Crêpes du Soleil Shines in a Shiny Airstream in Seaside

Driving through Seaside on Scenic 30A, SoWal newbies are often surprised and delighted when they first spot Seaside’s gleaming Airstream Row.

The newest sleek silver kitchen is on the east end of the row - Crêpes du Soleil. It's owned and operated by wife and husband Liz & Jay Eichelberger, and “Chef Rob” Masone, formerly a caterer in Charlotte, NC.

The three first discussed the potential for a Seaside food truck back in 2016 when Rob catered their Seaside wedding rehearsal dinner and Sunday brunch.

“All three of us thought the Airstreams were so cool and we began the process for starting our food truck business here in Seaside,” says Liz. “We found our cool vintage 1972 Airstream in Kansas City.  We bought it from the ‘Airstream Guy’,” continues Jay.

The three collaborators are now set up to cook and are unleashing their energy on Spring Break, anticipating a boisterous and filling Summer. Having endured their first Panhandle hurricane (Hurricane Michael), they are confidant they can take on pretty much anything that blows their way.

Jay considers himself to be the “greeter” of the trio and his happy face is a welcoming feature along Airstream Row. The Soleil menu centers around “Sweet” or “Savory” offerings with the hands-down Sweet favorite being the “Nutella”.

“Nutella is king by far,” explains Liz. “The Nutella outsells everything including the Savory items.”

The Nutella, a combination of chocolate hazelnut spread with bananas/strawberries and Chantilly cream, comes wrapped (like ALL the Soleil Crepes) in an eco-friendly biodegradable paper cone that is perfect for on-the-go customers. Also popular is the Bananas Foster (Nutella, warm caramelized banana spread, and Chantilly cream.

On the Savory side, favorites include the Le Classique (farm fresh egg, shaved ham, and blended Gruyere; the Peppered Pig (pulled pork, shaved ham, Gruyere, dried Chile mustard, and airstream pickles); and the Bonjour Breakfast (farm fresh egg, smoked bacon, fresh tomato, and a Gruyere blend).
Crepe du Soleil prides themselves for using fresh ingredients, many coming from the Seaside Farmers Market.

Also featured on the sweet menu is the Crepes du Soleil Famous Homemade Mousse Au Chocolat offered in a standard cup or very cool keepsake jar.
“We prepare as much as we can from scratch,” explains Jay. “We make our own pickles, chili mustard, bananas foster, rubs, etc. to give our crepes that extra edge. Our pork is cooked 12 hours overnight. Our fresh eggs are cracked right on our crepe maker.”

Walking around Seaside has been a “thing” to do for three decades now and folks really appreciate being able to purchase savory “walk around” food….Crepes du Soleil fits the bill nicely with their handy crepes wrapped in a triangular- shaped cone, a perfect fit for your hand. Eco-friendly “boats” are also offered for “messier” items such as the chocolate mousse crepe.

All crepes are made-to-order and listed menu ingredients can be swapped if desired. “Mixing and matching” is always fun.

“We’ve had folks order just the cone, and some have ordered just the ingredients without the cone,” says Liz. “We’re excited to be able to extend the ‘finger food’ experience here on Airstream Row…we see families or groups of people split up with individuals spreading out to experience the different Airstreams.”

Drinks include bottled water, coffee, beer and Frose’. They have French and Belgian-style beers, red and white wine, and mimosas. The Frose’ consists of a frozen rose’ wine slush with strawberry and peach.

“We’ve had folks start their day with our Frose’!” says Liz. “We love our interaction with people, some of which have never had a crepe. We had one fellow who thought they were sandwiches but ordered one anyway….he came back and said, ‘that was amazing’ and ordered another one!”

Jay and Liz are happy as can be with their new enterprise but are preparing themselves for their next Seaside food adventure…they will soon be opening their NEWEST new adventure, the Cocina Cubana, a Cuban restaurant that will open at the Seaside location formerly occupied by Amavida Coffee House.

Details are in the works now, but customized “Cuban Bowls” will be a “grab and go” option with no inside seating (seating will be available outside the restaurant). The kitchen for Cocina Cubana will do double duty for their purposes. Being located literally across the street from each other, the Cubana kitchen will be great for dual food prep.

Hours of operation: 8 a.m.-8:30 p.m. daily. For more information: www.crepesdusoleil.com. Location: 2215 EEast Scenic Hwy 30A, Seaside Florida, on Airstream Row.