Lost Restaurants of the Outer Banks and Their Recipes

Anyone who has lived or vacationed on the Outer Banks has an old favorite restaurant. Hundreds have opened over many decades and then closed thanks to changing tastes and the vagaries of a seasonal business. Manteo locals loved Miss Esther's, and midcentury visitors came to stay at the Sea Ranch and sample Alice Sykes's famed crab bisque. Residents will remember quirky favorites like the Pit and Papagayo's. the Seafare, The Oasis and Kelly's were beloved by generations of families. Join Amy Pollard Gaw as she tells tales and presents classic recipes from gone but not forgotten spots.

Naturally curious, Amy Pollard Gaw is a feeder, writer, educator and collector of food lore. She was the lead food writer for Outer Banks magazine and is involved with the James Beard Foundation and the Southern Foodways Alliance. She owns and operates an artisan, hand-harvested sea salt business called Outer Banks SeaSalt. Originally from Jackson, Michigan, Amy has lived, worked and eaten at restaurants on the Outer Banks of North Carolina since 1986.


"Owner of a lost restaurant of her own, known as the Outer Banks Epicurean Inc., in Colington, and the owner and operator of the "artisan, hand-harvested sea salt business called Outer Banks SeaSalt," Gaw explores the rich history of eateries that have dotted the region stretching from Lower Currituck and Corolla south to Ocracoke and including Roanoke Island." Outer Banks Voice