There’s a pretty good chance that by now you’ve checked your calendar today. There’s stuff you’ve got to accomplish this week, there are things you have to show up on time for during the day, and if you break it down even further, you can plan and account for your time minute by minute.
Life is, after all, a series of fleeting moments.
The moments that are the happiest and most memorable to most of us, are the ones that don’t show up on a calendar. Maybe it’s enjoying a delicious meal. Or a night out with friends, sipping drinks and sharing stories. Or a magical date at a bar overlooking the gulf.
But these memorable moments are only possible because they’re on somebody else’s calendar. Somebody has to show up to work to make that delicious meal. Somebody has to hire and pay staff, and do the hundred-and-one other tasks to open and run a bar. Around here, one of those somebodies is Dave Rauschkolb.
Dave Rauschkolb, original OG surfer dude who also happens to be the owner of Bud & Alley’s in Seaside -which Dave describes as “the center of the center of the universe” – and Black Bear Bread Company
Dave is the Owner/Operator of Bud & Alley’s Restaurant Group, and Managing Partner at Black Bear Bread Company in Grand Boulevard and Grayton Beach.
These fleeting moments that add up to the highlight reels of our lives come and go. That, of course, is the very definition of a “moment.” But, since the creation of social media, we now have a way to document those moments – and share them with our friends, and with hundreds of thousands of people we don’t know at all. From pictures of our hamburger to a carefully staged, or maybe even reconstructed, marriage proposal, fleeting moments of happiness are captured forever. Or at least until you quit paying for backup storage.
Most of us would not claim that our photos on Instagram rise to the level of art. So, amid this sea of images, it can be startling to see a photograph taken by an actual photographer and be reminded that, in the right hands, a camera is a tool for artistic expression.
Chandler Williams, photographer and owner of Modus Art Gallery and Photography Studio. His stunning photo seascapes and landscapes transform the natural beauty of our surroundings into transcendant works of art.
(R) Bud & allie’s owner, Dave Rauschkolb
Photographer Chandler Williams creates works of art in photographs that celebrate the beauty of the natural world, principally here on the Emerald Coast. Chandler works under the banner of his business, Modus Photography, and he has a storefront gallery, Modus Art Gallery, in Grayton Beach.
Entrepreneur of the Week
Our Entrepreneur of the Week on this edition of Out to Lunch is Jenna Hall. Jena is the Owner/Operator of a unique transportation business she founded in 2019, based out of Panama City Beach, called Hallin Hearts.
Jenna Hall, Founder and owner of Hallin’ Hearts, a Panama City Beach transportation company with a twist: Hallin’ Hearts is aimed squarely at locals, not tourists. Jenna plans out fully curated excursions for a stress-free, fun-filled day out
Jenna has three buses – an extended cab hi-rise that seats 14, and 2 shuttle buses. The company employs four people, including Jena, and is focused on providing transportation for local residents, not tourists. The bulk of Jena’s clientele are women who want to go out and have a fun excursion and don’t want to be responsible for anything – from driving to planning the day’s activities.
Hallin Hearts is also the go-to provider of transportation for a number of local businesses
If you drive down the beach a ways, to the Florida-Alabama line, you get to a shack-type barroom on the beach called the FloraBama. One of the ways you could get there would be to take an excursion with Jena and turn the trip into a Hallin Hearts adventure. When you get there you’ll find the FloraBama is a hugely profitable business based on low overhead – it really is kind of a shack – and high volume sales aimed at a younger crowd who like to drink.
At the extreme other end of the hospitality spectrum there’s Bud & Alley’s in Seaside. Everything about Bud & Alley’s, from it’s architecture to the experience of dining and drinking there, is a reflection of the joy of living alongside the beauty of our beachside surroundings. And while you can leave Bud and Alley’s with a memory – and maybe a selfie – Chandler gives locals and tourists alike a chance to hold onto a slice of that beauty forever, in a spectacular photograph.
Like the sea, skies, and piney woods that all contribute to the singular experience of living here, Jena, Chandler, and Dave’s businesses are likewise threads of the tapestry of life on the Emerald Coast.
Fletcher Isacks hosts Out to Lunch at Farm & Fire restuarant with Jenna Hall, Chandler Williams and Dave Rauschkolb
Out to Lunch was recorded live over lunch at Farm & Fire restaurant on Highway 331, overlooking Choctawhatchee Bay. Farm & Fire is one of Chef Jim Shirley’s family of fine restaurants. It’s open from 4pm, 6 days a week, and from 11am for brunch on Sundays.
Photos by Brandan Babineaux.