Northwest Florida chef and restaurateur Jim Shirley received the 2022 Torch Award presented by the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association (FRLA) and is bestowed each year at the organization’s Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show in Orlando. The award was presented to Chef Jim during the FRLA fall board meeting on November 3 at the Caribe Royale Resort.

Just in time for the 2022 season, Chef Jim Shirley opened two new establishments in Seaside, Florida—The Great Southern Cafe's Chicken Shack and C-Bar (Container Bar). Both are located between Sundog Books and The Great Southern Cafe and share a communal courtyard for dining and relaxing.

North Beach Tortilla Co. (NBTC), a taco and tequila bar that sits at the foot of the Clyde B. Wells (Highway 331) Bridge across from The Bay Restaurant in South Walton, Florida, is now open.