Criolla?s Restaurant Owner/Chef Johnny Earles
Officially Announced New Company
Innovation and Creativity are Key Ingredients for 30A Resorts
Officially Announced New Company
Innovation and Creativity are Key Ingredients for 30A Resorts
Criolla?s Restaurant owner/chef Johnny Earles officially announced the opening of 30A Resorts at a preview party held at Criolla?s Restaurant and 30A Resorts? new location on Thursday, April 24, on Scenic Highway 30A in Grayton Beach, Florida. Over 300 guests toured the newly renovated restaurant and the 30A Resorts corporate office while sampling tempting tapas and Napa Valley wines.
?This is a dramatically different company and the first of its kind in the area,? said Earles, CEO of 30A Resorts and owner of Criolla?s Restaurant. Earles and partners Ed Clark, Ken Catrino, and Scott Provow hosted the event and shared their vision for 30A Resorts and the company brand, LIVE. PLAY. STAY. 30A. ?This embodies our vision of uniquely blending real estate brokerage services, boutique concierge, special events planning, and vacation accommodations under the 30A Resorts umbrella. We are a niche destination vacation and lifestyle company,? added Clark.
With 66% of the travel population using the Internet to book their destination travel, 30A Resorts has launched a web site that combines real estate listings and a shopping boutique where visitors can buy specialty wines and organic food from the natural foods store For The Health of It. Visitors to the web site can also book a spa treatment, rent a bike, and much more. ?We understand that our clientele is savvy and uses the Internet, and our web site, www.30aresorts.com, caters to that vacation niche as well,? said Clark.
LIVE
A man of many talents, Earles also founded Johnny Earles & Company Real Estate Brokerage four years ago. He has moved his brokerage services to 30A Resorts. He, along with partners Ken Catrino, formerly a broker-associate with The St. Joe Company, and veteran realtors Scott Provow and Steve Wagner, is creating a team of excellent real estate counselors who understand the market. ?Pricing your property correctly is one of the single most important decisions you can make in the current market. We know how to implement marketing plans that work to sell property,? said Catrino.
PLAY
Criolla?s Restaurant was transformed this spring, allowing for room to create the corporate offices for 30A Resorts as well as additional outdoor dining for the restaurant. Guests at the preview party were the first to see the renovations and the ?storytelling vignette? staging areas, created to bring the 30A Resorts vision to life. In one area, a dinner table was set with candles, flowers, and beautiful china, with a personal chef serving delectable cuisine. This refined setting conveyed the fact that, while you are on vacation, 30A Resorts can cater any type of party and arrange for personal chef services. Recent statistics reveal that 41% of travelers do not have enough time to travel for leisure, with the majority of vacations spanning only four days. People prefer less work in terms of planning and booking their vacations; therefore, all-inclusive vacations have become more popular. 30A Resorts caters to an evolving niche in the marketplace. ?The ease and convenience of a personal chef preparing dinner for your family in your own home or having specially prepared meals delivered to your doorstep can make for a very special vacation,? added Earles.
The 30A Resorts team also presented its Dream Wedding vignette with a wedding cake, champagne and toasting glasses, and showcasing Criolla?s Special Events, which has catered hundreds of beach weddings and corporate and private events in and around the 30A area for the past several years.
A vignette featuring bicycles, YOLO Boards, surfboards, kayaks, and surf cast rods represented some of the activities the 30A Resorts concierge staff can arrange for guests. 30A Resorts has also teamed with the local favorite, For The Health of It, which presented a beautiful display of organic produce and other popular items available for delivery to guests. Spa treatments can also be reserved through the 30A Resorts vacation consultants. For those looking to book tee times, make tennis court reservations, or plan a Grayton Beach fishing excursion, the 30A Resorts team can make those arrangements as well.
A wine cellar presentation was also staged to showcase the boutique wines that 30A Resorts is proud to offer for purchase through its web site. ?You can pick out the wines you want, and have them delivered to your vacation home before you arrive,? said Earles.
STAY
The announcement of the newly formed company at the preview party was the platform that the 30A Resorts vacation rental team used to present to the owners of quality beach homes and condominiums the benefits of adding their properties to the 30A Resorts portfolio of rental accommodations. Chip Peay, Vice President of Business Development made a personal presentation to vacation home owners interested in joining the 30A Resorts rental management program. Throughout the evening Peay answered questions about all aspects of the company, including how 30A Resorts clients can benefit from a comprehensive hospitality program.
Peay?s illustrious career as an executive in the music industry in Nashville is a special benefit to 30A Resorts and its clients. He and the rest of the team are planning several musical concerts and wine events around 30A, most notably, at the Gulf Place amphitheatre. Owners of vacation rental properties managed by 30A Resorts, as well as the guests themselves, can benefit from the added marketability of their homes, with special package stays that may include tickets to the events that 30A Resorts will be producing. ?We want to bring quality entertainment events to the area that will match the sophistication and elegance of our beautiful community,? said Peay.
About 30A Resorts ? LIVE. PLAY. STAY. 30A.
