On Dec. 29, Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa’s Sous Chef Thomas Allen took over Vernon’s Restaurant’s final Sunday brunch of 2019, featuring an early New Years celebration and dishes inspired throughout his career.
The restaurant, tucked within the hotel in Ponte Vedra Beach, was crowded with guests chatting away at their tables and lining up in the buffet area, offering the eatery’s signature fluffy omelettes and thick peppered bacon.
Fresh grouper, veggies with cheese and smothered chicken and rice were also available for those looking for a less traditional experience. Vernon’s very own Chef Tanya White was one of them. She stopped by the brunch on her day off to support Thomas, her friend and colleague, and for a hearty meal.
“This chicken and rice is so good,” she said, taking another bite. “He (Allen) did tell me it was going to be gluten on gluten today.”
At the corner of the buffet, an inflatable champagne bottle “popped” gold streamers that led to a charcuterie selection with savory cheeses and meats. It was popular, to say the least.
Thomas’s main entree still awaited - a crab-stuffed benedict with a soft-boiled egg, cubed ham, diced peppers and enough hollandaise to savor without drowning the dish. It took an enormous amount of willpower to resist seconds.
Instead, it was on to desserts. Mini Bar Donuts made its regular appearance with maple-bacon and s’mores donuts while Thomas wowed with his custard and pecan pies.
“I’ve been with Marriott for about six years,” Thomas said, mentioning he left for about a year, but missed his Marriott family and came back “home.”
“I wanted to grow my experience as a chef and leader, so I applied for a job at Opryland Gaylord hotel in Nashville,” he said. “I worked there for a year. It was a great experience, but I missed the team and my grandkids, so I contacted Chef Joe Natoli he had a position available. This place is special, so I jumped on it.”
Born and raised on a farm in Arkansas City, Kansas, Thomas said he learned about fresh ingredients and sustainability at an early age.
He moved to Florida and worked with chefs of all cultures and backgrounds, including Swedish chef, Elmo Mouser, who mentored him and influenced much of his cooking.
“He was an old-school chef, very tough and known to throw a knife or two if you were not on the game. Everyone loved him. He was the first real chef I ever worked for.”
Chef Thomas’s brunch was inspired by his past. His joy of cooking came from his mother, grandmother and his Uncle Bill, who’s pecan pie has won multiple prizes and is muse for the pie that was featured Sunday.
“It’s all about the comfort food,” he said.
Chef Thomas says he’s moving “onward and upward” to keep both, the team he loves and the community he loves, thriving.
And now that his NFL home team, the Kansas City Chiefs, will be going to the Super Bowl, he hopes they will do the same.
“I’m super excited. Go Chiefs!!”
For more information on Chef Thomas Allen and Vernon’s Restaurant in Sawgrass Marriott, call (904) 285-7777 or visit www.marriott.com and search for Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa.
