Daddy O, a 22-room boutique hotel and restaurant, is one of the many establishments in a partnership group headed by the highly respected Martin Grims. With Four Diamond AAA ratings and many "best of" honors, the partnership takes great pride in bringing inspired experiences with adventuresome food and outstanding service to their guests. Besides Daddy O, they own and operate: The Moshulu Restaurant/Ship in Philadelphia, The Plantation Restaurant in Long Beach Island, NJ, The Inlet in Somers Point, NJ, and du jour café and market, currently in Haverford Square on the Philadelphia Main Line and expanding to more locations, including Center City Philadelphia's new Symphony House.
Al Vanesko, Executive Chef/Partner
Al Vanesko, Daddy O’s executive chef/partner, was formerly the executive chef of Passerelle and Bravo Bistro in Radnor, PA, which was recognized by Gourmet Magazine as one of Philadelphia’s ten best restaurants. Affiliated with Passarelle for 16 years, Vanesko oversaw many large events, including weddings, bar mitzvahs and other catered events – all distinctive and well-received. He is also chef/partner of du Jour, a café, market and catering company, The Plantation Restaurant in Harvey Cedars in Long Beach Island, NJ and The Inlet in Somers Point, NJ. Vanesko is a graduate of the Restaurant School.
Zachary Grainda, Co-Executive Chef
Zachary Grainda is Daddy O’s co-executive chef. A graduate of Johnson & Wales in Rhode Island, Grainda honed his culinary skills first in New England, and later at Philadelphia’s Striped Bass, the Moshulu and Passerelle. An enthusiast of all kinds of cuisine, Grainda prides himself on incorporating a variety of culinary influences from around the world when creating a menu.
Brian Sabarese, General Manager/Partner
Brian Sabarese is general manager/partner of Daddy O. A native of the Jersey shore, he grew up in Forked River. Sabarese worked at Passarelle and at San Nicola in Berwyn, Pa. In 2003 he became general manager/partner of The Plantation. He has been operating Daddy O since it’s opening in the summer of 2006.
Martin Grims, General Partner
Martin (Marty) Grims is a highly respected restaurateur in the Greater Philadelphia area. He launched his career at the top. As a member of the opening team of the Four Season’s Hotel in Philadelphia in 1983, he applies that standard of quality in every restaurant he owns and operates. A visionary, he believes each restaurant should have its own character and personality.
A natural in the restaurant business, Marty’s grandfather owned restaurants in Manhattan and Philadelphia. He has fond memories of lending a hand in the family business when he was a boy. Grims attended Cornell University’s School of Hotel and Restaurant Management and, after graduating in the early 1980’s, he became a fixture in the restaurant community in the Philadelphia area. From the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia, he spent the next 20 years on Philadelphia’s Main Line. He was General Manager of La Fourchette in Wayne, PA, and joined Jean Francois Taquet as partners in Taquet and Bravo Bistro in Radnor, PA. In 1992, he took over the ownership as a sole proprietor and renamed the restaurant Passerelle, which was a success since the day it opened. Grims is partners in two other popular Main Line restaurants -- Tango Bar and Grill at the Bryn Mawr Train Station in Bryn Mawr, PA and Basil Bistro in Paoli, PA. He owns the very successful Du Jour Café and Market in Haverford Square and plans to open Du Jour in Philadelphia’s prestigious Symphony House in early 2008.
In 2003, Marty bought the Moshulu Restaurant, the world’s oldest and largest tall ship that measures almost 400 feet. It is permanently moored at Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia. Under his direction, the Moshulu has received many “best of” awards and been recognized repeatedly with the Four Diamond Award from AAA. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Craig LaBan gave the Moshulu three bells and applauded its excellence immediately after its opening.
Along with the purchase of the Moshulu, Marty continues to expand his business. In addition to the ship, he has extended the hospitality offerings on Long Beach Island, New Jersey, with The Plantation, a restaurant in Harvey Cedars, Daddy O, and The Inlet in Somers Point, NJ.
To Marty Grims, providing great food and hospitality is his highest priority. Working with his partners, it is clear he will continue to bring new opportunities to the guests who value his vision.
Marty Grims resides in Berwyn, PA with his wife and three children.
Barbara Balongue, Designer
Barbara Balongue is Principal of Balongue Design in Villanova, PA. Her award-winning firm has been designing for the restaurant business for more than 17 years, having worked on projects for the Moshulu, Tango, Marabella’s Bourbon Blue, Yang Ming, and Passarelle, to name a few. Each project is a special place which expresses the character of her client.
With a degree in Housing and Interior Design from the Miami University of Ohio, Balongue’s unique and varied background spans from full-service commercial design to high-end hospitality application. Balongue Design won a national design competition awarded by Architectural Digest and also has been noted in the Baron’s Who’s Who in Interior Design since 1988, and as recently as 1999, was ranked as the eighth largest, in terms of work produced, in Philadelphia.
