Dining

A Talk with Amy Barnhart and Ashley Thomas by Melissa LaScaleia Amy Barnhart started working at Travinia Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar when the restaurant first opened in the Market Common in 2008. She was hired as a key manager and bartender, splitting her time between serving drinks and managing the restaurant. A month after Travinia opened, Ashley Thomas was hired as a bartender. The two had worked well together previously at the Islamoroda Fish Company; and over time, forged a stronger rapport as they implemented their shared vision of making Travinia feel like a homey, happy locale. Over the course of the next two years, the two grew their careers at Travinia— Amy becoming the general manager, and Ashley the assistant general manager. They created a strong bond of inclusion with the community, and an atmosphere of welcome, ease, and conviviality pervaded at Travinia.  “We were very involved in the community,” Amy says. “We had regular wine dinners where we brought in a wine maker from Napa Valley or Oregon and offered a 5-6 course meal that was perfectly paired with the wines they grew. It was a really big hit with the community.  “We were involved with Breakfast with Santa, Breakfast with the Easter Bunny, the Princess Gala, local fundraisers— we supported projects. And any guest that came in was part of our family here.” “A lot of the people who come to Travinia are locals,” Ashley says. ‘We were here for seven-and-a-half years.  I spent more time with these people than my own family. We became a family, and they feel like my family.” Amy Barnhart (left) and Ashley Thomas (right) are the dynamic duo behind the fun, convivial energy at Travinia in the Market Common. –Photo by Meganpixels Parker /Latoya Grayson By year seven, the two owners of Travinia had opened several additional locations, and had a lot on their plates. They hired a manager to help them oversee all of their restaurant locations as well as implement a stronger business strategy. When the new manager arrived in Myrtle Beach, he said that he wanted to bring in fresh people, and Ashley and Amy were let go. “After we left, the remark we kept hearing from people was that when they walked into Travinia, it felt empty,” says Amy. “They still played live jazz music every Friday night, but people would come and say, it’s not the same, it just doesn’t feel the same.” “The connections that we built over the years that we were here, the relationships that we built, making guests a part of our family, it wasn’t here after we were gone,” Ashley says. Amy (left) speaks with Nicole (right) of Breakthru Beverage, a liquor distributor, to collaborate on speciality beverages Travinia will serve for the holiday season. — Photo Meganpixels Parker /Latoya Grayson “We always had a great relationship with the owners, Mark and Kevin,” Amy says. “They had so many restaurants but we could always pick up the phone and ask them, ‘Hey we have this idea, can we do this?’ This wasn’t just a job for us. Everything went into what we did. Mark and Kevin would come to town and we’d go out to eat and listen to bands together. After we were let go, Mark would text us to say, ‘I just heard this song from the band we saw together and it makes me think of great times and how much I miss you both.’” Four years later, in 2018, Travinia called Ashley to ask if she would come back and fix things— to make Travinia what it used to be. “The owners made a decision to go back and recreate what they had previously,” Ashley says. “They wanted to revert to the original plan, which was the community that Amy and I built that was missing under the new management.  Ashley plates one of Travinia’s most popular salads— the Granny Smith Apple. The two are involved in all aspects of what lends Travinia its characteristic pulse. — Photo Meganpixels Parker “We put everything we had into this place, heart and soul. And when we were replaced, it definitely devastated us. When I got that phone call asking me to come back, I couldn’t even process it. It was a second chance at something that I felt deserved a second chance. In the time that I was away, there wasn’t another place that I worked at where I felt that same sense of community and camaraderie. And when we came back, it was like that pulse returned.” “We’re going to make this the best Italian restaurant in Myrtle Beach,” Amy says.  “To make Travinia what it was always meant to be— exceptional wine, great food, an outstanding atmosphere, and of course, that feeling of family.” Travinia Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar Envelope Phone Internet-explorer

