Ever since Tanja DePass found her way into the food and beverage industry while living in Myrtle Beach, she’s been passionate about her career as a bartender. In 1993, she moved here locally to attend the College of Charleston. Behind the Bar IOPizza’s secret sauce starts with family By Sarah Rose FAMILY-OWNED FRESH SEAFOOD SINCE 1947 Our commitment is to bring the best and freshest seafood to your table! SIMMONS SEAFOOD 1400 PALM BLVD. ISLE OF PALMS, SC 843-886-6449 | simmonsseafood.com 21 IslandVibesIOP.com FOOD & BEV Photos Provided. Having served downtown and in Mount Pleasant at Toucans, which is now The Southern, she learned that her friends who owned IOPizza Co needed help behind their bar. “That was two decades ago and I’ve never worked anywhere else,” she said. Three years before starting the job, DePass’ path had already brought her to the Isle of Palms. “My husband Marshall and I raised our two boys, Hartley and Brycen here. I coached everything from swimming to soccer to basketball at the rec,” she said. “Now I love seeing the kids, who are now young adults, coming into IOPizza. The best thing about the Isle of Palms is that we have such an incredible core community of people who have always been here, which makes it feel like a small town even though it's giant.” A bonus, she said, is that she gets to bike or golf cart to work. In addition to its great location, IOPizza’s owners, staff, customers, food and cocktails are top notch, according to DePass. Her best-selling beverages, she said, are the pineapple mojito with fresh mint, the strawberry basil lemonade, frozen drinks such as pina coladas and daiquiris or the Front Beach Tea. To craft the latter, DePass suggested blending two parts of unsweetened tea with one part lemonade and peach puree with vodka. She serves it over ice in a glass garnished with lemon. DePass said the crowd-pleasers on the bar menu are the Tru Blue Wings, which are double-fried and chargrilled after the sauces are applied. Options include mesquite, naked, lemon pepper, ranch, ranch hot, teriyaki, teriyaki Cajun, teriyaki hot, BBQ, buffalo, Cajun mesquite, Cajun ranch, garlic parmesan, honey mustard, Old Bay or mango habanero. She also highly recommended the mozzarella sticks. When not behind the bar, DePass and Marshall can be found running the Eastern Surfing Association, as both of their sons are competitive surfers. While DePass said she learned to surf for “street cred,” Brycen is the real deal and owns IOP Surf Lessons. DePass also loves cooking Italian food and is a big fan of homemade marinara. Check out the menu at iopizzaco. com or pop into the bar on most weeknights to visit DePass.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjcyNTM1