North Carolina’s own Chef Vivian Howard and her team bring a little star power, inventive twists on coastal cuisine and regional traditions to the new restaurant at The Sanderling Resort in duck
See also: The Sanderling Resort at 40
If anything could be more “Hey, y’all” than a Southern tomato pie, it would call you “Darlin’” and bless your heart all the way to the Piggly Wiggly. But it’s not just any tomato pie on the menu at Theodosia, the new restaurant at The Sanderling Resort in Duck, North Carolina.
This tomato pie is like a hug from Grandma’s garden. It’s mid-century church supper perfection with contemporary farm-to-table bona fides. It also happens to be a signature dish for Chef-Owner Vivian Howard, who is known for inventive twists on familiar Carolina foodways showcasing local and seasonal ingredients.
“Tomato pie goes everywhere I go, it feels like,” she quips in a recent video posted to her social media accounts, featuring Howard in the Theodosia kitchen rolling out the buttery pie dough that forms its base.
The dough is blind baked in an individual cast iron pan before being filled with a combination of sweet and jammy, slow-caramelized onions, raw and roasted tomatoes, mayo, and fontina and parmesan cheese, cooked to bubbly bliss and served with a generous portion of basil or Italian parsley.
Like a subtle culinary calling card at the base of an entrée menu that otherwise leans heavily and heartfully into the fruits of the sea—this is the Outer Banks, after all—this humble comfort classic speaks to Howard’s origins in rural North Carolina.
More than a year ago, the new owners of The Sanderling added dash of star power to an ongoing overhaul of the beloved destination in anticipation of its 40th anniversary when they brought on Howard to reimagine the former Kimball’s Kitchen restaurant situated just across the street from the main resort and next door to its spa.
Howard found fame on the Emmy, Peabody and James Beard Award-winning PBS show A Chef’s Life, which focused on her restaurant Chef and The Farmer (now known as The Counter and Kitchen Bar) in Kinston, North Carolina. And later with successful cookbooks like Deep Run Roots and This Will Make It Taste Good, another television show called Somewhere South, two restaurants in Charleston, South Carolina, and Viv’s Fridge, freshly cooked meals for purchase in smart vending machines.
With her latest offering, she and her team—which includes Chef de Cuisine Charlotte Coman—are embracing the uniqueness of the coastal Carolina lifestyle and all the glories of its seafood-centric cuisine with an elevated twist. From Red Drum Toast to Shrimp & Grit Souffle to Crab & Zucchini “Papardelle.”
But she is also doing what she does best: storytelling through food and the people who grow it, catch it, prepare it and are nourished by it.
The name Theodosia, familiar to many theatergoers because of the musical Hamilton, is a nod to the real-life Theodosia Burr, the vibrant and well-educated daughter of Founding Father Aaron Burr. Theodosia was mysteriously lost at sea, presumably in a shipwreck, off the coast of North Carolina in 1813, her disappearance giving rise to lore about her spirit roaming local shores.
Strong women often figure prominently in Howard’s ventures (check out the hallway to Theodosia’s powder room where black-and-white framed photos of some of the Outer Banks’ pioneering ladies hold sway) including the home cooks whose kitchens help define a region’s culinary heritage over generations.
Think Miss Vivian’s Shrimp Ball, one of several entries on Theodosia’s Chilled Seafood menu. The Vivian in question is not the chef herself but one of the home cooks whose family recipes are featured in Island Born and Bred, an award-winning regional cookbook and part of a long tradition of church and Junior League-style cookbooks that offer an authentic reflection of the ways ordinary people eat and live in a given time and place.
On that same chilled seafood menu, you might find local oysters with muscadine mignonette, Marinated Crab Claws, Yellowfin Tuna Tartar or Sheepshead Ceviche—sheepshead a mild, sweet and slightly briny locally caught fish in a ceviche with charred scallion, cantaloupe and crispy shallots and served with house-made potato chips or pork rinds.
On their Small Plates menu, note another nod to a coastal Carolina favorite: the shrimp burger. One of a trio Down East Lights Rolls, these are mix-and-match sliders on those familiar yeasty supper rolls, this version a miniature patty made with shrimp and scallops and topped with a creamy fennel slaw and a spicy tomato cocktail. You can also kick up the comfort with Clam Chowder with Soft Shell Crab Nuggets or Flaked Blue Fish & Potato Puffs.
The seafood soirée continues on their Entrees menu with a rotating fresh fish selection such as Pan Seared Tile or Cobia served with a “Frogmore ragout.” A perfectly crisped filet is perched over a flavor-bomb version of a Lowcountry boil (AKA a Frogmore stew) with a little smoked tomato broth to hint at the dish’s stewy inspiration.
The Pork Belly Porchetta gets raves reviews from fans, no surprise from a chef dubbed the “Pork Princess.” Think shatteringly crisp pork skin and tender herbed meat served with boiled peanut purloo (a Lowcountry rice dish with roots in West Africa) and a summer peach gastrique to add that hint of sweetness.
Speaking of sweet, a seafood dinner is not quite complete in Miss Viv’s world without a slice of lemon pie. So don’t pass on their hybrid homage to two iconic lemon pies (both involving sweet and salty cracker crusts that balance beautifully with the tart lemon), the Harkers Island Lemon Milk Pie and Bill Smith’s Atlantic Beach Pie.
A lovely bar area separates the main dining space at Theodosia but doesn’t diminish its legendary views (more on that in a minute). Grab a seat before dinner and be sure to check out their equally creative and story-driven cocktail menu that includes plenty of NC-based spirits.
The ingeniously refreshing Old Buck, for example, is a mule inspired by the Legend of Rodanthe’s Old Buck with vodka, lime, ginger syrup, soda and quatre epices bitters garnished with bright pink, paper-thin beet slices arrange like modern art on the inside surface of the glass, slowly imbuing it with color as you sip. A relatively small but thoughtful wine and beer menu perfect for pairing round out the adult libation selections.
For those who remember Kimball’s Kitchen’s huge dining room windows and stunning panoramic views of the Currituck Sound, don’t fret. They’re still there, as are the sunsets that bathe impossibly romantic two-tops surrounded by voluminous draperies in Golden Hour light on a nightly basis.
A gorgeous interior design refresh id equal parts history and mystery with a two-tone palette of white and dark coral red that evokes Colonial Williamsburg paint swatches and features neo-classical elements and nautical motifs like shells, waves and mermaids. The overall effect is both sophisticated and understated—like the Sanderling itself.
You’ll want to linger and return time and again—whether for a date night or casual get-together for small plates and cocktails in a magical setting—to see what deliciousness the chef and North Carolina’s local waters and farms have in store.
Learn more at thesanderling.com/restaurants-bars/theodosia.
Leona Baker
Leona Baker is the former Editor-in-Chief of Coastal Virginia Magazine. She is a writer, creative, communications professional, food freak, news junkie, nature and travel lover and mom. She holds a degree in English from James Madison University and a degree in Dance & Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University. She previously served as Senior Copywriter for Spark 451, Director of Marketing & Communications at Virginia Wesleyan University, and Senior Editor of Port Folio Weekly.
