Fin Alley freshens up Village of Fenwick
As longtime husband-and-wife entrepreneurs from the Philadelphia area, Linda and Bill Guckin have had their fair share of endeavors.
Together, they built a successful cleaning service, Maids of Honor, from the ground up with nearly 30 employees. After 13 years, they traded in the scrub buckets for a bakery, franchising several locations for Philly Pretzel Factory.
However, despite decades of success, city life began to take its toll.
The couple had a vacation home in Bishopville, and were finding it more and more difficult to leave the beach.
So they relocated south for good and decided to do what they do best: they opened a new business — a restaurant in Fenwick Island.
But getting the doors open wasn't easy.
Their restaurant, Fin Alley, breathed new life into what was once Charlie's Bayside. The intense, six-month renovation project completely transformed the space, allowing it to come into its full potential, with a fully remolded bar, new light fixtures, fresh paint and decor, as well as inside and outside seating with bayside views. The open-air concept has been a hit with locals and tourists alike, she said.
"We knew it was going to be a lot of work," Linda Guckin said. "But boy, was it a lot of work. Its all been worth it though. All of the blood, sweat and tears have been more than worth it. Fin Alley is exactly what we envisioned, even better really."
The 160-seat restaurant now offers guests lunch and dinner, in a casual, relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere. The numerous changes also involved hiring a new staff, and only one person, Alex Ljuba, Charlie's former executive chef, made it through the transition.
"Alex is phenomenal and knows that kitchen like the back of his hand," she said. "We weren't letting him go anywhere."
A Delaware native, Ljuba has spent his life in kitchens, from learning the basics in his grandmother's home to executing the techniques in fine dining establishments in New York and casual sit-downs in Florida. His extensive career has allowed him to master all types of cooking styles, from Mexican and Asian to Southern American, but seafood, he said, has always been his forte.
The Guckins gave Ljuba absolute creative freedom when it came to reconstructing the menu for Fin Alley. And it plays up his strengths, featuring a lot of seafood.
"Coastal classics with a twist," he said.
Popular items include the Fin Alley rockfish with key lime butter sauce, fresh local tomato, cilantro and a side of house-made coconut coleslaw, the lobster mac with a creamy, three-cheese blend, seared jerk scallops with avocado puree, micro greens, roasted corn and black beans and the chimichurri churrasco flank steak topped with coconut salsa.
The menu also features sweet and spicy Sriracha lime wings; half shell oysters by the half-dozen, and an array of fresh salads and soups, like the grilled caesar salad with char-grilled romaine heart and aged parmesan, and homemade lobster bisque.
For the slightly less fearless foodies, there are some more usual offerings, ranging from burgers and crab cakes, to fish tacos and parmesan encrusted chicken.
"People come because they're curious to see what we've done with the place, but they keep coming back for the food," she said.
Guckin attributes the use of fresh and local ingredients, in addition to Ljuba's superb kitchen skills, to the excellent reviews.
The bar now offers a well-rounded selection of wines and domestic beers, as well as a variety of fresh fruit cocktails like orange and grapefruit crushes, Moscow mules and the pineapple mojito, made with fresh pineapple juice and local mint.
So far, business has been great, she said, thanks to the community welcoming the Philadelphia natives with open arms. But as the Guckins settle into their first summer season, they are realizing running a restaurant is much harder than any of their previous ventures.
"It's a lot," she said. "A lot of hours, a lot of commitment, a lot of responsibility. But we knew what we were getting into and we do not have any regrets. We know we made the right decision."
Ironically, she said, the most difficult part was the name. It took Guckin months, nearly as long as the renovation process took, to come up with Fin Alley.
"I wanted it to represent what we represent," she said. "You know, laid-back, coastal Fenwick. But I also love that it's a play on words. Fin Alley. Finale. This is our third business and we want it to be our last. Finito. Our very own finale. We love it here and we're going out with a bang."
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Fin Alley
Where: 300 Coastal Hwy, Fenwick Islandf
When: Noon to 10 p.m. daily
Call: 302-539-3526
Visit: finalleyfenwick.com