Some of my favorite places to shop, for myself and my business.
This has been hands down one of my most favorite post to come up with. The biggest reason for it was because of all the amazing food that I picked up while I was out and about plus getting to see all my friends at each location. I think this post will really help people understand the level of quality and care that not only I put into my work, but that others do as well. Plus, the biggest thing for almost any dish is the quality of the ingredients, it’s really not hard to take your home cooking to the next level just by being a little picky about your ingredients. No matter if you’re just a food enthusiast, or your own home chef I really hope you enjoy this post and that you give these places a shot, if you haven’t already.
Let’s start this off with a local “fan favorite”, the butcher shop of Hunt and Gather. Hunt and Gather Butcher Shop and Market is one of the most wonderful places I have the pleasure of shopping at, both for my business and personal cooking. I met the owner, Derek, when Hunt and Gather was just starting to take shape as a food truck. Since then, it has evolved from that idea all the way up to a brick-and-mortar restaurant, and in my opinion one of the best (if not the absolute best) restaurants we have in the area. With the success of the business, they opened a butcher shop and market behind the dining room, and all of the products are amazing, you can find artisan soy sauce on the shelves right next to designer instant noodles. Right across from the shelves are an assortment of wines beside the meat cases which are stuffed full of a selection ranging from wild game like duck breast or high-quality meats like A5 wagyu steaks, all the way to gator sausages that they make in house. Plus, there’s usually an assortment of house made sides, like pasta salad or honey glazed carrots. So, you can pretty much pick up your entire dinner in one stop.
Every time I walk into the butcher shop I end up leaving with something, in this case I left with two whole ducks. Look for Hunt & Gather just over the Hathaway Bridge off of Front Beach Road.
Maybe seafood is more your speed, If that’s the case you’ll love the next spot. Sitting right by the water in downtown Panama City is one of the greatest seafood markets around, Greg Abrams Seafood/Tarpon Docks
Greg Abram’s Seafood, or Tarpon Docks, has quickly become my favorite local seafood supplier. Years of working in sushi means that I’ve had more than a couple suppliers for fresh fish, but I’ve never had a supplier offer to let me check out the facility on a moments notice before these guys. They take pride in their work and run a tight ship when it comes to handling the product and maintaining standards of cleanliness. On top of all of this their customer service is amazing, no matter if I’m walking in to pick up a work order or coming in for my personal shopping Kenny or Clay are usually behind the counter and always meet me with, “How’s it going Nick?”. They have sushi grade tuna, amazing tuna dip that they make in house, along with other varieties of some of the most gorgeous fish I’ve ever seen. I’ll always suggest the yellow edge and hake as well as the tuna dip, you can’t go wrong with anything they offer though.
You can ask just about anyone at Greg Abrams, and they’ll tell you that it’s a pretty common occurrence for me to walk in to pick up a business order and I’ll end up leaving with some fresh fish for my own dinner, or at the very least some tuna dip. Do yourself a favor and stop in and grab some of the freshest fish our waters have to offer.
Maybe you want something a little bit more exotic, or you want to try to recreate some of the food you see in a Ghibli movie… You will have a blast in the next spot, Ocean Oriental Market.
Last, but certainly not least, if you’ve been to Downtown Panama City odds are you have at least seen the building, since it’s right beside the welcome signs. If you’ve never been inside though, do yourself a favor and stop into Ocean Oriental Market next time you’re in the area. I’ve been to tons of Asian markets over the years and one thing I always notice is that they always have an overwhelming inventory, which is fun in its own regard. However not everyone wants to try out 50 different brands of nori or ramen to find the one they like, luckily the guys at ocean take a lot of that guess work out of the way for you. They still have a huge selection of just about everything, but they really just stock the “good brands” of things. Grab anything off the shelves and you’re pretty much set on the fact that it’s going to be a quality ingredient, no matter if it’s sushi nori, wakame salad, steamed buns, or a type of soy sauce you’ve never heard of. Another really great thing about Ocean, that Rowan and I really love, is that they offer a full menu of freshly made food, boba tea, and ice cream with bubble waffle cones! When you walk in, grab a boba to sip on and put in a food order, go explore the isles of fresh produce, ready to cook bao, sauces, and shrimp chips, among other amazing products. Then by the time your food order will be ready for you… the adobo chicken and lumpia are always a hit.
I really hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed putting it together. One of my favorite parts about working as a private chef has been getting to work outside of anyone else’s “box”. I get to make my own calls about ordering products, and experimenting with dishes and flavor profiles, and a huge part of that is shopping around for the right ingredients. One thing all these places have in common, aside from having amazing products and staff, is that they’re all local small businesses just like Rowan’s Plate, so shop often and shop local I promise that you won’t be disappointed with any of the places on this list, and as always if you want the best sushi in the area or want a truly amazing experience I’m just an email, phone call, or text message away. No matter if you’re staying in Seacrest, Destin, or Panama City your search for a private chef ends at Rowan’s Plate, so come as a friend and eat as family.
