Chef Spotlight: Accomplished culinary couple opens new restaurant in New Smyrna Beach

For some, a sandwich is a thoughtless meal, as simple as two slices of bread and some meat — a casual, customizable bite that fills you up without breaking the bank.

For Sommer Walker and Brian Cieslak, however, it's more than just a handheld, more than a convenience; it’s a representation of leaning into their passions, a testament to years of culinary dedication, an art — one that the passionate couple eagerly brings to the Sunshine State.

Paco Submarine, a long-time dream now coming to fruition, opened its doors last week in New Smyrna Beach. Much like a good handheld, the new restaurant is a simple concept at first glance, but thoughtfully layered — interwoven with complex, years-perfected recipes, locally sourced ingredients and elevated culinary techniques.

But this dream didn’t quite happen overnight.

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From the crab houses of Baltimore to New Smyrna Beach

Beginning his culinary escapades at the mere age of 13 in Baltimore crab houses, Cieslak didn't always know what the future would hold, but was nonetheless certain it would lead him to the kitchen.

Working his way through the restaurant weeds of the city, Cieslak’s humble beginnings and tireless efforts forged his path to the top of some of Maryland’s most prestigious restaurants, ultimately landing him a near seven-year position as chef de cuisine at Preserve, an established, "rustic mod" restaurant in Annapolis, Maryland.

“Very early on, I felt a gravity toward (cooking), way more than anything else that I tried,” Cieslak explained. “And my childhood was based a lot around food … I’m a German kid. I grew up in a Polish and German household, so sauerkraut, pastrami, you know, it was all very common in the house.”

With nearly 18 years experience in the kitchen, Cieslak, a natural talent and praised culinary wizard, has earned several accolades over his career, including having been twice featured in The Washington Post, as well as Baltimore Magazine, Eater DC and the Washingtonian. The young chef made his national television debut in 2016 when he competed on the Food Network’s hit series “Chopped,” and was also nominated for an Eater Young Gun award, prior to the award ceremony's cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

And while Cieslak’s fate seemed to always lie within the walls of a restaurant, doing what he knew he did best, Walker’s path wasn’t quite as direct.

Part-time job leads to full-time dream

Leaving home at the young age of just 17, Walker attended school in Connecticut to pursue a career in professional ballet. Following her time up north, Walker’s work brought her to Charlotte, North Carolina, before she eventually settled in Maryland. And although her days, long as they were, were undoubtedly occupied with dance, Walker, like Cieslak, could never quite ignore the kitchen’s allure, working part time at a local, upscale eatery in Annapolis — the very one in which her now husband had also found success.

“I was always interested in cooking shows when I was younger,” Walker said. “I always liked to cook and eat on the side, and I always worked at a restaurant on the side to make ends meet because, well, you know the artist stories.”

Working her way up from hostess to beverage director, Walker dove deeper into her unexplored passions, ultimately earning her sommelier certification — a prestigious accomplishment, demonstrating wine-related expertise and extensive industry knowledge.

As fate might have it, the two Preserve employees inevitably crossed paths, and so it went — the rest was history.

It wasn’t until several of Walker's family members, originally from Miami, moved to the Daytona Beach area several years back that the established couple decided to take a leap of faith, leaving behind what they knew to finally pursue their own restauranteur dreams here in Florida.

Arriving in March 2023, the accomplished pair began their months-long search for the perfect space — a tireless effort and rollercoaster of rising and falling hopes that would eventually lead them straight to New Smyrna Beach.

An elevated take on a old-time favorite

“We decided we wanted to open a restaurant, but we knew we wanted to do something a little more casual since we both had such a fine-dining background,” Walker noted. “Somewhere you can come in your bathing suit, get it to go, take it to the beach with you, you know … so we took the jump … we both got jobs at local restaurants, and every week we would go look at restaurants for sale, and, finally, we found this gem and we thought it was perfect.”

Located along the beach town’s North Dixie Freeway, the eatery intentionally maintains a quaint and casual, family-friendly atmosphere with an approachable menu of classic handhelds — ones that the pair insists will be recognizable by name, but entirely new and unmatched in flavor.

“I think even though they’re listed as normal things that would be recognizable to most people, when they eat them, they should taste the difference in the quality and the way it’s made,” Cieslak insisted. “That’s where the difference is really going to be; it’ll be the techniques of a high-caliber chef restaurant, but the flavors are going to be pedestrian-approachable.”

