Comments on: #4 Story AQUA RESTAURANT IN BAY CREEK MARINA CLOSING

By: R.D. Matney

R.D. Matney — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 21:02:09 +0000

Being from the southside and an avid bay lover, it is terrible when I hear something negative about Cape Charles. However, they need people coming in from out of town to keep the doors open. I have dined at Aqua since they opened. It was never great dining (the atmosphere was, but not the food). I was there a month ago and will be staying at the marina again for the New Year. Have to change the mindset a bit: GET THE SERVICE and the FOOD right. Forget the golf crowd — “they ain’t comin” enough to keep such a nice place open.

Southside people would love to visit Cape Charles more often but they a need an affordable place to stay so they can have a good time. Hotel Cape Charles is great but rooms above $150 are just not good for a weekend getaway. I love the B&B’s too, it’s always great staying with Bruce and Carol.

Hopefully that city-planned waterfront area opposite the marina will come through. The Eastern Shore is great.

A Southside guy looking in with my 2 cents — that’s all folks.

By: Brett Yohn

Brett Yohn — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 19:08:06 +0000

Having grown up on the shore and Bay Creek being my first employer, I was hired as a food runner For Aqua. It hurts me to see someone writing about such false things. Even though South Carolina is where I reside now I still visit the shore often and can say Bay Creek will always and forever be a huge part of that Town during good times and bad. Also sir you have not grown up on the Shore so therefore you have no idea of the struggles the Shore has seen or the fact that the Shore is home and always will be to some of the most amazing people and nature this nation has to offer. I am currently the youngest finance director and property manager in my area for some very large resorts and I owe all my success to Aqua and Bay Creek. The things I learned from the managers there and owners I have put to use with my current clients. So during these hard times there’s no doubt in my mind that Bay Creek will bounce back from this hard time. So I raise my glass to giving Bay Creek a much needed winter break and I will be there once the doors open again to enjoy the place that helped shape me. So to the most remarkable managers I have ever had — Adam Travis, Tiff and Ana as well as Chef Shelly and many others — Thank you for teaching me and your hard work and determination; take a break this winter y’all — I will see you when the doors reopen to AQUA.

By: Jim Blanchard

Jim Blanchard — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 15:25:14 +0000

Mike, great to hear a refreshing, positive perspective on here. You served my family numerous times at Aqua, we would ask for you by name when we went there. I hope that Aqua can restructure and re-open, perhaps tweaked to be a more sustainable business for the town.

Above all I appreciate your first hand, positive perspective on an otherwise tough situation. I was excited to see The Wave take off a while back. As a part time resident I want to stay plugged in to things happening in town. I would wait for the monthly publication of the Gazette to keep me informed, it’s great to now have access to information on a regular basis. However I’ve found the dissent and pessimism posted on here depressing at times. The Town Council is neither the root of all of our problems nor the solution to them.

Be the change you want to see in the world.

Thanks for a refreshing post. I hope you and your family are well.

By: Bruce Lindeman

Bruce Lindeman — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 14:21:13 +0000

Great post, Mike. I’ll be hoping along with you that Aqua returns again in the year ahead. It’s been a great place to go with family and friends year ’round. Not much in life is permanent, especially in the food service industry. Thanks for your service through the years and hope to see you and more sunsets to come from the Aqua dining room.

By: Mike Killebrew

Mike Killebrew — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 05:26:46 +0000

I have been an Aqua employee long enough to have seen five or six hundred beautiful sunsets across the Chesapeake Bay from our little oasis at the northern tip of Cape Charles. It has been a pleasure working with the fine staff and management for almost four years. The chain of management from Dickie to Oral to Adam has always been good, fair and forthright with their employees, making it a fine place to work. Having worked in the restaurant business for over twenty-five years, I really have appreciated the close knit and fun yet very professional environment that is Aqua. I have worked in a quality, busy French Bistro in Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto and a very high end Italian Restaurant with a Florentine Master Chef in the wine country of Northern California (among other places), and have found Shelly and her kitchen staff to be equally creative and consistent in putting out great food. She always does extremely well in using local seafood and produce. This is the best and most fun restaurant crew I have ever worked with and we have many wonderful and loyal customers!

Yes, Aqua will be closing on the 22nd of December. I understand that this news was broken to Adam, Shelly and Tiffany at a meeting Tuesday morning. They were kind enough to wait to break this news to all the employees at a meeting after our very busy “Two for one local appreciation night.” The employees were the first to know and we were told the facts and we were given a best case scenario and a worst case scenario. I have always been an optimist and believe that we are a part of a greater plan. With this in mind and in my heart, I will enjoy my last days THIS YEAR working at Aqua, enjoy being off for Christmas and New Year’s Eve and look forward to the reopening of Aqua in the new year. I believe in a great future for Aqua, Cape Charles and the Eastern Shore. I look forward to many more sunsets over the Bay with my friends at Aqua! Keep the faith and have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

By: Lisa Guzzardo

Lisa Guzzardo — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 04:23:29 +0000

The Chesapeake! What wonderful food and what a classy owner. Yes, the corn/crab chowder was the best. We miss it. I so hope that Aqua is not gone for good. We’ve been visiting Cape Charles for years and finally bought a lot in the Marina Village last month. We so hope that someone revives the Bay Creek area — we’ll never all fit in Kelly’s.

By: Rich Boehling

Rich Boehling — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 01:34:52 +0000

Mr Kumza, Perhaps you are correct. However, lawsuits between development partners have always had interesting ways of unwinding. Stay tuned.

By: Ana Kohler

Ana Kohler — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 19:27:03 +0000

THE WAVE in Cape Charles: Drowned Itself with False Words. Employees are the First, and will be the Last, to know.

By: Mike Kuzma, Jr

Mike Kuzma, Jr — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:53:33 +0000

Robbin,
Good to hear from you! I so miss your corn ‘n’ crab chowder . . . delicious! I was so sorry to see you go, but if Government is going to be picayune in enforcement as opposed to supportive of Business, that is the end result. One can only hope the lost revenue due to a lack of an operating license won’t destroy Hotel Cape Charles.

Mr. Boehling, unless the restaurant (and I do not know one way or the other) is a leased affair, the closure would not impact a short sale. It is mere square footage and not a line item profit center where a defaulted lease would impact value.

As for Acqua closing, that is a darn shame. My family made a point of going at least once every time they were there. Excellent food, great atmosphere and superb service.

By: Kearn Schemm

Kearn Schemm — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 13:52:43 +0000

This is terrible news. We all loved Aqua and hope that in its case, as in the case of the other shops, some new owner will take over and keep the place going.

This closing really will impact the whole community in a negative way.