Business

Jim Shirley is one of the busiest restaurateurs in SoWal with the recent opening of 331 South, a full-service event venue located on the Choctawhatchee Bay across the street from his newest restaurant - The Bay. Chef Jim also owns and operates Great Southern Café and The Meltdown on 30A, both in Seaside.

Locally based insurance agency Insurance Zone (IZ) recently expanded and opened a new office location on Scenic Highway 30A. The expansion allows Insurance Zone to better serve clients in Okaloosa, Walton, and Bay counties and throughout the Emerald Coast. 
 

George’s Pork Belly Lollipops just earned the top spot on my final meal list. Given our obsession with food, it should come as no surprise that we quickly accepted an invitation to George’s at Alys Beach to meet Chef Darek Tidwell for a menu tasting.

Osaka Japanese Hibachi Steakhouse & Sushi Bar has officially broken ground on the new Panama City Beach location at Pier Park. The new Pier Park location will be Osaka’s third location, owned by Destin residents, Michael and Annie Chou.   

The Walton County Tourist Development Council (TDC) named Jeanne Dailey as its 2014 Van Ness Butler, Jr. Hospitality Award recipient. Dailey first experienced South Walton as a visitor to Grayton Beach in the early ‘80s. Her time spent there enjoying the pristine beaches, expansive dune system, coastal dune lakes and the quiet serenity along 30A, made a lifelong impression. 
 

Another Broken Egg Cafe (ABEC) celebrated the Grand Opening of its 39th location on Oct. 24 in Grand Boulevard at Sandestin. The upscale 4,500-square-foot Southern-inspired breakfast, lunch and brunch restaurant seats 110 guests inside and an additional 40 on the “al-fresco” style patio. According to President and Founder, Ron Green, the new location of ABEC created 30 new jobs in the area.
 

Save the date for the Diamond Cutting Showcase event at McCaskill & Company in Miramar Beach for a diamond experience you will never forget! On Nov. 21 & 22 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Arie Levy, one of the world's finest diamond cutters, will demonstrate the art of cutting diamonds right before your eyes. 
 

Walton County Real Estate Statistics for September 2014 include interesting numbers for South Walton Real Estate Sales. Single family homes sales are up a whopping 41% over the same month last year!

The latest residential real estate report for September 2014 in Walton County summarizes sales and listing statistics. The Walton County Real Estate Report for September 2014 is produced by Florida REALTORS® and provided by the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors® (ECAR).

Emerald Coast Magazine (ECM) and the Junior League of the Emerald Coast have been busy preparing for the 2014 Best of the Emerald Coast celebration The 2014 winners, as voted by the readers of Emerald Coast Magazine, will be on display at Grand Boulevard at Sandestin on Saturday, October 25, from 6-9 p.m.to showcase their goods and services.