TASTE OF THE TREASURE COAST
ANTHONY INSWASTY PHOTOS
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Owners of new Stuart eatery offer
dining experiences to remember
BY ANGEL MCLELLAN
Most memories are created around food: Whether
it’s cracking peanuts at a baseball game, dropping
a funnel cake at the state fair, or reminiscing with
loved ones while sharing the same holiday meal
every year. For Randy Wiley, it was sitting on the steps of a
courthouse and eating a chili dog with his grandfather.
“Little things like that matter to people and you can’t
recreate that at a large chain,” said Wiley, who is the general
manager of South Fork Kitchen & Bar. “Here it’s more than
just the food; it’s the experience, the sights, the smells, the
tastes — all encompassing.”
South Fork Kitchen & Bar sits right in the heart of Stuart
and has already made an impression in the few weeks since
it opened its doors. Its concept is rooted deeply in the farmto
table movement that promotes the idea of serving dishes
using local products and ingredients. Much of the menu
revolves around the produce, as proteins are essentially
available at any given time. With the ability to affirm food
traceability, establishments that implement these practices are
often praised for the quality and freshness of their menus.
“Luckily for us we have some really great farms right up
the street because we want to use the best local ingredients
we can find,” executive chef Ron Kerr said. “Hopefully the
farm that is closest to you is taking as much pride in their
craft as you do yours and that’s what we look for in our
vendors.”
The menu is very eclectic with influences of Asian, Cuban,
American, Italian and French. Kerr explained that when they
put the menu together they’re forming dishes inspired by eating
at other places or by talking with purveyors.
FLEXIBLE MENU
It also caters to vegetarianism, veganism and other dietary
restrictions. Both Kerr and Wiley agreed that the initial idea
was to create a place where they would want to eat, so making
the menu accessible for everyone was important.
“Because we prepare everything fresh we are able to tailor
it to the needs of any customer,” Kerr said. “Whether they
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Randy Wiley, general manager, uses his extensive background in mixology to create his hyperlocal drink menu.