WILMINGTON—Visitors to Downtown Wilmington’s Whiskey Tango Foxtrot know not to expect the ordinary when they order one of the bar’s signature cocktails. Now, the same owners are taking their unique style to a new venture – Rumcow.
Named after the drink of the same name, Rumcow will offer a range of drinks as well as a full food menu.
Located just two doors down from Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Rum Cow is owners Abigail Ovbey and Joe Sena’s second business in Wilmington. While Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is an upscale cocktail bar with a laid-back vibe; Rumcow hopes to capture that same atmosphere while offering guests unique drinks as well as food.
Together, the couple have traveled the world on culinary trips and now they are hoping to bring their experiences to Wilmington.
“We’ll do food and drink … I like to tell people it’s the answer to our drink menu at Whiskey Tango and food. So fun, exciting, a little bit different plates,” Ovbey said.
Rumcow will offer a variety of main courses as well as more shareable options for guests to enjoy.
Sophisticated southern chic
Sena and Ovbey have their roots in the south and the low-country and plan on combining their southern roots with an international flair–sophisticated southern chic as they refer to it.
“I think the things that resonated the most with us was China, Italy, and Spain, so we’re kind of combining that with low-country … were trying to enhance the palate so you have all the bases (covered),” Sena said.
The couple has the basics of creating recipes and know what they are looking for when it comes to their foods, but local chef Kirsten Mitchell will serve as the restaurant’s consulting chef.
“Over the last eight years of our world travels we have been compiling our favorite things and favorite types of foods. We have this rough outline that we came up with, and she has basically taken it to that next level,” Ovbey said.
It’s not just the food and drinks that makes Rumcow unique. Much like Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Ovbey and Sena are making the space their own by remodeling the restaurant themselves.
Everything from the massive slab table from a fallen tree in a friend’s backyard, to the framed “grass-wall,” the two have completed most of the construction on their own.
Electrical and plumbing are the two areas they let professionals handle. Even the whitewashed brick walls that adorn the restaurant were a labor of love, Ovbey sponge painted each brick individually to get the perfect look.
“It’s been head to toe hands-on, from the hardwoods to the bricks to the walls, we do all of our own work,” Ovbey said
Ovbey and Sena are still working on getting the restaurant ready for opening and putting the finishing touches. The couple said they hope to have it ready sometime in July.
Rumcow is located at 121 Grace St. in downtown Wilmington.
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