Abacoa & Alton Neighbors Febuary 2021

F e b r u a r y 2 0 2 1 | Abacoa &Alton N E I G H B O R S 19 RESIDENT FEATURE Submitted by Heather Storm Photos by Neil Cohen Photography Tim Armstrong moved to New York City in the fall of 1998, having just graduated from culinary school. At the time, he had no job, no place to live and literally $22 in his pocket. Tim says he arrived on a Thursday, started a job the following Monday, and within a couple of days – as fate would have it - in walked in his future wife. Danielle was a ‘starving artist’ doubling as a cocktail waitress/hostess at the same restaurant where he had just started, The Lenox Room on the Upper East Side. Tim and Danielle were married in September of 2002. Together they reside in Abacoa and have two children, Nathan who is 16 years old and Amelia who is 12. Tim graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1998 and did his externship at The Breakers in Palm Beach. Upon moving to New York City, he worked in several different restaurants including The Lenox Room, Petrosion, and Blue Fin. He moved to Connecticut in 2004 and worked at The Shore House under celebrity Chef Michael Lomonaco and Barcelona restaurant groups in Fairfield County. A few a years later they moved to Mount Pleasant, South Carolina where he was the Executive Chef at The Old Village Post House. After building a little reputation in town, Tim decided to make a huge leap, going out on his own and opening a new restaurant with the help of only his wife, who had recently discovered they were pregnant with their second child. Tim opened, won best new restaurant and closed - all in the dreaded year of 2008. “Heartbreaking does not cover it,” he says. The following July they moved to Florida. The Armstrongs have lived in Abacoa since they moved to South Florida in 2009, renting in several communities before deciding to buy in Windsor Park in early 2018. Prior to the purchase, they rented for about a year and a half in the same neighborhood and knew that the neighborhood - coupled with the ongoing construction of the work/live units - was going to be perfect for them. Though construction took quite a bit longer than expected, they were able to open their business, The Hybrid Chef, with a storefront space that allowed Tim to finally work, not only at home, but also in the community Armstrong Family Meet the