Owner - Harriet Crommelin
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 Harriet
Crommelin, owner of Café Thirty-A, opened the popular Seagrove
Beach restaurant in June of 1995 after recognizing the need for
a casual fine dining experience in South Walton.
Within two years Café Thirty-A was named one of Florida's top
200 restaurants by Florida Trend Magazine. The restaurant's
extensive wine list has also garnered an Award of Excellence
from Wine Spectator Magazine every year since 1996.
She credits her successful 28 years of experience in the
restaurant business with knowing how to put a good team together
and treating every patron like a friend.
I've made a lot of good friends through
meeting my customers, she said. "The whole Café Thirty-A staff
is like family and so are our customers."
But Harriet didn't always intend to own the
hottest restaurant in town. As the daughter of a Naval
Vice Admiral, she moved around a lot as a child and at the age
of 13 moved to Montgomery, Alabama, upon her father's
retirement. She received her B.A. from the University of
Alabama and delved into the legal, investment banking and real
estate businesses before finding her niche in the early 1980's
when she opened Montgomery's popular, award-winning Kat &
Harri's and The Bistro restaurants. |
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Chef Ken Duenas
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 Executive
Chef Ken Duenas was born in Guam and traveled the world as an Army
brat until his father retired from the military in Fort Walton
Beach. Like many great chefs, Ken began working at local restaurants
at the age of 16 doing various jobs. After graduation from high
school he wanted to further his career in the food and beverage
industry and attended the Culinary Institute in Fort Lauderdale,
Florida. While attending school there, he honed his skills at such
restaurants as Arizona 2400 on Las Olas, The Raindancers Steakhouse,
and 17th & Causeway Bistro. When he returned to this area in 1993 he
was eager to share his experience and love of cooking, which he did,
at Sandcastles and Seagars Restaurants, both located at the
Sandestin Hilton; Marina Café in Destin; and Destin CHOPS, where he
became Executive Chef. He began his stint as Executive Chef at Café
Thirty-A in September 2005.
Fusion cuisine is Ken's favorite because he
enjoys putting together foods of different cultures in various ways
with an emphasis on purity and simplicity. His philosophy is to take
the very finest and freshest products and combine them with creative
flare. According to Ken, mealtime should be a celebration of food,
drink and fun.
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General
Manager -
David Kessler
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Having grown up in Fort Walton and graduated from Choctaw High
School, David is a true native to this area. He attended the
University of West Florida while working in the restaurant business
refining his talents. He came to Café Thirty-A as a waiter in 1996
and was promoted to Service Manager in 1999. In 2001 he
advanced to become
General Manager. "David is an extremely knowledgeable, conscientious
and dedicated employee and I am pleased that he represents Café
Thirty-A as our General Manager," said owner Harriet Crommelin.
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Office
Manager -
Gloria Bibby
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 Gloria
Bibby started at Café Thirty-A in 1997 as a cook in the pantry and
pastry departments. With a background in accounting, management and
sociology, she moved to a management position in 1999 as Office
Manager. "Gloria’s great attention to detail and management skills
makes her the perfect complement to David as General Manager." said
owner Harriet Crommelin. Originally from Southern California, Gloria
attended the University of California at San Diego and Gulf Coast
College Culinary Program. She completed an externship program at
Serge Blanco’s Thalassotherapie in Hendaye, in the southern region
of France. She also holds the Master Gardener designation from the
Florida Cooperative Extension Service. |
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Sous Chef - Cody E. Smith
 Born
in San Diego, CA, Cody began his culinary career at the age of 16
working in various local restaurants where he found his appreciation
for and knowledge of fine food.
Following high school he attended the
California Culinary Academy San Diego while at the same time serving
as Sous Chef of California Cuisine Restaurant.
Since graduating from culinary school
he has been Executive Chef of the following restaurants:
The Grizzly Bar & Grill, Madison
Valley, MT; Lakeside on Hauser Lake, Helena, MT; and California
Cuisine, San Diego.
His love for his son Ryan and for fine
cuisine brought him to Florida and Café Thirty-A where he has been
our Sous Chef since March 2006. |
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