Tides Inn Crustacean Celebration

Tides Inn celebrates Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs with a series of interactive culinary events

L to R: Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Boil (Photo credit: The Tides Inn); Chef Eric Gephart (Photo credit: Kamado Joe); The Tides Inn Marina (Photo credit: The Tides Inn)

The Tides Inn is kicking off Spring with Crustacean Celebration, a weekend of fun feasting, Friday, April 23 and Saturday, April 24. Guest Chef and Live Fire Expert, Eric Gephart of Kamado Joe Grills, will team up with the Tides Inn Executive Chef, Truman Jones for a welcome gathering Friday night, followed by a Saturday afternoon and evening of epicurean delights and demos dedicated to Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs, the crustacean delicacies that are native to region.

The weekend begins with a Friday evening rosé-inspired “Pink Party”, a meet-and-greet reception in the resort’s new Chef’s Kitchen. Guests are encouraged to dress with the theme and will enjoy creative live cooked canapes, rosé, and a signature cocktail.

The Crustacean Celebration’s main event will take place on the resort’s beautiful shoreline Saturday afternoon. Attendees will learn tips and tricks as they partake in this Kamado Joe Class celebrating delicious crustaceans. The chefs will demonstrate their cooking techniques including a pro-approach to cooking blue crabs and lobster tails, making this a hands-on and interactive “edutainment” event. Guests will also be treated to delicious dishes featuring scallops, oysters, shrimp, and lots more. And to top it off, The Tides Inn’s vintage bar cart, Rosie, will be serving up fun and creative cocktails including a Blue Crab Bloody Mary. That evening guests can head over to Fish Hawk Oyster Bar for “Tides After Hours” for sweet treats and a night cap.

“This partnership with Kamado Joe is part of my vision to elevate the Tides Inn culinary programming through regional and local partnerships,” says Executive Chef Truman Jones. “Crustacean Celebration is the first of many events in the pipeline that will put the Tides Inn on the map as a culinary destination in the Chesapeake Bay region.”

Chef Eric Gephart is the Director of Culinary Inspiration for Kamado Joe Ceramic Grills. He has experience in distinguished kitchens from New York City to New Zealand and he has owned and operated award-winning restaurants. Chef Eric’s passion for education led him to open a notable Culinary School in North Carolina, where he refined his signature style of culinary “Edutainment.”

“I think there is an important story to tell regarding the Tides Inn brining in outside talent to provide fun and unique guest experiences,” says Chef Eric Gephart. “I’m thrilled to be the first to shake things up and want to leave people on the edge of their seats for the next Tides Inn event.”

Tickets begin at $125 per person for the main event, and $50 each for the “Pink Party” and “Tides After Hours” events. Guests can also purchase a weekend bundle for $225 per person for all three events and are also encouraged to book the Crustacean Celebration Package with rates starting at $374 per night with a minimum two-night stay.

The Tides Inn is committed to following all Virginia State COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions for the Crustacean Celebration as the safety and wellbeing of the guests and team members at the Tides Inn is top priority. The property is Sharecare Health Security VERIFIED® with Forbes Travel Guide and will continue to uphold the highest level of service, cleanliness and safety for the event.

To purchase tickets and book accommodations for the Crustacean Celebration, pleases visit Tidesinn.com or call resort reservations at (877)-456-9677. For event updates please follow @TidesInn and @kamadojoe.

About the Tides Inn

Located in the historic town of Irvington in the heart of Virginia’s Northern Neck region, the Tides Inn is a waterfront property situated on a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. Just three hours from Washington, DC and one hour from Richmond VA, the Tides Inn delivers genuine Southern hospitality in an intimate resort setting. Supported by local Virginia farms, orchards and waterways, the resort’s coastal cuisine is presented at Chesapeake Restaurant and Fish Hawk Oyster Bar – both with views of Carter’s Creek. Families and couples alike can take advantage of engaging experiences, such as hands-on art workshops in the Maker Space, culinary classes in the Chef’s Kitchen and the Virginia Oyster Academy. Additional offerings include a full-service spa, Golden Eagle Golf Course, boat cruises, a 60-slip overnight marina, professional sailing school, crabbing, pottery making, children’s program and more. The 70-room Tides Inn is a part of the Enchantment Group portfolio of award-winning destination resorts.

About Chef Eric Gephart

Chef Eric Gephart is the Director of Culinary Inspiration for Kamado Joe Ceramic Grills. Chef Eric earned his Culinary Degree from The Culinary Institute of America, as well as a Literature Degree from The University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He has experience in distinguished kitchens from New York City to New Zealand and he has owned and operated award-winning restaurants. Chef Eric’s passion for education led him to open a notable Culinary School in North Carolina, where he refined his signature style of culinary “Edutainment.” He now travels the globe, redefining what it means to grill and celebrating the Kamado Joe lifestyle.

About Kamado Joe

Kamado Joe exists to inspire confidence in outdoor cooking enthusiasts who want: a versatile charcoal experience and crave culinary inspiration to continuously elevate their passion for food. Their line of ceramic grills inspired by an ancient, Asian-style grill, the kamado, is a thick-walled cooker that imparts rich, smoky flavor to meats, fish and vegetables. Relatively unchanged for centuries, air flows through the grill’s ceramic body and out its vented dome, chunk charcoal comes to life as smoke and heat. Kamado Joe is proud to draw on that tradition, modernizing the grill’s classic style with unparalleled craftsmanship, innovative accessories, and a range of flexible cooking surfaces.