Our Story

Same kitchen.
Bigger table.

Louisiana roots, Amelia Island history and a place that’s always felt like yours.
Come hungry. Come as you are.

Good food was always the beginning.
Bringing people together became the story.

Kitchen 251 belongs to Ashley and Chef Michael McCarroll, but it has never felt like a restaurant built around owners. It feels like the kind of place built around a table, the food on it and the people who keep pulling up another chair.
Lafayette to Fernandina

A little Louisiana in every chapter.

Chef Michael hails from Lafayette, Louisiana, bringing more than 30 years of experience and the Cajun influence that still runs through the kitchen.
Familiar food. A whole new room to enjoy it in.

How we got here

Not a perfectly straight line. The good stories usually aren’t.
Early days

Fernandina roots

Michael first came to Fernandina after being recruited to cook at the former 1878 Steakhouse. The island became more than a stop along the way.

Between rooms

The catering years

After closing an earlier restaurant, Ashley and Michael focused on private catering. Feeding gatherings became its own kind of foundation.

Six years

Life at the marina

Kitchen 251 found its first home at the Amelia Island Marina, with only seven indoor tables, unforgettable sunsets and a loyal crowd that kept coming back.

2026

A bigger table downtown

The restaurant moved into the historic William Bell House on Beech Street, adding more room to dine, gather and celebrate without losing its easygoing spirit.

A fried seafood plate on a patio table in the afternoon sun
Still made here

The room grew. The standards didn’t budge.

The larger kitchen opened the door to more creativity, but the things people loved stayed put. Fresh seafood, chef driven comfort food, Louisiana influence and desserts Ashley still makes in house.

From Michael

Cajun influence, decades of experience and food made to satisfy.

From Ashley

House made desserts, including the seasonal cheesecakes regulars wait for.

Watch Chef Michael

A Lowcountry boil, the Nassau County way

Wildlight’s look at the ingredients behind a great Lowcountry boil, with Chef Michael running the pot.

The next chapter has a seat for you.

The address changed. The invitation didn’t. Come hungry, come as you are and stay long enough to become part of the story.