Founded in 2007 by Johnny Earles, CEO, and partners Ed Clark, Ken Catrino, and Scott Provow, this niche destination vacation and lifestyle company combines real estate, boutique concierge, Criolla?s Special Events, and vacation rental management under the 30A Resorts umbrella. As ambassadors of the 30A Lifestyle, the vision and mission of the company is to celebrate the destination by offering a boutique experience where one can LIVE. PLAY. STAY. 30A. Visit www.30aresorts.com or call Chip Peay, Vice President of Business Development, at (850) 267-2277.
Company Profile
Johnny Earles is a premier chef and restaurateur. He has garnered national acclaim over the past 19 years as the chef/owner of Criolla?s Restaurant. In the early 1990s, Earles spent the winter months in New York City working with chefs he calls ?the leaders of Manhattan cuisine,? including Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Charlie Palmer, and Tom Colicchio. He was a four-time guest chef of the James Beard Foundation ? the prestigious nonprofit organization formed to preserve America?s culinary heritage. He has also been a guest chef at Harlan Estate and Miner Family Vineyards for the Napa Valley Wine Auction, as well as performing guest chef stints in Miami, Nashville, and, most recently, at Cap Juluca on the island of Anguilla. Earles has lived along Scenic 30A for over 25 years and was founding president of the Scenic 30A Business Association. He is also the managing broker for 30A Resorts, a CCIM candidate, and an Advisory Board Member of Regions Bank. He is married to Debbie Earles; they have a son, Jonathan.
Ed Clark is President and CEO of FedEx Trade Networks, a subsidiary of FedEx Corporation based in Memphis, Tennessee. He is a 25-year veteran of FedEx and a two-time winner of the ?Five Star Award,? the most prestigious award for employee performance given at FedEx. Prior to joining FedEx, he was a design engineer and financial analyst for W.R. Grace & Company in Memphis. Clark serves as the Chairman of the Vanderbilt University School of Engineering Alumni Advisory Board. Clark and his wife, Sue, have three children, Edmund, David, and Anna.
Scott Provow is a retired Naval Aviator and Delta Airlines Captain. He is a Founding Member of the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola, Florida, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors. Provow began his real estate career with Harry Norman in Atlanta and is licensed in Georgia as well as Florida. He and his wife, Leslie, have been married for 27 years. She is also a retired Naval Aviator, and currently serves as a 747-400 pilot for United Airlines based in Chicago. They have three children, Liz, Steph, and Matthew.
Ken Catrino is a top producing, award-winning real estate professional. He was a broker-associate with The St. Joe Company and part of their real estate sales team, specializing in WaterColor and WaterSound properties. Prior to joining The St. Joe Company, Catrino was sales manager at Tops?l Beach & Racquet Resort, where he managed the sale of more than 350 new resort properties, representing approximately $77,000,000 in volume. He also brokered numerous commercial and REO deals for area lenders and the Resolution Trust Corporation. Having represented hundreds of successful real estate transactions in South Walton County, Catrino offers his clients abundant knowledge through professional real estate advisory services. He serves on several homeowner association boards and is a CCIM candidate. He has two sons, Michael and John.
Chip Peay was an integral player in the Nashville music scene for much of his career. Peay was the founder and owner of Chip Peay Entertainment, Inc. He was the personal manager for Alan Jackson, overseeing worldwide tours and 60-plus employees. Peay was also in charge of marketing and promotion with Arista Records and was a booking agent and facilitator of corporate sponsorship deals. Other personal management clients included Steve Wariner, Don Williams, Restless Heart, Ricky Skaggs, and Ronnie Milsap. Peay was a member of the Country Music Association. He is a Leadership Music 1990 Graduate. He has been on the Belmont University Music Business School Advisory Board, the Loews Vanderbilt Plaza Hotel Advisory Board, and the Commodore Yacht Club Board of Directors. He enjoys boating, playing guitar with the Pat Patrick Orchestra, and rooting for his favorite teams, the Vanderbilt Commodores and the Tennessee Titans. He has two sons, Will and Matt.
About Criolla?s Restaurant
Founded in 1989 by chef/owner Johnny Earles, Criolla?s Restaurant offers cuisine that is a fusion of New Orleans, Caribbean Creole, and other equatorial culinary influences. The restaurant has garnered numerous awards and accomplishments that include the DiRoNa ?Award of Excellence? and the Wine Spectator?s ?Best Award of Excellence.? It is one of Florida Trend Magazine?s ?Hall of Fame? restaurants. Criolla?s and Johnny Earles have been featured in dozens of newspapers and magazines including Southern Living, Coastal Living, Cook?s Magazine, Self Magazine, Restaurant Business, Atlanta Magazine, Food Arts, Nation?s Restaurant News, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and The New York Times. They have also been featured on television, on CNN and Discovery Channel?s Great Chefs of the South. Together with Earles, Criolla?s Executive Chef Shayne Vaughan has created a fantastic menu for 2008, with an emphasis on sustainable seafood and organic produce. The new tapas bar features a raw bar with a bountiful presentation of stone crab claws, Apalachicola oysters on the half shell, and wild-caught Gulf shrimp. To learn more about Criolla?s Restaurant, please visit www.criollas.com or call (850) 267-1267.
Sounds like a great blend of services!
