Both Sides of the South A1A Corner Now Answer to One Moorings Neighbor

"So this isn't goodbye. It's simply 'we'll see you across the street.'"

Nina and Mario Amelio, the brother and sister behind Johnny D's Market & Bistro, signed off with that line when they announced the restaurant would close for renovations this fall. Johnny D's has now closed after 15 years on South A1A. Its own website says it "served our final guests" and will stay closed through October 2027. The same note sends customers to Turtle Cove Market across the road, "where you'll find many of the foods, wines, and specialty items you already love — along with some familiar Johnny D's faces."

Restaurant turnover happens on every barrier island. The move across the street is different because one person sits on both sides of it. He is a neighbor from The Moorings, and the plan he is carrying out will change the South Beach corner for at least the next year.

The Owner Behind Both Buildings

Anthony DeChellis owns the Johnny D's building. He also owns the new 27,000-square-foot mixed-use building across the road, next to the South A1A 7-Eleven, where Turtle Cove Market, the Motley Cow tiki bar and Blu Fin are opening. He grew up in Vero Beach and came home after a finance career in New York that ended with him as president of Credit Suisse Private Banking. His company that runs the three venues is called Windward Restaurant Concepts, named for Windward Way in The Moorings, where he grew up and still lives.

His holdings reach further than one intersection. According to Vero News, DeChellis also owns a commercial building just south of Johnny D's on A1A, and he owns the Cardinal Drive building where The Tides operates in Central Beach. He has said his real estate moves are meant to give South Beach residents "a series of establishments the community can be proud of."

That ownership explains why Johnny D's is moving across the street instead of disappearing. Nina and Mario Amelio are DeChellis's cousins, and both are joining the management team at the new complex. Every Johnny D's employee was invited to apply there, and as of late September DeChellis said "about 10 or 12" had already been hired. The family-run bistro is effectively being folded into the new venture for a year while its own building is renovated.

How the New Complex Was Supposed to Turn Out

The building across from Johnny D's was originally meant for someone else. DeChellis built the restaurant space to suit chef Leanne Kelleher of The Tides, working with her input. The plan was for The Tides to operate there for a couple of years while its Cardinal Drive building was torn down and rebuilt. Late in the process, Kelleher decided to stay where she was. Both she and DeChellis have described the change as amicable and say they are still good friends.

DeChellis responded by hiring a headhunter. The search brought in Sebastian La Rocca, an Argentine-born chef who has worked at several Michelin-rated restaurants around the world. He started as culinary director in early July. La Rocca told Vero Beach 32963 that he was working in the Midwest and "longing to be close to the ocean."

So the space wasn't designed around Blu Fin's concept. La Rocca's Mediterranean-and-Latin menu is being written for a room first planned for a different chef's restaurant.

Three Venues, From A1A to the Back Lot

Seen from A1A, the complex runs in a line from front to back.

1. Turtle Cove Gourmet Market is at the western end, nearest the highway. It will carry house-made fresh pastas, seafood, pastries, coffee and other specialty products. La Rocca calls it "fresh, convenient, high-quality and constantly evolving." It is also where Johnny D's foods and wines are now sold.
2. The Motley Cow sits in the middle, an open-air tiki bar under a large palapa roof of palm fronds, planned around creative cocktails and music.
3. Blu Fin is at the back, a fine-dining restaurant "rooted in Mediterranean cuisine with Latin inspiration," with indoor and outdoor seating and plenty of parking behind it. La Rocca has described the atmosphere he wants as "sophisticated without being pretentious."

Blu Fin's menu was still being developed as of July. The one dish La Rocca has named is his signature roasted tomatoes, crisp outside and soft inside, served over onions and sugarcane honey. The August hiring call gives a few more clues about the kitchen. It listed openings for a pastry supervisor, a sushi chef and a butcher for the restaurant, and a barista for the market.

The company set out to hire about 80 people. By September 20, La Rocca said the two job fairs had filled about 70 percent of those positions. He also plans to buy from local fishermen and farmers whenever he can.

Where Things Stand in Early October

Several dates published in late summer were plans rather than confirmed openings, so here is the status as of October 4, 2026.

When Vero News reported the Blu Fin dates on September 20, DeChellis was still waiting on "some important equipment delivery" before he could set a firm date. He said a computerized reservation system would launch "in a couple of weeks," because "people are calling me on my personal phone asking for dining reservations." No hours, prices or live booking page had been published at the time of writing.

Why the Timing Matters Inside The Moorings

The corner is changing at the same time as the dining rooms inside The Moorings Club. The club's Phase 1 master plan is a $12 million project that began in summer 2026 and is expected to finish by winter 2028. Its centerpiece is the new Cove Bar & Grille on the Indian River Lagoon overlooking Starvation Cove, with 25 bar seats, room for 110 diners, a patio and fire pits. The plan also covers a refreshed Commodores' Dining Room, a new private dining room, the Moorings Yacht Club Captain's Lounge, a redesigned golf pro shop next to the first tee, a new multipurpose card room, and rebuilt locker rooms. The club's renderings page says construction has started.

The club's public dining page still lists Take-Out Mondays, the Dockside Grille and poolside cocktails. It doesn't explain how member dining will run while construction is underway. The Yacht Club page says the docks are "currently closed for renovations" and are "anticipated to reopen in Fall 2026." No reopening has been announced.

Put the timelines side by side and they overlap. The club's construction started in summer 2026, the Turtle Cove venues are opening in stages this October, and Johnny D's returns in October 2027. Phase 1 at the club runs longer than all of them, to winter 2028.

What Comes Back in October 2027

Johnny D's may not reopen in its old form. DeChellis said his family once ran a liquor store on the property called South Beach Liquors. Because he still holds a liquor license, the renovated building may become a high-end wine and liquor shop. "In a way, it may be back to the future for the liquor store," he told Vero News. Since the new use hasn't been decided, no renovation cost has been set.

The Tides, meanwhile, is coming back sooner and with more on offer. Kelleher's restaurant on Cardinal Drive is reopening in October after a modest two-month upgrade, adding Sunday brunch and weekday takeout lunches.

For at least the next year, the old Johnny D's shopping stop will operate inside Turtle Cove Market, run partly by the Amelios and staffed partly by Johnny D's former employees. The building it left will sit closed across the road until October 2027.

At Vero Premier Properties, we keep track of changes like this along South A1A because they shape everyday life in The Moorings as much as any listing does. If you'd like to know how the new corner and the club's Phase 1 work could affect the value of your home, get your instant home valuation and we'll go over it with you personally.