie Mars has been a journeyman artist with major label releases and high profile gigs opening for the likes of REM, KT Tunstall, Citizen Cope, Steve Earle, among others. The Mississippi-based troubadour builds upon the distinctive musical approach first mined on his 2009 breakthrough Like A Bird, Like A Plane, employing supple grooves and delving deep within to offer insight and a path to self-awareness and ultimately transcendence via a gracefully beatific distillation of folk, rock, and smooth acoustic soul. Mars will be in town performing songs from his Emerald Coast inspired album “Beach Town”.

The REP is one of Northwest Florida’s premier professional theatre company. Celebrating its sixteenth season, the REP has established itself as a first-rate regional theatre, attracting some of the finest talent from around the country. For more information on these and more upcoming events, visit www.Lovetherep.com.

A look at his early beginnings

What’s in a name?

The name Roux 30A is a play on words.  “Rue” means street in French and “roux” is of course a well known sauce base in French cuisine.  Roux 30A is a nod to the 30A locals who make up 75% of Nikhil’s customers. It’s a chef’s table dining experience where one can enjoy a private dinner or a 5 course tasting menu open to the public. Chef Nikhil wanted to name his first child Roux, and in a way he did.

An early passion

“I’ve always been cooking. That’s definitely a truth for me.  My first memory was when I was four years old making flatbreads in the kitchen with my Indian grandma. When I was seven years old my dad took me to India for a month.  We also went to Europe, and South and Central America.  We had some great cultural experiences growing up and we always ate really well.  My parents were heavily invested in what we were eating and why we were eating it.  Half of their job was to entertain and they were both really good cooks.”

Sushi rolling

When I was young I had a crazy fascination with sushi…it was my thing.  For my thirteenth birthday my mom got me a hands-on sushi making class at Kitchenique taught by chef Dan Pettis who worked for Tim Creehan at the time. At thirteen I was the youngest person there but I loved it! I had such a blast and Dan was tickled that I was there.  He said “Hey, you know you’re the youngest person here.  I can see you really have a passion for this.  You picked this up really quickly and I started cooking when I was thirteen as well. Do you want to come and work for me?” I was like, yeah!  We started an apprenticeship under Dan Pettis and Tim Creehan at the original Beachwalk. I rolled sushi at a makeshift bar at the bottom of this winding staircase two to three nights a week throughout middle school and a little bit into high school.

A change in direction

In high school I played bass clarinet for the marching band at Niceville. At the time, both music and cooking were my life. I got a music scholarship to Berklee School of Music in Boston for bass clarinet and I ended up hating it.  I came back home and started working at Fire. I was also working at Abercrombie and Fitch and they offered me a full ride scholarship into an MBA program.  I thought it was a good opportunity so I put in my two weeks notice at Fire.  After my shift that night, chef Carl Schaubhut asked to talk with me and we sat down outside on some milk crates. He asked me “Why are you quitting?”  I told him I had school paid for and why wouldn’t I take this opportunity? He said “Where do you see your life path, your career?  Do you want to be middle management at Abercrombie Corporate, not saying you couldn’t do more, but what’s the reality here?  You have an incredible passion, an incredible drive in the kitchen.  You should really consider this as a career.”  

Pivotal decision

I thought about it and I was ready for a move.  It was a pivotal two weeks. I told my mom I wanted to do this and we visited every culinary school in Florida. We drove down the coast and I settled on the Fort Lauderdale Culinary Arts School. I chose it because of its international program.  In school the basic courses were my favorite.  The theories of why we do everything fascinate me.  The fundamentals of cooking were amazing but that was 11 weeks and I was soon done with those courses. Whenever I wanted to learn something I would just go and explore it. I worked as a butcher for a while because I wanted to learn it.  If I wanted to learn it I just did it.  I would try and incorporate what I learned wherever I worked at the time.  I was always working in kitchens.

Roux 30A is open Tues 6pm-10pm and Sundays 10am-2pm for brunch.  Call (850) 213-0899 for more information.

30A Olive Oil’s Panzanella Salad

Ingredients:

4 C stale bread, cubed

5 C cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

2T + 1/4 C 30AOO Basil Infused Olive Oil

1T 30AOO Garlic Infused Olive Oil

4T 30AOO Lemon White Balsamic Vinegar

1/4 C parsley, chopped

1/4 C red onion, minced

30AOO Himalayan Pink Sea Salt, to taste

Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss cubed bread in 2T Basil Olive Oil and sea salt and pepper (to taste). Place in preheated oven and bake for about 10 minutes, or until crispy.

Meanwhile, pour the Lemon Balsamic in a large non-reactive bowl. While whisking, drizzle in 1/4 C Basil Olive Oil and the Garlic Olive Oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add the red onion and parsley and stir. Add tomatoes and toss to coat. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes.

Add toasted bread in with tomatoes and toss. Allow to sit for at least 15 minutes so the flavors have time to combine before serving. Toss frequently so the dressing doesn’t settle at the bottom. Put in a serving bowl and serve. Enjoy!