A Homegrown, Ridiculously Good Restaurant Group by Melissa LaScaleia Having grown up here, Jack Divine has always called Myrtle Beach home, and started the Divine Dining Group of restaurants in Myrtle Beach in the early 80s.  His first restaurant was the classic River City Cafe.  He followed it up with Ultimate California Pizza in the late 80s; in early 2000, Bubba’s Fish Shack; Nacho Hippo eight years ago; and Pawley’s Raw Bar five years ago. He created individual restaurant personalities under one brand, with the common themes of great food, great service, and a great experience. A brand is a culture, a collection, a belief,” says Mike Tomko, director of sales and marketing for the Diving Dining Group.  “A restaurant would be more singular.  Our brand is something that our guests know.  It’s who we are in terms of the product that we put out, and the service and the experience that people come for.” Let’s take a look at how the Divine Dining Group has created a series of unique, iconic restaurants in Myrtle Beach, and what each can offer our community. River City Cafe is well known for their award-winning, handcrafted, gigantic, succulent burgers. In the words of Mike: “it’s massive  Words can’t describe it, and you’d be hard pressed to finish it.” It’s called the OMG (Oh My Gosh) burger, so named after the reactions it continues to evoke upon being presented to the unsuspecting diner.  Which explains their tagline— it’s all about the burger. River City Cafe has seven locations.  All are fast, casual, and fantastically family-friendly. What do people love about it besides the burgers? When you first arrive, they give you an unlimited supply of shelled peanuts to munch while you wait for your food.  Guests are invited and encouraged to throw their peanut shells on the floor, which everybody does.  It’s perfect for kids, and the kid in you who just needs to break out of some straight laced table manners for awhile.  Equally popular, although slightly less messy, are the collection of license plates from around the country that adorn the walls.  Since so many of their patrons are tourists, it makes their guests feel a little more at home to spot their native state, and it’s something that has really stuck in the memories of their loyal fans. Nacho Hippo— where hip happens— is all about having fun in an upbeat and mostly open-air restaurant.  Here you’ll find live music, good energy, and an expansive and creative adult beverage menu.  Combine that with an extensive handcrafted food menu and you’ve made it to the Holy Grail of Mexican cantinas.  You can indulge in their twelve different specialty tacos, sloppy burritos, quesadillas, homemade salsas, grilled corn on the cob, or a giant Mexican salad made fresh in a tortilla shell. Despite all of that goodness, the foodie buzz always circles back to their monstrously huge nacho selections— a fact from which they derived their name— Nacho Hippo.  They serve up hippo-sized nacho creations with toppings like steak, shrimp, pork, chicken, peppers, and fresh veggies. “It’s a place where you’re going to leave with a hip-tastic attitude,” says Mike.  “That’s the satisfaction you feel after you come in and eat some of the best nachos and tacos around, or try one of our award-wining margaritas.” Nacho Hippo has two locations and a small er outpost at the airport.  One location, in the Market Common, has recently expanded their seating capacity— more space for fun in the sun and under the stars. Ultimate California Pizza has a cool, laidback vibe, with TVs throughout and Top 40 music playing in all six of their locations.  And they’re the only restaurant in the Divine Dining Group that also delivers. Ultimate California Pizza is also known as a fast, casual restaurant that serves perfect pizza that picky people love.  They make their pizza with their own signature dough, and their sauce is a proprietary recipe blended exclusively for them.  The passion paid— they’ve won the annual Best of the Beach award for the best pizza sixteen years in a row.  They have over 25 signature pizzas, as well as gluten free dough and several vegan options.  They also have a full menu of salads and subs, and a full bar. Bubba’s Fish Shack across the street from the ocean, specializes in Southern— both hospitality and food- and very well. “This is a place where you want to keep your flip-flops on and your napkin ready,” says Mike.  “Because whether it’s a rack of ribs, a flounder, or a Captain’s Platter with oysters and shrimp, or all you can eat catfish, salads, clam chowder, Southern style barbecue, or a blackened grouper sandwich, we cover the bases when it comes to Southern; especially protein from the sea.” The fast, casual restaurant has TVs through- out, and all kinds of nautical paraphernalia that will help you recalibrate into a slower, Southern pace. “People leave extremely happy and saying, ‘the meal was almost as good as the service,’’’ says Mike.  “It’s easy to just feel at home here.  You might be from Maine, or Quebec, but you think, after you leave, that you’re from somewhere in Myrtle Beach.” Pawley’s Raw Bar is a fun place where you don’t mind eating with your hands.  It too is a Southern hospitality location— you feel like you’re being served by somebody who wants to serve you, and is thankful that you came.  The vibe is similar to Bubba’s, but with a stronger emphasis on seafood.  There are five different types of crab, and the steam pot— a one-pot meal famous in the Lowcountry composed of sausage, shrimp, crab, corn and seasonings— will leave you feeling like you’ve just gotten out of your john boat in Murrells Inlet. The Divine Dining Group is an integral part of the Myrtle Beach community.  In the summer, they employ up to 900 people.  They sponsor multiple high school extracurricular activities and athletics.  And they participate in student … Read more

