Skip to main content

Tag: The Chateau Anna Maria

Restaurant owner launches web series

Restaurant owner launches web series

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Business, Restaurants | Bars.

HOLMES BEACH – If you’ve ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at a restaurant or how restaurant owners manage a crisis, Buddy Foy Jr. and his family have just the show for you.

Foy, owner of The Chateau Anna Maria at the Waterline Marina Resort and Beach Club and star of the Food Network’s “Summer Rush,” has launched his own web series called “Foy Rush.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic put an indefinite hold on his show and his Bolton Landing, New York restaurant, The Chateau on the Lake, only able to open for a few months and then with limited seating, Foy turned his focus to Florida. He was able to secure the restaurant location formerly held by Eliza Ann’s and turned it into The Chateau Anna Maria, a high-end restaurant experience in Holmes Beach.

Rather than lose the momentum he’d gained through the collaboration with Food Network, Foy decided to film what it was really like for himself, his family and his staff to work through the challenges of the pandemic and the move that ultimately saw Foy and his family relocating full-time to Florida.

In a talk with The Sun, Foy said that while the pandemic presented and continues to present challenges to many in the restaurant industry, including himself, it also allowed him and his family the opportunity to work together to build their future. And now, he said that while they plan to continue running the New York state location, the family’s future and the future of his restaurant business is in Florida. With a plan to open a new location every year starting with 10 on the west coast of Florida and one scheduled to open in Sarasota in the spring of 2022, Foy said he’s happy for the opportunity that moving south has given him and his family. And to show everyone the challenges he’s faced over the past 18 months, he launched “Foy Rush,” a show available exclusively online in short two-to eight-minute episodes.

As of press time for The Sun, the first eight episodes, filmed at The Chateau on the Lake, were available to watch with Foy planning to release one or more episodes a week for the foreseeable future.

Viewers can see “the good, the bad and the ugly” of the restaurant business, Foy said, and what his family went through when they decided to pivot to Florida and open The Chateau Anna Maria. From the decision to relocate through the present day, viewers will be able to go along on the journey with Foy, something that he plans to continue as he opens new restaurants in the future, beginning with The Chateau Sarasota.

To view the web series, visit the “Foy Rush” website, subscribe on YouTube and follow along on Instagram.

For anyone in the restaurant industry seeking a chef or server position, Foy said the demand for customers is definitely here in Florida and his restaurant is always looking for talented, reliable people to join their team. For more information on job opportunities, visit www.thechateauonthelake.com.

New dining experience comes to Waterline

New dining experience comes to Waterline

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Business, Restaurants | Bars.

HOLMES BEACH – A new dining experience is set to open on Dec. 20 with the French cuisine of The Chateau Anna Maria.

The new restaurant, helmed by Edward “Buddy” Foy Jr. and his wife, Jennifer, will open at the Waterline Marina Resort and Beach Club, 5325 Marina Drive, taking the space formerly occupied by Eliza Ann’s Coastal Kitchen.

Speaking with The Sun, Foy said that the new restaurant has been a dream of his and his staff’s since starring on the Food Network show, “Summer Rush” last year. After visiting his parents in Holmes Beach earlier in the year and staying for several months due to COVID-19 shutdowns, Foy said he knew that Anna Maria Island is the perfect place for his family’s new venture. If the show is renewed by Food Network for a second season, he said it’s possible that some of it could be shot at The Chateau Anna Maria, though Foy said there’s no guarantee.

After beating out several other applicants for the space, renovations began on the restaurant to help transform the space into the signature European/French countryside-inspired design created by Jennifer Foy that makes dining a special treat at the couple’s flagship restaurant, The Chateau On The Lake in Bolton Landing, New York.

Foy said that the goal for his family and staff is to provide a white tablecloth, five-star dining experience that makes guests feel more like they’re being entertained at someone’s elegant home rather than dining in a restaurant, a goal that he said his wife’s design of the space brings to life.

Plans are also underway to renovate the outdoor dining area in a phase two opening tentatively planned for late spring/summer.

Thanks to Foy’s upbringing in the restaurant business and his wife’s Italian heritage, he said that guests can expect a spin on French cuisine served in Italian-sized portions. The Chateau Anna Maria will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week with more casual dining taking place during the day. In the evening, Foy said the plan is to transform the restaurant into more of a fine dining experience that guests can enjoy on a special occasion or every day. He added that for guests desiring a more casual evening, casual dining favorites such as burgers will be served at the bar.

Foy said that one of his daughters plans to attend IMG Academy this coming fall while he and his wife plan to spend at least half the year on Anna Maria Island, returning to New York to operate their flagship restaurant during the summer months.

Those familiar with the Foy’s show, “Summer Rush,” know that while The Chateau On The Lake is a destination restaurant, the time that guests have to dine there every year is extremely limited. While tourists flock to the area over the summer, Foy said his family, which owns three restaurants in the area, has only 60 days of season to put in the work normally done in an entire year.

The restaurant has received more than 30 Diner’s Choice awards and was named a Top 100 Most Romantic and a Top 100 Most Scenic restaurant in America.

With the new restaurant opening in Holmes Beach, Foy brought along 15 of his Bolton Landing employees to help get the new restaurant started, including chefs. Currently, his existing staff is working to help train the new staff members in the restaurant’s policies and procedures. At the New York location, Foy said that during this year’s season, his restaurant staff greeted more than 100,000 guests without a COVID-19 case among his staff or linked back to dining at the restaurant, a streak of safe dining he plans to continue at The Chateau Anna Maria.

While the new restaurant opens for a VIP dining experience on Dec. 19, it officially opens to the public on Dec. 20. Foy said that guests staying on the Island for the holidays also can join them for dining on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

To follow along with The Chateau Anna Maria, visit the restaurant’s website, follow on Instagram or go on Facebook to follow The Chateau On The Lake where you can see video of some of the renovations taking place.