With options ranging from the Smoked Lamb Wrap, made from curried brined and smoked lamb shoulder, cucumber yogurt and cilantro-mint salad, and The Belafonte, a savory, fresh combination of house smoked bacon, avocado, tomato, “shreddy letty” and herbed mayo, to The Clayton, a rich, tangy layering of buttered rye, griddled pastrami, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and creamy mustard, the pair was certainly right about one thing: you may have some trouble deciding.

“The idea is that every sandwich,” Cieslak began, “Is special in its own way,” Walker chimed in.

“Exactly …" Cieslak continued. “The idea is that we want people to look at our menu and struggle to decide which one they want to try first.”

“And then you’ll have to come back and try another,” Walker teased.

As quirky as its owners, the new eatery’s design was inspired in part by the Wes Anderson film "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou," Cieslak explained, from the juxtaposition of the eatery’s sizeable outdoor signage and its rather quaint interior, to the playful wall hangings and light-hearted sandwich names with ingredients like “shreddy letty.”

Although starting out simple, Cieslak hopes to gain the local community's trust through the eatery’s consistency and quality, ultimately introducing new and seasonal offerings that push that envelope, surpass conventionality, and surprise customers of all backgrounds and preferences.

“I always tell people, I want to please two types of people: the person that knows nothing about food but just likes to eat, and the person that knows a ton about food — a real foodie, chasing down really unique foods,” Cieslak said. “My goal at every restaurant I’ve ever been in is to make both of those people happy at the same time, without even realizing it. I think that’s a winning formula.”

With quality, consistency and uniqueness at the forefront of the new eatery’s menu, the couple noted that customers can expect exceptionally fresh, never frozen, offerings made from scratch — including their sauces.

“We don’t even have a freezer,” the couple laughed.

Eagerly pointing me in the direction of the sandwich shop’s larger-than-life smoker, the pair explained that they would be curing and smoking their own meats, as well as grinding everything themselves, from the pastrami, bacon and lamb to the smoked chicken wings and accompanying smoked pineapple barbecue.

Cieslak also intends to source as much as he can locally, as he famously did in Maryland, ultimately progressing toward a fully locally-sourced menu as he continues to build relationships in the area. The eatery will also serve beer and wine, with its beer selections supplied from right here in Florida, from Fort Lauderdale to Jacksonville, and all across the Sunshine State.

In addition, to the menu’s savory selections, the couple noted that they’ll be making a variety of homemade desserts that will likely rotate weekly, beginning with a toasted, nutmeg meringue-topped, seasonal pumpkin cheesecake, as well as Walker’s signature Key lime pie — a holiday favorite and sweet-dish staple that she has eagerly perfected over the years.

Described as a true extension of who they are, the couple hopes to showcase a thoughtfully curated menu that offers the local community a delicious look into a mere percentage of what’s they’re capable of and what’s to come.

“The beginning of my career was very fun and for the people, and as I slowly worked my way up to higher-end restaurants, they were very exclusive and limited as far as how you could present yourself and behave — a lot like in ballet for (Sommer), there wasn’t a lot of expression,” Cieslak said. “So, doing this — we’re going to be allowed to show ourselves and do flavors that are more unique and really have fun with the menu.”

On par with their promise of quality, the duo also insisted that sustainability was a top priority for Paco Submarine, noting the absence of Styrofoam and the eatery's use of products made from mainly compostable or renewable ingredients.

Approachable, yet elevated, the multifaceted sandwich shop is a dream-turned reality that the dynamic pair hopes will break down pretentions surrounding the culinary industry and welcome customers as they are for a meal they’ll remember and return for.

“We’re embracing the fact that we are in a beach town, but we don’t think that that means that we should serve anything less quality,” Cieslak explained. “We want to provide the uniqueness that you would get from a big city, and deliver that to the small-town vibe that we have here.”

All private event and catering inquiries can be made on Paco Submarine’s website, where online ordering will also be available.

Paco Submarine is located at 515 N. Dixie Freeway in New Smyrna Beach and is open 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday. For information, visit pacosubmarine.com.

Helena Perray is the restaurant and dining writer for The Daytona Beach News-Journal. A New Jersey native and passionate storyteller, she can be contacted at hperray@gannett.com. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook. Support local journalism by subscribing

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: New NSB restaurant aims to satisfy casual diners and foodies alike