A new Mediterranean fine dining restaurant, tiki bar and gourmet market in Vero Beach will be led by a globally acclaimed chef from two Michelin restaurants, according to the owner.
Sebastian La Rocca is the culinary director of Blu Fin restaurant, The Motley Cow tiki bar, and Turtle Cove Market that will open sometime in October in the new Turtle Cove building on A1A next to 7-Eleven. The Italian Argentine chef named the restaurant using the Italian spelling of “blue.”
The Buenos Aires native is known for his open-fire cooking, his “food is culture” credo, and South American hospitality that makes diners feel like guests in his home.
“Here, we don’t sell food,” he said. “We offer an experience. This is my house and you’re my guest.”
Blu Fin Mediterranean fine dining restaurant in Vero Beach
La Rocca said he’ll combine locally sourced ingredients with the bold flavors of Latin chiles, spices and other products “to add that little extra flavor that makes you say, ‘Oh, what is that? I didn’t expect that!’ “
A decadent signature dish on his menu will be bourbon wood-smoked beef tartare with all the finer things in life: caviar, wagyu tallow, quail egg yolk, lobster bisque sauce and rye crisps served under a glass cloche so the aromatic smoke billows out. He makes dairy-free bisque by reducing lobster stock for 48 hours and not adding cream.
Longtime Treasure Coast residents and tourists will smile about the Charley Steak, which is on the menu in honor of Charley Brown’s restaurant that opened in that location in 1974. La Rocca said he’s still working out the dish’s details such as the cut and sauce, but promises it will be “something out of this world.”
“Chefs open the door for people to try different new experiences with flavors and profiles,” he said. “I want them to get excited, like me.”
Chef Sebastian La Rocca of Argentina is culinary director
La Rocca was 5 years old when he started spending countless hours in the kitchen with his grandmother, who inspired his career. His family owns cattle and coffee ranches in La Pampa, a central region of Argentina famous for gauchos (cowboys) who cook asado (beef) on parrillas (iron grill grates over open flames).
La Rocca trained in London, collaborated with famous chefs Jamie Oliver and Michel Roux, and has over 27 years experience leading celebrated kitchens in South America, Europe, Costa Rica and the United States.
He worked at Michelin-rated Zodiac and Barbecoa London.
After learning to cook French and Japanese, he realized he wanted to cook Latin cuisine.
“I rediscovered who I am as a person and a professional, and I rediscovered being proud of being Latino.”
His extensive global experience includes the Faena Hotel Buenos Aires and, in Costa Rica, the Four Seasons, the Mangroove Hotel, and Hamburguesia in Escazú, which he co-owns.
“Cooking has never been just a profession for me. It is my way of connecting with people, creating memories, and expressing who I am,” he wrote on LinkedIn. “Just like in life, every dish tells a story, every challenge teaches a lesson, and every chapter prepares us for the next adventure.”
La Rocca comes from Michelin restaurants in London, England
La Rocca’s “nomadic spirit” sent him on his next adventure to Vero Beach to fulfill a lifelong dream of living on the beach. His previous experience also includes:
Charley Steak honors former Charley Brown’s restaurant
Blu Fin, at 1410 Highway A1A, is owned by Anthony DeChellis of Windward Restaurant Concepts of Vero Beach.
“I have wanted to create something truly special for this community for a long time,” he wrote in a news release. “This is a rare opportunity — three concepts, one destination and a chance to build something that genuinely serves the oommunity at every occasion.”
DeChellis paid $675,000 in 2008 for the 1.5-acre property, which combined three lots, including Charley Brown’s, whose name changed to South Beach Grille in 2000, according to a previous TCPalm article and state records.
DeChellis razed that building in 2013. Neither DeChellis nor TCPalm knows what year Charley Brown’s closed, but it was before he bought it in 2008 and after 2005, according to a newspaper advertisement.
The Tides seafood restaurant will remain in Central Beach
DeChellis also owns the Cardinal Drive block from Camelia to Bougainvillea lanes in Central Beach, where the 75-year-old building at 3103 Cardinal Drive houses The Tides restaurant.
Chef-owner Leanne Kelleher planned to temporarily move The Tides to Turtle Cove, then back again after DeChellis razed and rebuilt a new restaurant there, but the move was called off. Instead, Kelleher decided to simply refresh the aesthetics and upgrade the infrastructure of The Tides, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2025.
“The Tides has been part of the Central Beach business district for more than two decades, and one thing became very clear to us,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “The charm, warmth and intimate atmosphere of our restaurant matter deeply to our guests — and to us.”
DeChellis paid $1.8 million in 2021 for the ¾-acre Cardinal Drive property that houses two structures originally built as private homes. The main restaurant is a 2,430-square-foot space built in 1950. The auxiliary building is a 2,098-square-foot space built in 1951.
Anthony DeChellis owns Windward Restaurant Concepts
DeChellis owns ONE Sotheby’s International Realty in Turtle Cove and his family has owned the property at 1409 Highway A1A, where Johnny D’s Market & Bistro is, since 1971.
DeChellis was born in Brooklyn, New York, but his family moved to Vero Beach when he was 11. He grew up in The Moorings and in 2018, he bought a home on Windward Way, which lends its name to the Windward Partners real estate company he founded in 2008 when he bought the Turtle Cove property.
It’s one of a dozen LLCs under the DeChellis Capital umbrella, for whom his son, Alex, works.
DeChellis attended St. Edward’s School, Rollins College and the University of Chicago. His career in banking and wealth management took him away from Vero Beach for 30 years, mostly to California and Europe, but he’d return to visit his parents and buy real estate. DeChellis’ resume includes:
Since moving back to Vero Beach about six years ago, he’s focused on developing it.
Cheryl Smith is a TCPalm editor who can be contacted at cheryl.smith@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: New Florida restaurant led by globally acclaimed Latin chef La Rocca
Reporting by Cheryl Smith, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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By Cheryl Smith, Treasure Coast Newspapers | USA TODAY Network
