Meet the new chef at Board & Barrel in Hotel Ballast

For those who haven’t been to the renovated, updated, and renamed Hotel Ballast in downtown Wilmington, you should know that the grounds and staff are ready for locals to enjoy the new space this spring and summer. Board & Barrel, the restaurant located on the ground level with an intimate bar and bistro-style dining room, now extends out into the courtyard and pool area with new lighting and cabanas.

“This is a great place to cook,” said William Robey, executive chef at the hotel and Board & Barrel. “I’m really looking forward to what we can do here.”

In his first months at the restaurant, he started working on his own spring menu, which features seafood and other coastal favorites. And he’s been contemplating what people will want to eat when they’re hanging out at the pool's tiki bar, grabbing lunch or dinner, or just ordering room service. He’s thinking favorites like fried grouper po’ boys, blackened fish with Southern-influenced sides, and butter-basted scallops with a perfect sear will be just right.

“This is the kind of food I love,” he said.

In his 30-plus years in the kitchen, he’s worked all over the country, from hotels in Georgia to casinos in Michigan. He says he’s tried to learn all he can along the way, such as seeing the secrets of Cajun cooking first-hand from a neighbor in Louisiana.

“She gave me a wooden spoon that had been in her family for years,” he said.

Another favorite tool is a corn scraper he found in western North Carolina — one that may have once been used by moonshiners. He uses it on fresh corn cobs to make shoepeg grits or authentic maque choux.

While he’s new to the Wilmington area, he does have North Carolina ties. His father lives nearby and he remembers learning the Atlantic cooking traditions. He’s already thinking ahead to fall flounder stews. Perhaps a gumbo festival next year, in time for Mardi Gras.

“And etouffee,” he said.

The busy catering and event schedule at the hotel means he hasn’t had a lot of time to explore local restaurants, but he has liked what he’s seen.

“I think this food community is banging,” Robey said. “I can’t wait to get out there and explore.”

He’s also looking forward to giving back, and maybe working with local food banks. In Michigan, he started a fresh-food initiative for under-served communities.

“I’d love to do something like that here,” he said.

Board & Barrel seats 126 people outside, 42 inside and 27 at the bar. So it’s no surprise, that his initial challenge was creating a versatile menu that will satisfy guests of the hotel, as well as locals who want to reserve one of the cabanas, or enjoy a happy hour at the bar. They are taking the name Hotel Ballast — and the steadying influence of the namesake ballast stones — seriously. They want to be a comfortable place for everyone, he said.

Hotel Ballast is one of the latest additions to Sotherly Hotels’ collection of boutique hotels centered on providing local experiences and Southern hospitality. At Board & Barrel you can find their signature hot sauce and Edgar’s Truth bourbon, which is bottled just for the properties. They offer happy hour food specials Monday through Thursday. Guests who also spend more than $25 can also get free valet parking.

Robey said he also hopes to offer special events such as wine dinners in the coming months.

More about William Kelly Robey

Age: 49

Favorite kitchen tool: My wooden spoon

Best food-related book: "Le Répertoire de la Cuisine." It's a classic pocket edition for all chefs.

Favorite meal to cook at home: My kids would say it's pasta, but my friends would say anything on the smoker.

Favorite meal out: Thai cuisine. I like it spicy.

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