Inside Vivian Howard’s Theodosia in OBX

Vivian Howard has done it again. If you’re headed to OBX (and if you aren’t… well, you should), NC’s James Beard Award-winning chef, restaurateur, author and Emmy-winning TV personality is serving a master class in coastal Southern flavor at Theodosia.

Led by Howard as executive chef—who’s built an illustrious career around the stories of the South—and Chef de Cuisine Charlotte Coman, her newest restaurant at The Sanderling Resort in Duck may be her most immersive chapter yet. Inspired by the remarkable women of the Outer Banks, the entire experience feels unmistakably North Carolina, celebrating the region through local seafood, layered storytelling and one beautifully executed dish after another. 

It even comes with its own ghost story. Named for Theodosia Burr Alston—the daughter of “treacherous murderer” Aaron Burr—whose mysterious disappearance off the Outer Banks became state lore, the namesake restaurant weaves local history into every inch. Designed like a 19th-century salon reimagined for today, the sound-side dining room pairs coral-inspired lamps and patterned banquettes with sweeping golden-hour views in a setting that feels straight out of a Nancy Meyers film.

And then there’s the food. “Chef Charlotte and I have had so much fun putting this together,” muses Howard. Balancing nostalgia with restraint, dishes run the gamut from peak-season produce and pristine local seafood to coastal-inspired entrees that somehow capture the experience of sitting on the edge of hundreds of years of OBX history lapping onto the sound’s shores.

If the food, views and fanfare weren’t enough of a draw, you’ll frequently find Howard herself floating through the dining room chatting up guests while they dive into standouts like her famous tomato pie (yes, that tomato pie). “Normally my best use is in the kitchen,” she told RM on our visit. “But here, Charlotte’s so wonderful—my best use is in the dining room.” 

If a drive to Duck isn’t in the cards but you have a hankering for some Howard, you can get a taste closer to home at RIW’s St. Pierre, where she oversees the food program, as well as with her exclusive Eastern NC-influenced bar bites at The Longleaf Lounge. 

Theodosia, though, is something altogether different. It’s not just another Vivian Howard restaurant. It’s a love letter to coastal NC, to women, to food and to the South—served one sunset, one story and one unforgettable bite at a time.

Take a look at some snaps from our visit below.

Our Fave Eats