It’s been two months since Marty Harrity sold The Whale on Estero Boulevard to Mike and Dawn Miller and Greg Von Krumreig. The new owners are gearing up for an October 1st grand re-opening of the popular restaurant. This week they introduced their new chef, Rhys Davis (pictured) to the community
Davis was born and raised in Naples and went to Culinary School at Lorenzo Walker. He comes from a family of food experts.
His grandmother owned restaurants in downtown L.A. and his dad spent time as a Sous Chef at the Hilton. “Cooking was something I was interested in at a young age,” Rhys tells Beach Talk Radio.
“Over the past 10 years I have spent my time cooking in various restaurants in Charlotte, North Carolina. When I moved back to SW Florida I became Sous Chef at Windstar Country Club and most recently spent the last 4 1/2 years at Bonita Bay Country Club as Chef de Cuisine.”
Rhys says he absolutely loves being a Chef. “I couldn’t imagine having a different career. Having the ability to wake up everyday, be creative, and have people eat the food we make and enjoy is such a great feeling.”
What can customers of The Whale expect to see with Rhys now in charge of the menu? “Being from SW Florida I strive to use the best Local Seafood and produce I can find. For my menus, I like to keep them simple and straightforward but elevate them by using solid techniques and fresh products. I have a massive love for Asian and Creole cooking so you will see specials that are driven by those concepts.”
In addition to bringing on Rhys, the new owners of the restaurant have also introduced a new logo (see below) and launched a merch page HERE.
