Poolside With Panache

The scene at Heaton’s Reef, the Vero Beach Hotel & Club’s new poolside grill.

In his new quarters, Jeff Rigg has to be part-chef, part-magician. How else to explain that in a kitchen no larger than 15 by 25 feet–and that’s being generous–the Heaton’s Reef chef and his support staff are able to conjure up meals that please the palate and create a lasting impression.

Though the Vero Beach Hotel & Club poolside bar and grill has only been open for a few weeks, the word is already out that it’s the place to go for a special sip and savory bite. Whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner, the menu, as Rigg says, “May be limited, but it’s definitely unique.”

The chef‘s two signature entrees are the “Beef Stack” and the “Seafood Stack.” “The Beef Stack,” Rigg explains, “is prime Angus tenderloin on an herb and roasted garlic mashed potato cake with sautéed crimini mushrooms and crispy red onion straws topped with gorgonzola mousse.”

The Seafood Stack, a lightly jerked pan-seared grouper topped with an island-style crab cake and two grilled marinated jumbo shrimp with Mojito butter sauce and a passion fruit reduction, is just as tasty.

Thanks to Rigg, guests of the hotel and club are in for a rare treat as his is the type of resourceful creativity that Coral Hospitality were looking for when it came time to hire a chef.

Read the entire article in the April 2007 issue