HOLMES BEACH – If you’ve ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at a restaurant or how restaurant owners manage a crisis, Buddy Foy Jr. and his family have just the show for you.
Foy, owner of The Chateau Anna Maria at the Waterline Marina Resort and Beach Club and star of the Food Network’s “Summer Rush,” has launched his own web series called “Foy Rush.”
When the COVID-19 pandemic put an indefinite hold on his show and his Bolton Landing, New York restaurant, The Chateau on the Lake, only able to open for a few months and then with limited seating, Foy turned his focus to Florida. He was able to secure the restaurant location formerly held by Eliza Ann’s and turned it into The Chateau Anna Maria, a high-end restaurant experience in Holmes Beach.
Rather than lose the momentum he’d gained through the collaboration with Food Network, Foy decided to film what it was really like for himself, his family and his staff to work through the challenges of the pandemic and the move that ultimately saw Foy and his family relocating full-time to Florida.
In a talk with The Sun, Foy said that while the pandemic presented and continues to present challenges to many in the restaurant industry, including himself, it also allowed him and his family the opportunity to work together to build their future. And now, he said that while they plan to continue running the New York state location, the family’s future and the future of his restaurant business is in Florida. With a plan to open a new location every year starting with 10 on the west coast of Florida and one scheduled to open in Sarasota in the spring of 2022, Foy said he’s happy for the opportunity that moving south has given him and his family. And to show everyone the challenges he’s faced over the past 18 months, he launched “Foy Rush,” a show available exclusively online in short two-to eight-minute episodes.
As of press time for The Sun, the first eight episodes, filmed at The Chateau on the Lake, were available to watch with Foy planning to release one or more episodes a week for the foreseeable future.
Viewers can see “the good, the bad and the ugly” of the restaurant business, Foy said, and what his family went through when they decided to pivot to Florida and open The Chateau Anna Maria. From the decision to relocate through the present day, viewers will be able to go along on the journey with Foy, something that he plans to continue as he opens new restaurants in the future, beginning with The Chateau Sarasota.
To view the web series, visit the “Foy Rush” website, subscribe on YouTube and follow along on Instagram.
For anyone in the restaurant industry seeking a chef or server position, Foy said the demand for customers is definitely here in Florida and his restaurant is always looking for talented, reliable people to join their team. For more information on job opportunities, visit www.thechateauonthelake.com.
