By: J. Wesley Atkins, Personal Chef, reviews the OBX Rentals of Carova
The northern beaches of the Outer Banks were settled around the same time as the mainland in the 1600s. A hearty but tiny population of fishermen and wild horses made the narrow sand bar that is now Carova Beach home for several centuries. The horses, descended from shipwrecked Spanish mustangs and local feral animals, still roam the beaches and marshes freely.
Once you reach the Outer Banks, travel north on Route 12 to the pavements end. At that point you enter a different world as you proceed up the beach in your 4x4 for a number of miles with sand dunes on your left and the Atlantic Ocean on your right. As you proceed, you will start to see palatial OBX rentals on your left with eight or nine bedrooms or more. Here, in these mammoth beach cottages resides some of the most elaborate and beautiful kitchens in which I have had the pleasure of working.
Many contain not one but two stoves, refrigerators and at least two or more dishwashers. The cabinets and pantries, usually made of cherry or mahogany are capable of storing supplies for a small army. Electric and gas utilities are both available and mostly solid granite counter tops abound. Hardwood, ceramic or quarry tiles cover the floor all coordinated to fit the theme of the beach house. High end appliances and accessories abound through out the room and usually ample place settings for a medium to formal gathering of guests. To be a chef in one of these kitchens is indeed a memorable experience. No expense has been spared when it comes to all the conveniences for the occasional cook to the professional chef. Little or no tight corners and plenty of working room allow a chef and his staff large open areas for meal planning, preparation and presentation.
As a personal chef, I have worked in many kitchens up and down the Outer Banks of North Carolina from the Virginia state line to the southern ferry slip on Ocracoke and few kitchens compare to the ones you will see in Carova Beach. Many have been the times I have asked myself why someone would build these $1.5 million OBX rentals and place an apartment size efficiency kitchen right in the middle of the structure. Not so in Carova. It is truly worth the trip through the four wheel area of the Outer Banks to see some of the most beautiful culinary preparation sites ever seen on the ocean front. The kitchens you see here are from the Blue Moon, Life is Golden and the Mark Twain, all located on Carova Beach on the northern Outer Banks.