Food Artfully Prepared in a Casual Environment by Melissa LaScaleia The Water Tree Cafe, run by Pennsylvania native Chef Gabi Mazzochetti, has been open since March 1 of this year in the Market Common. “I wanted to go to college for art,” Gabi says of her background, “and my parents directed me into the land of edible creations so I could make a living.  So I went to culinary school at The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College, and received a BS in culinary arts, then worked in country clubs and high-end restaurants in the greater Philadelphia area.  I moved to Myrtle Beach last year when my parents offered to help me open a restaurant here.” Gabi describes the cuisine at The Water Tree Cafe as eclectic gourmet. What’s on-trend—beautiful food in a casual environment. Chef Gabi outside her new restaurant in the Market Common. –Photo by Meganpixels Parker / Latoya Grayson All the dishes are made from scratch, including desserts like ice cream.  There is one menu available all day which hosts an array of salads, entrees, and small bites.  Specials change weekly and are seasonally reliant; new desserts come out every three days. Like much of Myrtle Beach, the restaurant is laidback— you’d be at home here in a tee shirt and flip flops.  Photographs of restaurants her grandparents owned adorn the walls, as well as a variety of artwork.  “It’s a casual environment, but you still get high-end food, artfully presented, at reasonable prices,” Gabi says. Gabi is settling into the rhythm of being her own boss: “Learning about new foods intrigues me,” she says.  “I like that I can be creative and offer the ideas that come to me.  My favorite thing about being a chef is being able to create new dishes using food as the medium.” The Water Tree Cafe Located in the Farrow Commons Shopping Center.   Open M – Th 11:30am – 9pm; Fr – Sa 11:30am – 10pm; Su brunch 10am-4pm. Envelope Facebook Phone Internet-explorer

Sweet and Savory Delights For the Market Common by Melissa LaScaleia The sweet and savory pickings at Crepe Creation Cafe in the Market Common just got sweeter and bigger.  Larry Cauble, owner and chef, has recently implemented the final stage in his business model for his cafe. “We’re taking down the wall of the space next to us, installing a brand new kitchen, and doubling in size,” he says.  “We started with a little shop.  Our plan was to grow in steps, and our reputation has increased so much in the past six years that we’ve outgrown the space.  Our full business model was always to have a full French restaurant.  Our new menu will include steaks, French entrees, beignets, and a full break- fast menu with omelets and specialty items.  To complete that, we’re adding a full-service bar.” As a teenager and young man, Larry worked in the restaurant business until opting for a career in the military.  He remained in service for twenty years, but even then, continued to hold a second job in the restaurant industry. “It was always my dream to have a restaurant,” he says.  “For ten years I lived in Holland and Germany as part of my career, and I fell in love with the food— the waffles and the crepes.  When I retired from the military I thought, if I don’t follow this dream before I’m 50, I’ll probably never do it.  And among the hundreds of Myrtle Beach restaurants, I saw, there’s no creperie.  Because it’s such a unique food item, I started small to see how it would take. And it caught on quickly; we grew and then we grew more.” Larry’s vision has always been the locals. “A lot of restaurants in Myrtle Beach live and thrive off of tourists,” he says.  “But Market Common has gained recognition as more than a tourist destination.  My philosophy has always been to provide great, healthy food, great customer service, and a great, relaxing environment for the residents too.  And that’s how we’ve grown over the years, with our customer base.” Emma Ware, Larry’s wife, toasts to the expansion with a fresh squeezed cocktail. –Photo by Meganpixels Parker / Latoya Grayson Each restaurant has their own niche.  For Crepe Creation, the main focus will be on their bar offerings.  They’ll beusing fresh squeezed juices as opposed to canned mixes in their cocktails.  The decision stays in line with the cafe’s passion for serving fresh, healthy food. Larry’s wife, Emma Ware, owner of Emma’s School of Healthy Eating, is a nutritionist in the Market Common.  And she’s a big part of the Crepe Creation menu.  One of the most heard comments that they receive from patrons is that people feel full, but not overstuffed, and they’re not hungry afterwards. Expect to see the full evolution of their restaurant by the end of summer, and stay tuned for the announcement of a grand reopening. “We love being in Market Common,”Larry says.  “It’s a great community to be a part of.  They’ve been a great partner ever since I’ve moved up here, and instrumental in my growth since the beginning.” Crepe Creation Cafe Open during renovations Su – Th 8am-9pm; Fr – Sa 8am – 10pm. Envelope Facebook Phone Internet-explorer