By Jim Hannaford

When the vastly accomplished Chef Rich Lee decided to open a restaurant of his own, he had the perfect partner in mind. His wife, Pam, had been in mortgage banking for 35 years but always had a strong culinary interest.

They seem to be making quite a team. They have a loyal and enthusiastic following at Portabella's in Foley, which they took over in June of 2023. Another way of putting it is they have smartly built on the success that the popular restaurant already had when the previous owner abruptly shut it down after 10 years in business. 

There's quite a story as to how Rich and Pam took over, and it reaches back to when Rich was fresh out of high school and serving in the U.S. Coast Guard. Hitting the open seas set him off toward a journey of cooking various cuisines in ports around the world and training other chefs, first with the Merchant Marines and then with the food services giant Sodexo. Later, he ran busy kitchens at several flagship restaurants in New Orleans, including Antoine's, Brennan's, and Palace Café.

Pam is from New Orleans, and Rich is originally from South Carolina. They found their way to Foley through an old Coast Guard buddy of his. Rich had reconnected with Tyler Higginbotham, who owns 5 Star Air Conditioning, about 12 years ago. He and Pam enjoyed visiting with Tyler and his wife, Cindy, over the years, and they sometimes dined at Portabella's.

"Pam had just quit her job, and we prayed and said, 'Lord, give us a way to work together.'" says Rich. "That week, I was talking to Tyler and he mentioned that he was so bummed that this restaurant had closed out of the blue."

Rich and Pam soon came to Foley to check out the situation, and they closed the deal within a month and a half.

"We wanted to start somewhere small, and this is perfect," he says. "I just knew that all I would need was a little bit of money and a partner to do it."

With just 12 tables, Portabella's is cozy, casual, and quaint. The low-slung cinder block storefront building sits on the east side of McKenzie Street, just a couple of blocks south of Foley's main intersection downtown. On a good day, customers start arriving right as they open at 3 p.m. and keep trickling in until closing time five or six hours later, depending on what night it is.  

Though Rich has expertise in many sophisticated flavors and techniques, guests are not likely to feel intimidated by Portabella's menu. Taking an "ain't-broke-don't-fix-it" approach, they haven't changed very much from the previous owner's menu.

"It had a great reputation already as a local Italian neighborhood restaurant," says Pam. "We wanted to carry on that tradition and just take it to another level, and I think we have. We call it Italia-Bama. We coined that phrase because it's where Italian flavors meet Southern hospitality."

Helping them with that mission are experienced cooks and a knowledgeable waitstaff who seem happy to be there. The restaurateurs also warmed up the dining room's ambiance with tasteful wall hangings, including framed mirrors and paintings, and a trellis-style archway inside the entrance. Though they resisted the urge to transform the menu offerings, Pam's influence comes through with the inclusion of gluten-free options, while her husband indulges his creativity with his popular nightly specials.

These kinds of details, as well as the couple's enthusiasm toward their new community, recently got the attention of the city's Foley Main Street program. The organization recently awarded Rich and Pam a $10,000 grant they plan to use to upgrade furnishings. They will now compete at the statewide level for additional Main Street grant funds.

"We did a three-minute video pitch about what we are all about what we would use the money for and how we think it would help our business," Pam explains. "Evidently they really enjoyed our personalities and the message," adds Rich.

They have more plans, as well. They've already converted a same-sized (1,200 square feet) space in the rear of the building as Bella's Too, which is the name of a private dining room that will be available to rent for private events. They are also talking about branching out across the region with Portabella's franchises.

"We feel like our recipes are easy to make, and the ingredients can be acquired anywhere, and we have the business model prepared, so anyone could easily come in and start running a restaurant," says Pam.

They also want to build on a public caroling event at Heritage Park that they started this past holiday season. They were inspired by the annual Christmas sing-alongs in Jackson Square in New Orleans that they've enjoyed for many years.

They both love to sing. In fact, if you dine at Portabella's, don't be surprised if the chef breaks out in song once he's caught up with cooking. He's known for serenading with an Italian version of "Happy Birthday" and crooning sentimental favorites like "Pennies from Heaven" in a style reminiscent of Frank Sinatra.

So far, Pam has confined her vocal prowess to karaoke, but she's warming up to the idea of a dining room duet.

"I haven't joined him yet," she says, "but I will."