Distinguished Southern Restaurateur Jim Shirley opens Great Souther School of Fish Restaurant at WindMark Beach

Creative Menu Features Southern Favorites with a Twist

Port St. Joe, Florida (May 6, 2008) — The Great Southern School of Fish restaurant has opened in WindMark Beach’s Village Center, offering a tasty menu created by chef and veteran restaurateur Jim Shirley. Chef Shirley, a partner in the Great Southern Restaurant Group in Pensacola and the Great Southern Cafe in Seaside, Florida, brings his signature modern Southern cuisine to this Gulf front eatery.

“I love to combine flavors in unusual ways, so when people come to the restaurant they’re going to find lots of foods they’re familiar with, like grits and oysters, prepared in a way that is totally new to them,” says Chef Shirley.

Steps away from a stunning stretch of beach, the restaurant and bar welcome guests for leisurely lunches and relaxing, low-key dinners. Offering indoor and outdoor seating with scenic views of the Gulf of Mexico, School of Fish fittingly features local Gulf Coast seafood, down home southern favorites and much more.

Always looking to mix and match flavors in new ways, Chef Shirley has come up with an eclectic batch of appetizers. He’s spicing things up with dishes like tequila-spiked chicken wings, oysters Arcadia (topped with a spicy Cajun sauté of crawfish, blue crab, sweet peppers, andouille and smoked Gouda) and soul rolls (chicken and collard greens served in a crisp wrapper with peach chutney, horseradish cream and Creole mustard).

School of Fish’s selection of entrees offers something for everyone, with everything from light salads and sandwiches to a half-pound burger, filet mignon and fresh Gulf seafood. Not to be missed is Chef Shirley’s signature dish, Grits a Ya-Ya. Made with smoked Gouda cheese grits smothered with a sauté of applewood-smoked bacon, spinach, shallots, garlic, Portobello mushrooms and cream finished with spiced shrimp and sweet potato hay, finishing off this filling dish will leave little room for one of the restaurant’s delicious desserts, which change regularly.

The son of a Navy pilot who was stationed all around the world, Chef Shirley has a wide knowledge of and a huge appreciation for cuisines from many cultures, but the Pensacola, Florida native says it’s his grandmother’s traditional Southern cooking that he has always loved most.  In addition to being a partner in the Great Southern Restaurant Group in Pensacola and the Great Southern Cafe in Seaside, Florida, Chef Shirley is also president of the Society of Great Southern Chefs and a member of the Southern Foodways Alliance.

For reservations at Great Southern School of Fish, call 850-229-1122 and for more information about WindMark Beach log onto www.windmarkbeach.com.

About WindMark Beach
WindMark Beach is a 2,020-acre residential and resort community in Northwest Florida that is being built alongside the beautiful waters of St. Joseph Bay, overlooking Cape San Blas. With its local Southern architecture, the community is located two miles north of the historic town of Port St. Joe, 22 miles west of Apalachicola and 39 miles east of Panama City.  WindMark Beach offers many amenities to homeowners and guests of its luxury loft vacation rentals, such as a 3.5 mile Beach Walk, Beach Club and complimentary bicycles and kayaks to enjoy the outdoors. Its Village Center offers casual gourmet dining at the Great Southern School of Fish Restaurant, a bevy of boutiques, state-of-the-art fitness center, meeting hall for special events and more.  For additional information, visit JOE.com / Keyword: WindMark Beach.

About St. Joe
The St. Joe Company (NYSE: JOE), a publicly held company based in Jacksonville, is one of Florida’s largest real estate development companies.  We are primarily engaged in real estate development and sales, with significant interests in timber.

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