The Beaufort Grocery Company can be found tucked away inside of Beaufort Inlet, and two minutes away from Beaufort docks. It’s here that anglers and boaters hit the pause button to enjoy a menu committed to Old World European food preparation and a unique spin on modern dishes. The restaurant also offers catering and special events, but they serve a delectable brunch, lunch and dinner.

Some of the more popular dishes on the menu are smoked sea salt seared tuna made with local fish and their roasted rack of lamb made with mint and old-world ingredients.

Beaufort Grocery Co. is committed to enriching their community by working with local farmers and fishermen. “We embrace local food-themed talent to the best of our ability,” Janeen Russell says. Russell is the nighttime manager at the Grocery Co., where she has worked for three years. “We have a commitment to our community, and that’s a relationship that tends to be a two-fold give and take. It’s really quite wonderful to be a part of.”

Owners Charles and Wendy Park

Owners Charles and Wendy Park have owned and operated the restaurant for 30 years. In the late ‘80s, they began searching for a place in Charlotte, North Carolina, to open a bistro. They finally found an old grocery store called Owen’s Grocery. Most stores like Owen’s Grocery were closing up at this time. As fate would have it, this was the exact type of historical location that the Parks were looking for. In the early ‘90s, they opened Beaufort Grocery.

Park is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of High Park, New York. He is a James Beard winner and runs most of the executive chef’s duties for Beaufort Grocery Co. His wife Wendy takes care of soups and desserts, while their daughter Margaret doubles as the floor and office manager. Charles recently became a department sharer in the culinary institute at the local community college.

“He is committed to the future of culinary arts and hospitality,” Russell says of her boss. “It’s something he really cares about and wants to further in the next generation.”

There are a lot of staff members that have been there for quite a long time. “There is a unique commitment to our staff,” Russell explains. “We have very good benefits, such as profit sharing or good allowances for vacations. As a result, we have very committed staff who enjoy what they do and want to fulfill that goal of enriching the community. Long-term relationships with staff make the working environment quite enjoyable to be a part of.”

The Double-Cut Pork Chop is a favorite amongst anglers and boaters who stop by.

Laurel Linstadt, the daytime manager, has been with the company for 17 years on and off, but has been back full-time for three years. “We are a family business and are lucky enough to have staff who have worked for us for years and years. For instance, our chef de cuisine, Claudio Tepatate, has worked with us for over 25 years,” Linstadt says.

Beaufort is a coastal town, so there are plenty of sportfishermen that come into the restaurant in the spring and summer, and again during Big Rock. There are also many transient boaters that come in year-round.

“We’ve come to find that they like the meat!” Linstadt laughs. “The Double-Cut Pork Chop, NY Strip and our Cowboy Chops that we run as a special are the favorites. We also have many that bring their daily catch in, and Chef Claudio turns it into a meal for them.”

With a staff and a mindset that has bridged generations, Beaufort Grocery Company is a historic restaurant that is worth looking into if you’re ever cruising the waters in the area.