Good Bite
SRQ Daily Dining and Food Tuesday Edition
Tuesday, July 9, 2024 |
by Kate White
Photo: Elevate your next event with charcuterie dishes from Two Chefs on Hillview. Photo courtesy of Two Chefs on Hillview.
Three years ago, chefs Frank Inverlina and Melissa Ruthi teamed up under the name Two Chefs on Hillview to serve delicious cuisine to an enthusiastic Sarasota foodie audience. Both had worked in the restaurant industry for decades before starting their own businesses. Ruthi also provided catering services and sold wholesale breads and desserts to local restaurants, while Inverlina manufactured artisanal charcuterie and smoked fish products for wholesale.
“That’s how Frank and I met. We were renting the same place for our wholesale business,” explains Ruthi. “Our business was growing and we wanted our own place, so we were looking for a place to do our wholesale business and cater for myself. Then we found this place in Hillview and thought it would be fun to have a little shop here.”
The storefront, in addition to the wholesale business, gave Inverlina and Ruthi the opportunity to exercise their culinary creativity. In addition to wholesale items, the chefs also offered a variety of soups, sauces, quiches, and other items with flavors that changed daily. Over the next few years, they built a loyal local following. But then disaster struck in February 2024, when their property insurance premiums skyrocketed by more than $30,000. Without warning, Inverlina and Ruthi were forced to close their beloved business. Thanks to the generosity of the Sarasota culinary community, the two Hillview chefs managed to stay in business.
“We’re moving from kitchen to kitchen every week,” Inbalulina says. “It’s tough, but we have good friends who support us and keep us going. We’re doing everything we can to keep the brand alive while we look for a new location.”
Two Chefs on Hillview is serving many of its guest favorite dishes, albeit at limited capacity. Charcuterie boards remain a top priority. Imbarlina will be preparing pates, rillettes, confits and spreads for True Charcuterie Arrangements, while Mellissa will be making the bread. Mixed arrangements will include charcuterie and breads as well as cheeses, fruit and house-made accompaniments such as Creole mustard and pear and ginger marmalade. Guests can choose from a wide range of arrangements, including a variety of dessert arrangements featuring artisanal desserts by Louty.
Two Chefs also offers full-service catering, serving everything from sit-down, multi-course dinners to cocktail parties with tables of hors d’oeuvres and snacks for 200. They also offer unique snacks, such as wonton cones stuffed with savory, tart orange beef.
“A lot of people are used to working with other caterers who just send them a standard menu,” says Luthi. “We like to talk to our clients and find out what their event is and what they’re looking for food-wise. We then customize the menu, send it to them, and work with them to create exactly what they want.”
Two Chefs has also brought back Bootsy’s Pot Pies, a favorite from their previous storefront. Pot pies can be pre-ordered by phone and delivered once a month. Flavors are listed on the Two Chefs on Hillview Facebook page. Louty is also still serving up all of his baked goods, including his signature key lime pie and some of his beautiful-looking specialty cakes.
One of the things Inbalulina and Ruti enjoyed most about their shopfront was having a space where they could hold cooking classes for the public. They have adapted to the situation and are offering private classes for the time being. As they search for a new shopfront, having space for cooking classes is high on their list of priorities. However, finding a space can be a challenge and despite their tenacity, they may be on the verge of a lucky break.
“You need to find space,” Inbalulina says simply.
Two Chefs on Hillview, (941) 210-3535, chefs@twochefsonhillview.com, twochefsonhillview.com.
Photo: Elevate your next event with charcuterie dishes from Two Chefs on Hillview. Photo courtesy of Two Chefs on Hillview.
