Theresa “Trese” Hadge and her partners are spicing up Marco’s culinary palette while also breathing new life into two spaces very familiar to island diners.
She is an owner of Pub 1105, which opened in early June in a small plaza off Bald Eagle Drive in Old Marco. The restaurant’s specialty represents what has been an unfilled niche on the local restaurant scene: Southern cuisine.
“It goes from the Appalachian Mountains to the coastline of South Carolina, where there’s the Low Country, to the French aspects of Louisiana and Creole food,” said Hadge, describing in geographic terms, the cultural influences found on the menu. “We have gumbo, crawfish étouffée. We have fried chicken and country-cured ham that we cut ourselves. We just have an array: black-eyed peas and Hoppin John. Everything we have is 100 percent southern.”
The head chef is New Orleans native Jamie Knapp, who previously worked at the Bay House Restaurant for more than ten years. Before that, he was at the Claw Bar at the Bellasera Hotel in downtown Naples.
Pub 1105’s name reflects the eatery’s street address. It’s the same address that previously belonged to the storefront’s prior occupant, the Old Marco Pub, which closed after 23 years in business. Aside from the new dining concept, the space boasts a refreshed, bright and airy look that radiates sophistication. The bar area is accented by a striking mural portraying the face and words of the late celebrity chef, author, travel documentarian and TV star Anthony Bourdain.
Theresa “Trese” Hadge, an owner-operator at Pub 1105, left, with head chef Jamie Knapp and restaurant General Manager LeAnna Lee.
Photos by Joey Waves Photography
“We wanted to have a restaurant that was quaint, that made you feel like you were at home in your own dining room,” explained Hadge. “That’s the reason that we decorated the way we did, so it could feel comfortable and homey. Then on our bar side, we wanted people to be able to watch TV and kind of kick back and relax and have great food. So really, our whole concept is to create an inviting space that provides fabulous food and heartwarming hospitality. We just want people to really see and experience what the Southern lifestyle really is.”
That approach is captured by the catchphrase: “1105 Southern Food and Good Vibes.”
The small-town North Carolina native refers to herself as an “owner-operator, a title she shares with three silent partners. Her culinary background includes owning a bakery and a restaurant in Raleigh, North Carolina, and with her significant other, Ted Chase, owning several restaurants and bars in Houston. She’s also the former owner of an advertising and marketing company in Detroit.
Stella’s Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich: Stella Stella Catch Your Fella – Crispy Fried Chicken Breast, Lettuce, Tomato, Buttery Brioche Bun, Served with Carolina White Cabbage Slaw, Potato Salad, Bread and Butter Pickles.
Photos by Joey Waves Photography
New Orleans Gumbo: Mardi Gras and Good Times – Dark Roux, Vegetables, Chicken, Sausage, and Shrimp served over a bed of rice.
Photos by Joey Waves Photography
“So, I’ve had an extensive background with marketing, advertising, event planning, and food. I’ve been in food for my entire life,” she said. “I came up in a family of food. Food is the center of everything because it brings everybody together.”
That early experience began in a childhood spent at her grandparents’ farm, surrounded by bounteous crops and livestock and the expert kitchen skills of her grandmother and great-grandmother.
“Right outside our back door was where all of our food came from,” she said. “My grandmother started cooking for the neighbors, so she became the baker of the area, if you will, because every Sunday, they would bring someone home from church with them. It would either be the preacher or one of the church members, and she would serve this huge spread of food. It would be fried chicken, roast beef, mashed potatoes, and corn salad. And then there would always be some fabulous dessert.”
Eventually, the women opened a small restaurant in a nearby town, providing Hadge with her initial first-hand experience in the business.
Pub 1105 is currently open seven days a week, but the possibility exists that it may shift to a six-day weekly schedule during the summer. It opens at 4:00 PM for the happy hour and dinner crowd through August. Beginning in September, the bistro will be open for lunch and brunch.
The restaurant also offers live music, with an eye toward featuring artists that provide the island with “a little new flavor that you haven’t heard before,” said Hadge, who resides on Marco and in Naples. “One of our best entertainers is Wendell Ray, a young man that just came off playing with Tanya Tucker and Jelly Roll. He is quite the entertainer. He plays harmonica and guitar and is just a very well-rounded musician.”
She and her partners had been looking for business opportunities in this area and had examined several properties when the opportunity at 1105 Bald Eagle presented itself.
“I knew the previous owners of this building (Susan and Tom Ackerson), and they told us that they were interested in selling,” said Hadge. “We looked at the building and I thought I could turn that into something absolutely cute as can be. So, we came to the decision that this was going to be the first restaurant that we opened here.”
Renovation work is underway on a second eatery, which happens to be located right next door in the historic structure that was formerly home to Marek’s Collier House Restaurant. The fine dining establishment opened in 1995 and closed in June 2022 after the structure was ravaged by Hurricane Ian.
Desserts are made in-house and change daily.
Photos by Joey Waves Photography
Snobbish and Delicious – the Snobtini: Filet Mignon Tips, Whipped Potatoes, Hemingway Gravy, and Curly Onion Nest and served in a Martini Glass.
Photos by Joey Waves Photography
Hadge said no decision has been made on exactly what type of restaurant it will be. However, one thing that has been determined is the name of the building’s previous occupant will be retained in some form.
“It is a beautiful historical building, and we love the family that owned the restaurant before us (Peter and Penny Marek),” she said. “We’ll have the name Marek’s Collier House, and it might have another name that goes with it, but that will remain because the Collier House was built in 1882. It’s a great piece of history. We went to great lengths not to tear the building down after Hurricane Ian. We had a lot of damage, and we’ve gone to every possible length we could to raise the building, put it on a stem wall, and keep as much of the architecture as we possibly can.”
More information about the establishment will become available as the project progresses, said Hadge.
“We’ll be happy to talk about that more as we get closer, maybe in November, because we’re going to try to open in December,” she added. “We’re in the drywall stages right now, which is exciting because you can actually see what it’s going to look like.”
Pub 1105 is located at 1105 Bald Eagle Drive. For more information go to pub1105.com or call 239-388-4107.