Florida’s Emerald Coast is becoming the piece de resistance of culinary-themed meetings and incentives.
A pancake house, for example, may not be the first image that comes to mind when considering where to host a painting workshop, but it certainly is the tastiest. The Pancakery in Destin is where it’s at for gourmet pancakes and crepes combined with coastal painting lessons from a Paint the Coast instructor who specializes in palette knife painting. Rod-to-plate is also a thing here, and groups can easily spend an afternoon on a fishing charter in Destin before passing their catches off to Boshamps Seafood & Oyster House, Harbor Docks or AJ’s Seafood and Oyster Bar to work their magic on them. At the Henderson Park Inn, groups can take this a step further and learn how to prepare their catches of the day from Beach Walk Cafe during a cooking class led by the property’s chef, Greg Dupas, a master of Gulf Coast cuisine. Yes, Florida’s Emerald Coast is festooned with creative culinary possibilities.
The Emerald Grande at HarborWalk Village also offers interactive “Cooking with the Chef” sessions that include a complimentary glass of wine and lunch. A perk here is HarborWalk Village itself, and its array of waterfront restaurants, boutique shops, entertainment and water possibilities—whether stand-up paddleboarding, parasailing, dolphin cruises, or exploring the waters on a glass bottom boat. And for groups looking for an old-world, uptown experience, look to Clamenzas at Uptown Station’s Tuscan wine cellar coupled with a state-of-the-art demonstration kitchen for receptions and private parties of up to 50.
Creative team building cooking classes, wine pairings and tastings happen here. Mellow moments can be invented at the Funky Blues Shack Piano Bar, connected to Graffiti’s Italian Restaurant, or consider hitting the beach instead of the bar for a nighttime educational walk.
